This was today's Daily Dharma email from Tricycle magazine:
The Importance of Giving
Giving needs to be practiced and developed because our underlying tendency toward attachment, aversion, and confusion so often interferes with a truly selfless act of generosity. An act of giving is of most benefit when one gives something of value, carefully, with one’s own hand, while showing respect, and with a view that something wholesome will come of it. The same is true when one gives out of faith, respectfully, at the right time, with a generous heart, and without causing denigration.
- Andrew Olendzki, "Dana: The Practice of Giving"
I would like to point out one thing that strikes me as particularly "Buddhist" about this message, which is the emphasis on practice. From a Buddhist perspective, skillful behavior (what we might call virtue) is not seen as a gift from outside ourselves, nor is it necessarily something that we are born with. Rather, we learn to act skillfully by a sort of apprenticeship -- we look around us for models of good behavior, and then we diligently practice until we ourselves acquire the skill to act virtuously.
May we all become models of generosity in a needy world!
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Comments: 49
Now featured at Losing Your Religion.
I think that mindfulness is key -- sometimes we know how we want to behave, but if we do not bring mindfulness to the moment, we still make the wrong choice.
(Of course, we cannot find liberation by doing what is easy and avoiding what is hard. That's why we must find friends to help us along.)
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. I'm always eager to read your comments when I get the email notifications!
An act of giving is of most benefit when one gives something of value, carefully, with one’s own hand, while showing respect, and with a view that something wholesome will come of it.
Graduation is this weekend and when I give out cards, I'm going to practice that.
Starting with small modest giving, even with easy stuff to part with and then progressing to more substantial giving.
Thinking about the benefits for the recipients can help your giving, how your gift will affect them.
Guilt shouldn't be a big factor of your giving but it can nudge you, which is a good thing if it works in that way. The best is to have benificence rewarded with that warm fuzzy feeling of doing good.
But I do believe that it's important to give regularly, even if the amount each time is small. We learn more from things we do repeatedly!
If so, after 76 years of living, I have gathered some, experience.
With giving I still am working on it. I've come a ways and have loosened my purse strings, I'm happy to say. As a "starving artist" in the past I haven't had much I felt I could share with others but now I feel I can and do.
I like to have the feeling that I'm giving back, donating yearly dollar a day donations to NPR and to United Way.
I think the idea of tithing is also helpful, 1/10 of what you earn? That's do-able for most, no?
I am confused; how is this a "selfless" act? It seems to me it is very self-fulfilling. Why is giving so often couched in terms of self-sacrifice and is only really good if one gives till it hurts? Why isn't giving ideally seen as the blessing of being able to realize one's values? Real self-sacrifice would be giving to something or someone one despises. We need to "cultivate" giving by doing it mindfully, instead of ritualistically.
Is that at all useful? If not, I will try again. I always appreciate the chance to try to put things like this into words.
If giving does give self-gratification, I think that doesn't hurt anyone unless you engage in pridefulness. When starting out with charitable acts, that gratification may be a natural thing and harmless unless prideful but as giving progresses to a more natural thing, I think that pride will be tempered.
What should be watched is that some times charity can set off unintended consequences where 1) the recipient feels beholden. It can sometimes set off a feeling of being obliged to return the favor. 2) Rebuffed charity can sometimes engender a feeling of resentment--"Gee, what's the matter? Why didn't they not accept my offer? Not good enough for them or what?"
It can feel hurtful.
ram bull ewe cow (raos)
The story was brought up of a young couple who alloted $5000, sending out flyers to teachers in the Boston area where they live, soliciting requests for grants. Then granting the most appealing ones.
Neat idea. You don't have to set a big limit to your giving, even a more modest amt will work. If you do it regularly, the recipients will be able to "count" on your giving.
access online (Humankind radio )