by Anonymous
We love to hear from our friends about what inspires them about KF. Here an anonymous donor tells us what motivates her partnership with KF. We thank her!
I have been a follower of Buddhadharma and Rinpoche’s teachings for over 5 years now, but only in the last 2 years did I become a regular donor to KF. The reason is that I got so inspired by Rinpoche’s vision and KF’s track record in implementing amazing projects that support institutions and individuals who wish to study or practice the Dharma. Although building a grand monastery or a giant gold Buddha statue may inspire others to practice Dharma and liberate themselves, to me nothing is more important than ensuring Buddha’s words and teachings to be preserved in a general accessible way, next-generation sangha leaders being trained properly to uphold and pass the precious teachings into the future, and real practitioners getting support in their practices. And these are exactly what KF does.
As a former management consultant, I believe in investing every single dollar where it can generate maximum impact. Although I am not rich, I pledge to contribute whatever I can to KF works, whether financial support or skills such as translating Rinpoche’s teachings into Chinese so that more people can receive his teachings and get a chance to make some change to themselves and to this world.
I haven’t been working for a few years now, but I set up a small amount monthly donation. I can surely skip that sinful chocolate cake and coffee at least once a month, and offer the money for something more valuable. For the Chinese New Year, I donate to KF part of the Red Envelope money that I receive from family, so that they can also get connected to Dharma in a meaningful way. For my birthday, instead of buying myself a gift, which usually means piling up more unnecessary things in my already cramped apartment, I make some donation to KF to expel that shopping urge. I have to say this kind of “shopping” tends to make me happy for a longer time than physical goods.
In 2013, I also asked my family and friends not to buy me any Christmas gifts for the sake of not creating more garbage in this world. However, if they really feel like giving me something for the season’s sake, then they can make some donation to KF, or 84000, or Lotus Outreach, or any disaster relief funds for non-Buddhist friends. That will be a gift good for the giver, good for the environment, and good for all beings.