An important part of moving my newsletter to Substack was to help raise money, through subscription income, to support two areas of philanthropy close to my heart: under-resourced Buddhist organisations, especially in the Himalayas, and animal sanctuaries in Africa.
It is still early days – I’ve been going on Substack for just three months.
I’m still working hard to show the benefits of a $7 a month subscription to those who already know my work, but who may be unfamiliar with the idea of a regular subscription.
Thanks to all you avid, early-adopters, I’m delighted to announce that we have collectively been able to gather enough money to start the fun part – giving!
Quite a few people chose to take out an annual subscription and 90% of this money has been paid to me, so that I have more to give at an early stage. Monthly subscriptions are great too, to help with cashflow.
Our collective $10,000 donations
Thanks to your support, this week I gave $10,000 to the following not-for-profit organisations:
$5,000 to the Tibetan Buddhist Society, of which I have been a member for over 20 years, and which is involved in a variety of support activities in the Himalaya regions as well as in Australia;
$2,500 to Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary, just outside Harare, Zimbabwe, where I was born and brought up. Twala supports not only wildlife orphans, but also pets who have been abandoned by their owners through years of economic upheaval and who would otherwise have starved to death.
$2,500 to the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery/Wild is Life, also near Harare, Zimbabwe, which has a key focus on supporting baby elephants, many of whom have been orphaned due to their parents being killed for their tusks.
These initial donations represent just drops in the ocean when it comes to the needs being faced by these organisations. But I hope that we, along with others, can keep adding drops.
In the months to come, I look forward to sharing more about the work they do, and I hope you’ll be as inspired as I am and eager to keep supporting the bodhisattvas who established them, and dedicate their lives to others.
Roxy Danckwerts of Wild is Life/Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery
Today, I am delighted to be introducing you to Roxy Danckwerts, founder of The Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery, who I interviewed as part of the Happiness & Its Causes Conference, held in Sydney recently. Roxy shares how her animal sanctuary started, the very important work it does in rescuing and re-wilding elephants, and some of the specific wisdom we can all learn from elephants. She is an inspiring and extraordinary person, and it’s a real privilege to be able to support her, however modestly.
I hope you enjoy the video above where you’ll get to meet Roxy and some of her four legged friends - giraffes, elies and even Noodle, the wildebeest, who loves a cuddle!
For more on the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery click here.
And our grateful thanks to Happiness & Its Causes for allowing us to use this video.
My heartfelt thanks
If you have taken out a paid subscription – thank you! Your subscription money is directly making this possible. And I really hope we can keep growing and building our collective support in the months and years to come.
If you are a free subscriber – thank you, too! Your likes, shares and positive comments on the stories I share are vital in bringing my work to broader attention. They are exactly what’s needed to keep reaching more people, touching more hearts and minds with Buddhist wisdom – and supporting the most vulnerable sem-chens (mind-havers) in the Himalayas and Africa.
May all beings have happiness and the true causes of happiness.
May all beings be free from suffering and the true causes of suffering.
May all beings never be parted from the happiness that is beyond suffering: great nirvana, liberation.
May all beings abide in peace and equanimity, their minds free from attachment, aversion, and free from ignorance.
May love, compassion, joy and equanimity pervade the hearts and minds of all limitless beings throughout universal space.
We are all part of the journey!
My heartfelt thanks!