Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 24 March 2023


I. Introduction

Self Enquiry Life Fellowship (“Nonprofit”, “we” or “us”) has adopted this Privacy Policy because we care about protecting the personal information of those who interact with our websites, purchase our educational publications, attend events and utilize services offered by the Nonprofit. In general, the Nonprofit collects and uses information about you to facilitate personalized spiritual interaction (such as blessings), keep you informed of programs and resources we think may be of interest to you, to deliver email subscription benefits (e.g., messages from monastics) and to improve our website usability.


This Privacy Policy applies to all those whose personal information is dealt with in any way by the Nonprofit including devotees, event attendees, officers, monastics, employees, volunteers, contractors, suppliers, and others who come into contact with our organization.


This policy explains how the Nonprofit complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (“the GDPR”) and other applicable laws and regulations relating to the processing of personal data and privacy, including statutory instruments.


II. Principles for processing personal information

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information in compliance with the applicable legislation. This compliance is consistent with our desire to keep you informed and to recognize and respect your privacy rights.


III. Information covered by this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy covers personal information, including any information we collect and use from you. We will normally collect personal information directly from you when you volunteer it to us, or when we gather it from your use of our services. This Privacy Policy applies to all websites controlled by the Nonprofit, including hansavedas.org, hansavedas.academy, and bookstore.hansavedas.org (collectively referred to as “Websites”). When you register for an event, give a donation, request prayers or blessings, purchase a service or product, or interact with our Websites your personal information is collected and used in a manner consistent with the provisions of this Privacy Policy. Below is a list of the types of information that the Nonprofit collects and uses:

a. Contact & personal details

We collect personal information, such as name, phone number, email address, and mailing address from you on a voluntary basis, such as when you:

- Make a donation, either by completion of a pledge card or via a digital form;
- Register for an event;
- Provide your contact details, in writing or orally, to Nonprofit staff or volunteers;
- Purchase a publication from the Nonprofit online or in-person;
- Sign-up for our email list on our Websites or Facebook page;
- Communicate with the Nonprofit by means such as email, letter or telephone;
- Request prayers or blessings;
- Request an in-person audience or meeting with a monastic; and
- Subscribe to our online learning platform

b. Details related to your request for spiritual guidance

In the course of pursuing the Nonprofit’s teachings and meditation techniques, you may voluntarily provide personal or familial health, financial, marital, birthdate and other information about matters of a confidential nature, for purposes of seeking spiritual guidance and requesting prayers. The Nonprofit’s monastics and their support staff may have access to such information in order to assist the monastics with providing these services. These parties have agreed to maintain the confidentiality of any information of a confidential nature that is provided.

c. Web browser cookies

We collect information about how you use our Websites by setting and accessing cookies on your computer. A cookie is a small piece of information sent by our Websites that is saved on your hard drive by your computer's browser. The cookie holds information our Websites may need to personalize or enhance your experience and to gather statistical data, such as which pages are visited and the internet provider's domain name. From time to time, other companies may help us with data research and analysis, but they will be prohibited from using that data for any other purpose. You may disable cookies on your browser. Please review your browser's instructions for doing so. Note that certain features of our Websites may not be available if you delete or reject cookies.

d. Web analytics data

Our Websites use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies to help the Nonprofit analyze how visitors use our Websites. The information generated by the cookie about your use of our Websites (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of our Websites, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. By using our Websites, you consent to the processing of data about you by us and by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above and in Google’s applicable privacy policies. The Nonprofit does not use web analytics to personally identify users of our Websites. Analytics data is anonymous.


