Buddhism 102: Ethics

Lesson 2: The First Paramita

Being Generous and Exercise #5

Generosity is part of spiritual work. It helps us learn more about ourselves, and it helps us grow in devotion to our spiritual practice--no matter what form this spiritual practice takes.

I learned an important lesson about generosity during my first few weeks of attending Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple. I was a new Buddhist, still learning the basics and getting used to the meditation practice. One week, I was at the temple and the thought crossed my mind: I love it here. This place is doing good work for Detroit, and good work for the world. I wish I could help out more. But at the time, I was living from paycheck to paycheck, paying off student loans. So I amended the thought to, I wish I could help the temple in some way without writing a big check.

At the end of the service, the guiding teacher made an announcement. The temple had bought a new building, a house where Zen practitioners could reside. They needed to paint it, and were looking for volunteers.

A funny thing happened in my brain at that moment: I thought, "No, I don't like painting. It doesn't sound like fun."

On the way home I realized that I was being silly. There I was, looking for a way to help--then in one moment, I passed it up. As soon as I got home, I emailed the guiding teacher to find out where I should be and when.

If you're hung up on thinking of generosity as money and objects, open up that definition a little more. Boorstein points out that many of her students practice being generous with their time (55.) You can be more generous with your energy, your emotional resources, your mental resources, your influence, your knowledge, your attention. These kinds of generosity can often be more helpful than financial generosity; rather than throwing money at someone's problems and hoping they go away, you put yourself into it and help.

Committing to Generosity

I laughed a little when I read the poem by Joseph Bruchac in Being Upright (171). I laughed because I once saw Bruchac read his poetry, when I was in college. He read his poems out of the anthologies and magazines they'd been published in. When he finished reading a poem, he closed the book and said, "If anyone wants this, ask for it and I will give it to you." People in the audience were a little stunned. Then one person timidly raised his hand. With each poem Bruchac read, he gave another book away. It was clear, open-hearted generosity.

Generosity can be a habit. There are many ways to get into the habit. Think in advance of ways to be generous and helpful. If you're going for a walk in a place that may have homeless or needy people, consider taking a piece of fruit in your pocket or purse. Keep things handy to give to people who might need them. Make it a habit.

Be careful, though. Habits sometimes get numbing. Boorstein points out that in her generosity seminars, she doesn't count regular pledged donations (55). It's good to budget a particular portion of your money to charitable causes, but after a while, it can be less a wellspring of open-hearted generosity and more an obligation. Make sure you keep looking for new and better ways to express your giving nature.

Exercise #5

Are you inspired yet?

I hope that all this reading about generosity and talking about generosity has given you a little push. What ways are you feeling the push? What generous acts can you bring forth in your life? Write whatever you're thinking about generosity.

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