In the past couple of years we’ve all been following some fairly high profile charity scandals in the media. Not just big corporate charities like NKF, Youth Challenge, and currently Ren Ci, but also some cases of smaller charities that have had problems being accountable for their running.

It’s not necessarily the case, although it might be, that dishonesty is involved. Charities are often manned (personned?) and run by volunteers who are good-heartedly giving something back to the community, but aren’t necessarily trained or qualified for the role they are taking.

Moh Hong Buddhist Shrine is a charity, registered with the Singapore Government. Charities are set up to advance a cause beneficial to the community, which includes education, religion, arts, welfare, sport, health and a range of other things. There is also another category of charity called Institutions of Public Character (IPCs) which are mainly institutions and trust funds.

To help charities and IPCs in good management and operations, the government has recently drawn up a Code of Governance for Charities and IPCs. It includes guidelines for charities in good practices, such as how many trustees should be on a committee, what forms a quorum at a meeting, bookkeeping, conflicts of interest, asset management, contracts for services and the like.

Moh Hong Buddhist Shrine will certainly be doing everything possible to comply with the new Code of Governance.

The Chairman and Secretary of the management committee attended a briefing with a representative of the Charities Unit of the government on Friday, 22 February. They report that at first glance Moh Hong, which is run entirely by volunteers, complies with most of the standards of good governance and very few changes are required. Over the next couple of months they will be going through the code in detail to see whether any changes need to be made or whether Moh Hong should take advantage of any of the training, consultation services or government funds that have been set up to help charities with best practices.

If you lose track of the Shrine opening days, or need to check the dates for Vesak, Deepavali or 7th Month, the Calendar page with all the details is now updated.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Lunar New Year and warm wishes for peace, health and prosperity in the year of the earth rat.

New Year always feels like a time of new beginnings, and I wanted to share one of my favourite stories, from Thich Nhat Hanh’s beautiful book Peace Is Every Step: The Path Of Mindfulness In Everyday Life.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful river finding her way among the hills, forests, and meadows. She began by being a joyful stream of water, a spring always dancing and singing as she ran down from the top of the mountain. She was very young at the time, and as she came to the lowland she slowed down. She was thinking about going to the ocean. As she grew up, she learned to look beautiful, winding gracefully among the hills and meadows.

One day she noticed the clouds within herself. Clouds of all sorts of colors and forms. She did nothing during these days but chase after clouds. She wanted to possess a cloud, to have one for herself. But clouds float and travel in the sky, and they are always changing their form. Sometimes they look like an overcoat, sometimes like a horse. because of the nature of impermanence within the clouds, the river suffered very much. Her pleasure, her joy had become just chasing after clouds, one after another, but despair, anger, and hatred became her life.

Then one day a strong wind came and blew away all the clouds in the sky. The sky became completely empty. Our river thought that life was not worth living, for there were no longer any clouds to chase after. She wanted to die. “If there are no clouds, why should I be alive?” But how can a river take her own life?

That night the river had the opportunity to go back to herself for the first time. She had been running for so long after something outside of herself that she had never seen herself. that night was the first opportunity for her to hear her own crying, the sounds of water crashing against the banks of the river. Because she was able to listen to her own voice, she discovered something quite important.

She realized that what she had been looking for was already in herself. She found out that clouds are nothing but water. Clouds are born from water and will return to water. And she found out that she herself is also water.

The next morning when the sun was in the sky, she discovered something beautiful. She saw the blue sky for the first time. She had never noticed it before. She had only been interested in clouds, and she had missed seeing the sky, which is the home of all the clouds. Clouds are impermanent, but the sky is stable. She realized that the immense sky had been within her heart since the very beginning. This great insight brought her peace and  happiness. As she saw the vast wonderful blue sky, she knew that her peace and stability would never be lost again.

That afternoon the clouds returned, but this time she did not want to possess any of them. She could see the beauty of each cloud, and she was able to welcome all of them. When a cloud came by, she would greet him or her with loving kindness. When that cloud wanted to go away, she would wave to him or her happily and with loving kindness. She realized that all clouds are her. She didn’t have to choose between the clouds and herself. Peace and harmony existed between her and the clouds.

That evening something wonderful happened. When she opened her heart completely to the evening sky she received the image of the full moon – beautiful, round, like a jewel within herself. She had never imagined that she could receive such a beautiful image. There is a very beautiful poem in Chinese: “The fresh and beautiful moon is travelling in the utmost empty sky. When the mind-rivers of living beings are free, that image of the beautiful moon will reflect in each of us.”

This was the mind of the river at that moment. She received the image of that beautiful moon within her heart, and water, clouds, and moon took each other’s hands and practiced walking meditation slowly, slowly to the ocean.

There is nothing to chase after. We can go back to ourselves, enjoy our breathing, our smiling, ourselves, and our beautiful environment.

On Saturday 2nd February, representatives of the Moh Hong Buddhist Shrine Committee attended an event organized by the Bishan Citizen Consultative Committee in appreciation of the donations that citizens and organistions (profit and non-profit) have given.

This fund serves the low income families through direct assistance as well as bursaries to school going children. Approximately 40K out of the 70K raised last year was given out as bursaries last year.

Moh Hong Buddhist Shrine has been contributing to this fund since 1991. We are happy to be a part of this community and will continue to lend our support to the needy.

If you’ve got a little time to yourself during the New Year rush, these Buddhist comic books are a lovely way to relax.