Why give a donation?

Included in the instructions for preparing each talisman we have here is a request to send a donation. Why should you do this? Why not just make the talisman and have done with it. Sending a donation is of course completely voluntary, but there are a number of reasons why you should do it.

First of all, whether a talisman works or not depends entirely on your karma, or spiritual merit. Karma is all about cause and effect; if you act in a bad way and cause harm to others, for instance; you will generate bad karma, and will suffer misfortune in this life and the next. If you act well, you will generate good karma, and therefore good luck.

Getting a blessing from a Master involves him transferring his own good karma to you so that your luck improves, and your request is fulfilled. Sending a donation to a Master is a way of compensating the Master for this, and also generates the sender good karma, as he or she is helping the Master help people, by allowing them to practise good works rather than having to work a normal job to survive.

This practice is closely intertwined with Taoism, Chinese religion and culture, where the custom of giving red money envelopes has been practised for thousands of years. If someone helps a person during a time of need, they are shouldering the burden of that person's bad luck. The person will give them a red envelope containing money to thank them and to restore the karmic balance. The Chinese also bring red money envelopes as donations to temples.

The practice of giving a donation also helps foster generosity in people. No amount is ever specified for a donation; people should just give what they can; the amount of money matters much less than its proportion to the person's wealth. For instance, someone on an income of a hundred pounds a week giving twenty five or fifty as a donation means much more than a millionaire giving a few thousand. You give what you can, and generate your own spiritual merit. No one can take this away from you.

If you wish to use the talismans contained on this site, please send a donation to Grandmaster Lu at this address:

Grand Master Lu,
True Buddha Foundation,
17102 NE 40th Ct,
Redmond,
WA 98052,
USA

+01 (206) 882 0916