I Wish For You...

I wish for you...

...enough happiness to make you sweet

...enough trials to make you strong

...enough sadness to keep you human

...enough hope to be happy

Giving With Mindfulness

Worth, a global wealth management magazine, recently published a list of the 10 most fiscally responsible charities that people can consider supporting with their donations.

The list provide a good insight into how these charities got it right in their core focus and provide useful lessons on how to gauge the worth of a charity.

The number one on the list is "Give Kids The World" charity that partners with local charities to help sick children. Out of every dollar that is donated, ninety-three cents are spent directly on the programs run by the charity.

The "Environmental Defense Fund", ranked number two, spends just nine cents to raise a dollar in contribution. This compares with the typical charity that spends 13% on such activities.

Michael J. Fox Foundation spends less than 3% of its budget on administrative costs, well below the average 15% that most charities spend. The Foundation is ranked number 6 on the list.

All the other charities in this top 10 list has similar profiles of spending most of their donations running programs that directly impact their beneficiaries. They all spent below the norm in administrative, marketing and fund-raising activities.

That is accountability and transparency.

A good charity spends most of its money on the cause, uses the least amount of money to raise funds and spends the least on administrations.

So, if you come across a charity that is paying its people very good salary and the head of the charity is driving an expensive car, you should be asking questions about where the money is really going.

Some years back, a charity called The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) in Singapore was found to only spend 10 cents of each dollar on its patients. And the CEO was spending lavishly on himself, flying first class to attend conventions in Las Vegas and other stuff. Their office building was furnished like a 5-star hotel, and their fund-raising activities were outsourced to consultants who charged an exorbitant amount to raise millions of dollars from unsuspecting donors.

So, it is good to donate generously to a good cause.

However, you need to be mindful that every dollar that you donate is used correctly to benefit the people in those charities.

You need to understand that charities are the steward of donors' and supporters' hard-earned money and the onus is on them to be transparent and accountable in all that they do.

Personally, I donate to Kiva, that uses the fund that you donate to lend small amounts to the poor people around the world who is looking for capital to start their own businesses, to build infrastructures in their communities or other social causes.

Therefore, donate with an open heart but make sure that your donations result in the most benefit for the people that it is intended for.

Apple IPad

Here is a funny spoof from MadTV on Apple's IPad.

Whoever is the marketing genius who came up with this name should be cruxified!

By having such a stupid name called IPad, Apple just offended and turned off 50% of their potential prospects - the women who would be ashamed to be seen carrying an IPad around.

I guess they would rather buy Amazon's Kindle and save themselves the embarrassment.

Live a little. Have a good laugh. It is good for the soul...

Where Is The "I"?

An ancient Indian text, the Visudhimagga, posed a very interesting question : -

"Precisely where is what we call a 'chariot' located? Is it in the axles, the wheels, the frame? Is it in the poles that connect with the horse?"

The answer? "Nowhere"

What we name as a chariot is just an illusion. It is made up of various component parts arranged to form a "chariot" - when it disintegrates into its various components, the "chariot" is no more. It is just a physical object that our mind recognizes as a chariot base on the label that we put on it.

It is the same as "I".

Where is the "I" inside you? Is it your mind? Is it located in your brain? Is it the physical form that you see reflected in the mirror?

Going to a more minute component, is it the billions of cells in your body? Is it the "intelligence" that govern how you behave, how your the various parts of your body behave?

Some people say that the "I" is your soul.

All these are just labels that we place on objects in an attempt to explain and categorize our physical world.

According to Buddhism, everything is an illusion. Nothing is permanent. All the physical objects that we see, touch or encounter are just form construct that our minds make up.

In the final analysis, all form is nothingness. And all void is form. This is what the Heart Sutra states.

If you can understand this profound idea, you will be free from all the illusions of life ...

Before The Morning...

This is a beautiful and very meaningful song by Josh Wilson.

Yes, it is always darkest just before the aurora breaks to bring a new morning.

So, in the darkest days of our lives, we must not give up hope as the beautiful sunrise is just moments to come...