Where would you place yr money too?

[Tammy]

I would not commit to a certain percentage for donation.. Instead i will observe the operations, history and most importantly the people, the committee behind each organization that under consideration. I would even gone as far as getting very involve in their work, join the activities, get to know the people behind them before I make my decision.

It would choose to donate to organizations which are conserve, transparent and their work would benefit as many people as possible without discrimination against race, religion and creed.

Anyway, to support a good cause, one million is very little.. I wish I would have at least one billion at my disposal !! Om benza wiki bitana soha 

[Carpenter]

I agree Tammy, I noticed that everyone here are talking about the same decision, which is donate money to a Dharma Centre. But, are we going to donate just like that? Is every Dharma Centre are good to donate?

When we make any donation, we should do it right, find out more before we do it, don’t donate just for the sake of donating, don’t just close your eyes, hand over the money, wipe your hand and that’s it. Have a right motivation, be more involve, make your donation worthwhile.

[bambi]

This is quite funny as I can relate to what my mum said. A friend asked me what would I do IF I strike lottery and got millions of dollars. My mum answered "She'll donate it all to a temple!". LOL... Didn't know whether to laugh at the sarcasm of the comment or to be happy that my mum actually acknowledged it.
I would say I'd donate whatever I can to help either a Dharma center or charity homes. Even when I don't have enough money at times, I'd always donate however small the amount. Let's not talk about a million dollars but what comes from your heart and ability that counts.

[ilikeshugden]

If I had a million dollars, I would give most to orphanages, soup kitchens and Dharma centres. If I had some money left over, I would buy a house to live in and a car maybe. I do not see a point to donate to just one type. If you have the money, donate to all.

[sonamdhargey]

I would set up a investment fund or business and a percentage of the profits goes to the Dharma Centre or any charitable organisation i see fit and must be sustained for long periods as the Dharma Centres and charitable organisations are to benefit and help others not for just 1-2 years, but for many years to come. Why? Putting everything into any Dharma centre or charitable organisation is just one off and no more future income and how would it sustain by just depending on one off donations? I'll put the money to use to generate income for the centers be it Dharma or charity.

[vajratruth]

In an ideal world I would give it all to my Lama and trust that my Lama would know best how to use the money to best benefit others whilst maximizing the karmic value of that donation for me. If I were to make the decision myself, it would be based on my own level of judgement, the foundation of which is worldly and single dimensional because I can only see the immediate.

I would love to give to orphanages and to other activities that provide humanitarian relief but I feel that it is also important to provide funds to help activities that create imprints and plant dharmic seeds in as many beings as possible.

In general, I feel that donations "yield" the most benefit if it were to go to things such as building funds for temples and monasteries, stupas or even statues for the public to enjoy.

[Big Uncle]

Ooh! If I had that money, I would have a percentage goes towards my Lama, construction and building of large Buddha images like Dorje Shugden and finally to sustain myself so I can do some Dharma work. What sort of Dharma would I be considering? Perhaps, enroll myself into a learning institution to study the treatise and engage in some retreats as well. That would be ideal but then again, this is not an ideal world. It was a nice fantasy thought. Thank you.

[KhedrubGyatso]

Being a Buddhist practitioner and understanding that religious institutions ned $$$ to grow and spread the teachings , I would be biased to support dharma centres with whatever resources I have. However it does not mean we cannot do our bit for social work and charity at the same time. It all depends on how well we strike this balance. If we only donate to spiritual centres, in the public's eyes and especially those who are non religious, we can be seen to be ' fanatical' and sectarian . Buddha's advice is to avoid extremes. We are seeking enlightenment within samsara . We need to live in accord with and abide by worldly norms and conventions. Increasingly, we are finding more religious institutions are engaging in community service etc in order to create the right image of manifest goodness for the public to relate and to earn their trust. Once their trust is gained, the process of introducing them to spirituality and higher values can proceed more easily.
I would apportion some resource to help needy charities etc. as a way to make connection with the public who can relate to such efforts and hence opening the way for us to reach out to them.

[negra orquida]

I would donate a major percentage to the dharma centre, and on behalf of the dharma centre donate the balance to charities.  Why majority to dharma centre?  Because the benefits that the dharma centre can give to the public goes beyond this 1 lifetime.  Why donate some to charities on behalf of the centre? Not many people are fortunate enough to go to a dharma centre, so this is one way to establish a connection between the underprivileged with dharma.

This is assuming that the dharma centre does not already have a charity arm. E.g. if the dharma centre is Tzu Chi, then donating to the organisation is killing 2 birds with 1 stone.  I think most dharma centres would be involved in various forms of charity or social work, it is the inherent nature of the "industry".

[kris]

This is such a fun and interesting question I would donate all the money to Dharma center, or specifically, I will donate the money to a qualified Lama, and let him decide how to use the money. I was told that contribute directly to a Lama is most meritorious because all Lama activities are to benefit sentient beings. But what is most important when donating to Lama or temple is MOTIVATION. If our motivation is for better wealth, good fortune for self enjoyment, then we will not collect merits.

Also, I was told that when we donate to temple with a virtuous mind, no matter how the people use the money we will still collect merits, even if the people managing the Dharma center misuse the money.

[biggyboy]

If I have one million to donate what would I do? What a nice question to ask ourselves.

I would donate to a dharma center, better still if there is an ongoing project in the dharma center that needs financial support. The donation is more specific and the financial support and energy can be directed to the specific cause.

I view donations to a dharma center more beneficial because the dharma center is a place for spiritual development but also supports orphanages, old folks home, soup kitchen and the homeless. It is like “killing two birds with one stone”, pardon my expression.

[Jessie Fong]

If you have a million dollars hard earn money in hand and you would like to donate them. Would you choose to give to the homeless, orphanage, old folks home or a dharma centre?

Come to think of it, I DON'T have a million dollars and I really would not know what to do if I have that sum.

All sounds good and well when we theorize but when we actually do have the million dollars in hand, we forget our wishes as we get overcome with so much money to spend, we become selfish thinking only of me me me when we start spending on ourselves only.  We become greedy, wanting to keep the money to ourselves.

We say we want to donate, we want to help -- if that does not happen, will it not be wishful thinking? 

[bambi]

If you have a million dollars hard earn money in hand and you would like to donate them. Would you choose to give to the homeless, orphanage, old folks home or a dharma centre?

Come to think of it, I DON'T have a million dollars and I really would not know what to do if I have that sum.

All sounds good and well when we theorize but when we actually do have the million dollars in hand, we forget our wishes as we get overcome with so much money to spend, we become selfish thinking only of me me me when we start spending on ourselves only.  We become greedy, wanting to keep the money to ourselves.

We say we want to donate, we want to help -- if that does not happen, will it not be wishful thinking? 

It is definitely wishful thinking. Its the same concept as we saying we want to change and do more Dharma, more practices, more initiations but deep down we don't do much to support what we preach. Whatever the amount, we should always give because we want to and can afford to. Start small, whatever we can and then say that we are doing something, Not wait till we have 1 million dollars. For all I know, I might be dead before I can get the 1 million dollar to start giving.