The Power of
Giving
It is such a simple statement; ‘It is
Better to Give than to Receive’. Let’s take a closer look at this
saying by starting with the term ‘Receiving’.
In our life, we are likely to receive
something all the time, be it material gift, moral support, love,
forgiveness, compassion, sympathy or kindness. It would be because of a ‘need’ or a ‘want’, though
not necessary so all the time. If it is a ‘need’, we hope we can
one day return this favor to someone more in need than us. If it is
a ‘want’, let’s hope that we will be satisfied with what we have
received and be thankful for it. Let’s hope that it will not
develop into more greed and ‘wants’ which could spiral into more
suffering later on.
We are also likely to give most days, big
or small in our little ways. Beside material gifts, we give love,
we forgive, we tolerate, we show compassion and kindness when it is
needed, we share in the joy of success of our family members and
friends and hopefully, strangers too. The list can be
endless. In big or small dosage, the
amount we give will depend on the moment and how well endorsed we
are with these virtues. The power of giving should come from a
selfless act, from the heart; give because we truly
care.
In ordinary humans, all good and bad values
are not mutually exclusive of each other, they grow or shrink in
tandem depending on the state of our mind. How much of it is
ingrained is dependent on the accepted norms we are brought up to
believe in, the genetic makeup of the individual, and of course,
for good desired virtues, through the continuous cultivation and
practices of these values.
The Christian faith emphasized Love, just
as God love us all, so too should each individual give their
unconditional love to all human beings through the love of
God.
The Buddhists too, also emphasized the
importance of Love. The first virtue of the Four Pillars of Brahma
(though not strictly a Buddhist doctrine) to cultivate is this
value. The Loving Kindness sutta teaches us how to practice this
value too, how to love and how to give love to others.
The Mahayanist emphasized Compassion, the
active aspect of Wisdom. It is about an act of giving so as to be
able to save others. We, of course also have to cultivate the value
of Sympathetic Joy, the opposite of envy. It is a value that is
characterized by one’s ability to share in the joy of other people
success. It comes after compassion and is considered more difficult
to cultivate. In the process of these cultivations, the self is
diminished and with it the bias habits in us too. The mind opens up
and equanimity set in.
As our wisdom, both worldly and
transcendental increases, the day will come when we will be able to
let go of the self, look at things through the eyes of an
enlightened mind and selflessly continue to give our all and assist
all sentient beings to the stage of enlightenment.