In practicing giving of material things or fearlessness we are
enlarging the sphere of our care and transcending our self-centered
attachments. Since the goal is Original Purity in
Limitless-Oneness, our giving should not stem from selfish or
prejudiced motives and should not be discriminating to the
recipients. The ideal act of giving should be sincere, spontaneous,
and responsive to the need of whomever one encounters. It should
also be free from expectation of any return, reward, fame,
admiration, affection, etc.
Helping others obtain material comfort or physical well-being is
important but temporary because what one can do is little and there
is no end to needs and suffering. Besides, one's well-being is also
determined by his inner life, and when he lacks peace of mind or
falls into deep depression, all the external comforts in the world
mean nothing. The giving of Dharma aims at this fundamental
salvation--to show everyone the path to inner peace and freedom and
help them advance on it. In addition to the ideal qualities
mentioned in the last paragraph, the giving of Dharma should base
on both knowledge of Buddhist teachings and insight gained through
practice.
All practices of giving should be brought into connection with
the giving of Dharma because only in this way can the help become
ultimate and thorough. In this way the giving of material or
fearlessness becomes truly a sublimation toward Limitless-Oneness.
The connection with Dharma can be indirect and remote such as
maintaining an intention to introduce the teachings of Buddha in
the future when the circumstance becomes appropriate. The
connection with Dharma can be direct and immediate such as
repeating silently a Buddha's name or a mantra during the act of
giving.
In Limitless-Oneness each act of giving is an expression of
boundless compassion to all beings. On the surface an act of giving
benefits only a certain number of beings at a particular juncture
of space and time; nevertheless, through continuous practice with
the awareness of Original Purity in Limitless-Oneness the
artificial boundary of self-centeredness will diminish and
disappear, and consequently each act of giving becomes a wave in
the ocean of compassionate salvation activities of Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas transcending limits of recipient, space and time. In
Limitless-Oneness the fundamental discrimination of giver and
recipient has vaporized into thin air; each act of giving is as
natural and free from an awareness of self-and-others as one taking
food when hungry.
