As I was walking out the door I happened to check my mail and found a letter from Dhammadarini bhikkhunis which was in recognition of a small donation I had made last year. I was at once touched and ashamed for in the letter it thanked me for my contribution of $5 for 2012. My first thought was that they had almost certainly spent almost half that on the anumodana card and photo of the nuns going on pindapat but then I reflected on that which may have been the point: recognizing the importance of dana and the merit made through giving trumps any considerations of profit and loss. Being a (reluctant) businessman myself it is hard to view any exchange without quickly running through a mental balance sheet to determine if it makes economic sense. In this case, the nuns’ anumodana letter clearly was a net loss for them in terms of revenue but, in the economy. of merit, I think neither party ended the year in the red.
May we all give freely in order to perfume the heart!
Cattāri Brahmavihārā 
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