Spread goodness around.

 Dhamma Reflections:

Spread goodness around.

"The Buddha never pressured anybody to give. When he talked on the topic of generosity, it was after people had given something, to make them rejoice in the fact that they’d done something good. He was trying to make the point that we do have freedom of choice, and that the freedom to give feels really good. 

The times when you give because you have to give don’t feel nearly as good as the times when, simply out of the goodness of your heart, you want to give. You realize you have something that others could use well, and you’re happy to give it to them.

This relates to his teachings on kamma, that we do have freedom of choice in the present moment. The people who said that there was no worth in giving said, “Well, if everybody’s predetermined to do whatever they’re going to do, then those who give and those who don’t give: it’s simply a matter of the stars or the creator of the world or past actions forcing them to do that. So there’s no virtue in giving.” But the Buddha’s saying, “No, there is virtue in giving because you’re not predetermined. You’re free to choose.”

He’s also saying that the people to whom you give have worth. It’s not that there’s nothing there or that the people get wiped out at death. They don’t. They move on to wherever their cravings take them. And so when you help somebody, you give something to someone who’s going to be lasting for a long time.

Giving is also a good topic for contemplation. As the Buddha said, when your practice is getting discouraging, stop and reflect on your generosity, on the fact that it proves that you at least have some goodness to you. If you try to think about the times when you were generous when you didn’t have to be, but you can’t think of any, well, go out and be generous. Make the news in the world, in your life, that you want to meditate on.

It’s uplifting. It really does feel good and it really is, as the Buddha said, an act of happiness to do these things. You don’t have to wait till your next lifetime: Right as you do it, it feels good."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu