~ Generosity ~
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Most, if not all of the world’s faith traditions advocate generosity as a spiritual practice because of its benefits. Like gratitude, generosity benefits the giver as well as the receiver. In particular, it helps to counteract greed, desire and selfishness and makes us feel kind and open-hearted. The Buddha said: "Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.”
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Even hearing stories about other people’s generosity can be very inspiring, especially when they involve the kindness of strangers: The homeless man who spent hours pushing strangers' cars out of the snow during a snowstorm. The stranger who watched him and then set up a very successful GoFundMe account to help the homeless man find a place to live. The waitress who was left an $800 tip at the diner where she worked. She then used some of the money to buy all of the restaurant employees a drink at the end of the night. The cash strapped mother, who was about to pay the grocery store cashier for food for her family's Thanksgiving dinner, when a customer tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Ma'am, I'm going to pay for your groceries."
With true generosity, there are no expectations, no strings and no rules. Generosity is not a transaction, an exchange, or a trade. Ultimately, it is a gift given freely and unconditionally from the heart. So generosity makes us feel good about ourselves. By letting go of our self-centered attachments and desires for ourselves, it opens our hearts, leaving us with a feeling of spaciousness and freedom.
So practicing generosity is a way to experience happiness. It is not about being regarded as a good person, or being appreciated or admired by others. It is simply a way to feel joyful and who doesn’t want that?
There is an old Sufi story about the benefits of generosity to the giver. A seemingly crippled beggar man sits in the central town square all day crying, "Who will be generous? Who will help me with a gift? Who will give me charity?”
Some people pass and ignore him, some give him little money, and others give generously. He praises them all and asks Allah to bless them. At the end of the day, the beggar rises from his seat, walks normally over to the prayer fountain, tosses in the coins he has received, then goes home to his comfortable home for dinner. So what’s going on here? Why does the beggar beg? The final line in the story reveals the answer: He begs so that the towns’ people have an opportunity to experience the joy of practicing generosity and thereby advance on the spiritual path.
As children, we learn that life is a zero sum game. That if I give you something then I have less of it. But the truth is that life does not always work this way. In my experience, the more I give away, the richer I become because I feel happier and more joyful.
Generosity is a virtuous cycle that reinforces itself and it always leads to wholesome results. For example, if you are kind to someone, then they are more likely to be kind to someone else. And at the same time, you are likely to feel good about yourself and to be kind to the next person. Kindness reinforces itself. It doesn’t really matter whether the person we are being generous towards recognizes it or not, because expressing generosity can make us feel happier even if it is not acknowledged. Indeed, an anonymous gift can be the sweetest to give.
Generosity naturally arises out of a heart that is attuned to others and their needs. An African proverb put it this way: “It is the heart that gives, the fingers just let go.” And it is often in our own self-interest to be generous.
There used to be an Iowa corn farmer whose corn always took first prize at the state fair and he always shared his best seed corn with all the farmers in the neighborhood. When asked why, he said, “It’s really a matter of self-interest. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, the cross pollination brings down the quality of my own corn. That is why I am concerned that they plant only the very best.”
Once we understand that we are all connected and dependent on each other, generosity becomes easier and more natural. Every form of giving is a blessing that reminds us that we are not separate but held together in the vast web of life and of the basic human goodness that is in everyone.
Thank you.
With true generosity, there are no expectations, no strings and no rules. Generosity is not a transaction, an exchange, or a trade. Ultimately, it is a gift given freely and unconditionally from the heart. So generosity makes us feel good about ourselves. By letting go of our self-centered attachments and desires for ourselves, it opens our hearts, leaving us with a feeling of spaciousness and freedom.
So practicing generosity is a way to experience happiness. It is not about being regarded as a good person, or being appreciated or admired by others. It is simply a way to feel joyful and who doesn’t want that?
There is an old Sufi story about the benefits of generosity to the giver. A seemingly crippled beggar man sits in the central town square all day crying, "Who will be generous? Who will help me with a gift? Who will give me charity?”
Some people pass and ignore him, some give him little money, and others give generously. He praises them all and asks Allah to bless them. At the end of the day, the beggar rises from his seat, walks normally over to the prayer fountain, tosses in the coins he has received, then goes home to his comfortable home for dinner. So what’s going on here? Why does the beggar beg? The final line in the story reveals the answer: He begs so that the towns’ people have an opportunity to experience the joy of practicing generosity and thereby advance on the spiritual path.
As children, we learn that life is a zero sum game. That if I give you something then I have less of it. But the truth is that life does not always work this way. In my experience, the more I give away, the richer I become because I feel happier and more joyful.
Generosity is a virtuous cycle that reinforces itself and it always leads to wholesome results. For example, if you are kind to someone, then they are more likely to be kind to someone else. And at the same time, you are likely to feel good about yourself and to be kind to the next person. Kindness reinforces itself. It doesn’t really matter whether the person we are being generous towards recognizes it or not, because expressing generosity can make us feel happier even if it is not acknowledged. Indeed, an anonymous gift can be the sweetest to give.
Generosity naturally arises out of a heart that is attuned to others and their needs. An African proverb put it this way: “It is the heart that gives, the fingers just let go.” And it is often in our own self-interest to be generous.
There used to be an Iowa corn farmer whose corn always took first prize at the state fair and he always shared his best seed corn with all the farmers in the neighborhood. When asked why, he said, “It’s really a matter of self-interest. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, the cross pollination brings down the quality of my own corn. That is why I am concerned that they plant only the very best.”
Once we understand that we are all connected and dependent on each other, generosity becomes easier and more natural. Every form of giving is a blessing that reminds us that we are not separate but held together in the vast web of life and of the basic human goodness that is in everyone.
Thank you.