IV. How we process and use your information

Most often we will use your data simply to fulfill a request that you have initiated, such as to respond to your inquiry, fulfill your publication order, provide a requested resource to you, send you event-related information, or otherwise to provide you with and enable you to utilize the Nonprofit’s services. The Nonprofit will use the personal information we collect for the purposes disclosed at the time of collection, or otherwise as set out in this Privacy Policy. The Nonprofit complies with its obligations under the GDPR by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorized access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

We will only use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To enable us to meet all legal and statutory obligations;

  • To deliver the Nonprofit’s mission to the community and to carry out any other activities for the benefit of the public as provided for in our Articles of Incorporation;

  • To keep you informed by text, email and/or postal mail about the services, publications and events offered by the Nonprofit;

  • To answer an inquiry or request for further information about the Nonprofit, its services, activities and events;

  • To share inspirational writing and messages from our monastics;

  • To carry out your request for prayers or blessings;

  • To enable the staff, volunteer representatives and monastics of the Nonprofit to directly communicate with you;

  • To assist us in developing our Websites, services and publications so that they are more valuable to the community;

  • To fundraise and promote the interests of the Nonprofit;

  • To manage our employees, volunteers and contractors; and

  • To maintain our own accounts and records.


V. Sharing of your personal data

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential and will only be made available to those members of our staff and volunteer team who need to see it in order to perform their functions/roles/responsibilities at the Nonprofit. We do not sell, rent or otherwise share or disclose your private, personally identifiable information to third party data controllers.


VI. Use of data processors

In some cases we will utilize the services of a third party provider to perform functions and/or provide services on our behalf (such as website hosting, online donation processing, mass emailing, event registration, payroll processing, etc.). These third party service providers (“Data Processors”) may use your personal information in order to assist the Nonprofit, or to provide a service to you on our behalf. All of our Data Processors are bound by contractual terms in order to ensure that your personal information will be protected appropriately. These third party Data Processors are also subject to the rules and regulations set forth by the GDPR.


VII. Length of data retention

In general, we will endeavor to keep data only for as long as we need it. This means that we may delete it when it is no longer needed. We will keep some records permanently if we are legally required to do so. We may keep other records for an extended period of time if they are deemed necessary for the functioning of the Nonprofit and delivery of program services.


VIII. Your rights

Where the GDPR applies, in certain circumstances and subject to data processing agreements, you have rights in relation to the personal information we hold about you. To exercise any of your rights, please contact us per the details provided in section XV (“Contact details”) of this Privacy Policy. Please note that for each of the rights listed below we may have valid legal reasons to refuse your request, in such instances we will let you know if that is the case.

  • The right to request a copy of your personal data which the Nonprofit holds about you;

  • The right to request the Nonprofit to correct any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date;

  • The right to request your personal data is erased where it is no longer necessary for the Nonprofit to retain such data;

  • The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time;

  • The right to request that your data is transferred or moved (known as data portability);

  • The right, where there is a dispute in relation to the accuracy or processing of your personal data, to request a restriction is placed on further processing;

  • The right to object to the processing of personal data where applicable; and

  • The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

When exercising any of the rights listed above, in order to process your request, we may need to verify your identity for your security. In such cases we will need you to respond with proof of your identity before you can exercise these rights.


XI. Keeping your details up to date

Please inform the Nonprofit if any of your contact details change so that we can keep our records up to date. You can change the way we contact you or the kind of material we send you by contacting us using the details found in the section XV (“Contact details”) of this Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe from our regular emails or texts at any time by using the 'unsubscribe' or 'change preferences' links on the email or texts you have received.


XII. Children

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that his or her child has provided us with personal information without such parent or guardian’s consent, he or she should contact us. If we become aware that a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, we will delete such information from our files.


XIII. Data security

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information.


XIV. Changes to this policy

The Nonprofit may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to ensure compliance with changes or amendments to GDPR and other applicable laws and regulations relating to the processing of personal data and privacy. Any amended version will be available on our website at hansavedas.org. We suggest that you visit our website regularly to keep up to date with any changes.


XV. Contact details

If you would like any further information, or have any queries, problems or complaints relating to the Nonprofit’s Privacy Policy or our information handling practices in general, please contact:


Self Enquiry Life Fellowship
PO Box 30627, Santa Barbara, CA 93130 USA
quest@hansavedas.org
909-543-6003


Federal Tax ID: 20-3478668
hansavedas.org