some nice quotes from http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/generosity-and-greed-introduction?offer=dharma
When you are
practicing generosity, you should feel a little pinch when you give
something away. That pinch is your stinginess protesting. If you
give away your old, worn-out coat that you wouldn’t be caught dead
wearing, that is not generosity. There is no pinch. You are doing
nothing to overcome your stinginess; you’re just cleaning out your
closet and calling it something else. Giving away your coat might
keep someone warm, but it does not address the problem we face as
spiritual practitioners: to free ourselves from self-cherishing and
self-grasping.
—Gelek Rinpoche
Buddhist
teachings emphasize that the manner in which we give is as
important as what we give—we should give with respect, with
happiness, and with joy. When we are practicing generosity, and it
does not bring happiness and joy, we should pay close attention to
our motivations for giving, and perhaps even reevaluate whether to
give at all.
—Gil
Fronsdal
Greed is
the salty water consumed by those who thirst for self-centered
gratification. This kind of thirst can never be quenched and
becomes the source of increasing torment.
—Matthieu
Ricard
“You can
measure the depth of a person’s awakening by how they serve
others”
—Kobo Daishi (774–835
CE)
Shakyamuni
Buddha and his monks and nuns based their survival—day-to-day food,
clothing, and shelter—on the layperson’s giving practice, dana.
Today in our Western Buddhist world, we give generously to our own
places of practice. We help support the center or temple, the
teacher, and the sangha, and in return we get retreats, scheduled
meditation, teachings, and a Buddhist community. What we still
don’t see is the Buddhist equivalent of Catholic Charities, Jewish
Federation, and the American Friends Service
Committee—organizations founded on Buddhist study and practice,
relying on Buddhist constituencies to serve the unmet needs of
individuals and communities around the world, whatever their race,
color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation. We haven’t yet
established our own Buddhist Community Chest to encourage and
oversee donations and become a visible Buddhist presence in the
world of social action and philanthropy. Only a few private
foundations hold this larger vision.
Regardless
of our resources, I think our generosity should benefit ourselves
and our family, our dharma center or temple, and the world. This
will really expand our hearts and practice from self-concern to
Self-concern, and serve all beings.
—Roshi Bernie
Glassman
‘Generosity
is revolutionary, counter-instinctual. Our survival instinct is to
care only for ourselves and our loved ones. But we can transform
our relationship to that survival instinct by constantly asking
ourselves, “How can I use my life’s energy to benefit all living
beings?”
—Noah
Levine
Generosity
is not limited to the giving of material things. We can be generous
with our kindness and our receptivity. Generosity can mean the
simple giving of a smile or extending ourselves to really listen to
a friend. Paradoxically, even being willing to receive the
generosity of others can be a form of
generosity.
—Gil
Fronsdal
When we
give, we need to do so with the awareness that our gift will be
both appropriate and helpful. It is not an act of generosity, for
example, to give money to a wealthy person or alcohol to a child.
We also give what we can afford; we don’t jeopardize our own health
or well-being. At the same time, we can give what is precious to
us, what is difficult to give, because of our attachment to
it.
—Dzogchen Ponlop
Rinpoche
Meditation
is one of the keys to unlocking the natural generosity of the
heart. Underneath the greedy and selfish thoughts and feelings that
are part of the human condition lies a pure desire to help. We
experience this in our mindfulness practice; when we let go, there
is a natural acceptance and feeling of
care.
—Noah
Levine
Phototgraph
by Gyorgy Kepes, "Juliet's Shadow Caged," 1939. Courtesy of Joel
Soroka Gallery