This summer the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University will host its 18th annual symposium August 25-26. This year's topic is "Women and Philanthropy: Gaining Momentum," and Women's Perspective will be offering a workshop on money and spirituality as part of the event.

Falling into the Arms of God: Meditations with Teresa of Avila
by Meghan Don

Those of us on a spiritual journey soon find we have many sprirtual guides and companions. One of the first things we learn is how many people, over the centuries, have walked the path before us, and how much we have to learn from them. Meghan Don provides a wonderful reintroduction to Teresa of Avila, a powerful spiritual presence of 16th century Spain. This book is far more than a biography; it is a active guide designed with mediations you can use in your own practice and suggestions for working with a group to explore spiritual issues at a deeper level.

In our last newsletter, we reported on the Women's Perspective trip to Kenya where we met with Mothers of St. Rita, a group of women who are caring for orphans of HIV/AIDS within their own village of Dunga, shown in this photo.

We are delighted to report that an international jury of children from 15 countries has awarded the 2005 World's Children's Prize to the Mothers of St. Rita. "The need is enormous in our villages as parents are dying every other day, leaving their children behind. This award will allow us to assist children we couldn't reach before. Now these children will have a future!" said Bernadette.

As we deepen our relationship with this group of African women, we invite you to participate directly in the one-to-one effort. As a member, your task would be to correspond with a woman of Dunga village, encourage and pray for her, and learn about the needs of families that want to take in orphans. You can make this a personal project or share it with friends and family.

This month begins a series of occasional articles about how the world's great spiritual traditions approach money, starting with Buddhism. We hope to start a conversation with our readers about how your own spiritual practice relates to your financial life. If you would like to contribute to this series, please email us.

This story illustrates the Buddhist concept of right livelihood:
 

Once there was a fabulous palace. The people who lived in the palace were given warm meals, fine clothing, private baths and everything they needed to live in luxury. Just outside the palace gate, an old man lived in a one room shack he made himself, slept on an old mat and ate simply.

One day, the old man sat outside the palace eating his dinner of lentils and rice, and a guard came to talk to him. "Foolish man" he said, "if you would serve the king you could feast every night." The old man smiled and replied, "Dear sir, if you would eat lentils and rice, you wouldn't need to serve the king."

One of the most basic of Buddhist teachings is that of right livelihood, part of the 8-fold way that Buddha encouraged followers to live their lives...