Always enjoy Lynn J Kelly’s blog posts. Today’s post reminds me: Giving can be a remedy for any bad feelings we might have about ourselves.” and our giving can be as simple as “to give time, a smile, a kind word, or something else of value.”
It’s worth thinking about the place that giving has in our lives. How important is it? How do we feel when we give something with no strings attached? How regularly do we practice generosity, and in what context? This is a central question if we are on a spiritual path.
Generosity is the first virtue that the Buddha taught to laypeople. It is the access point for all of the other trainings because it requires us to let go of whatever it is we’re clinging to or relying on. Real generosity is a kind of giving that can only be done with an open heart, and an open heart holds nothing back. It could be called lesson number one in surrendering to things as they are.
There’s a longish sutta in the Anguttara Nikaya, book of sevens, about giving; about all the different motivations that we might have when we…
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Life Matters 
Generosity is certainly one of the most important pillars of Buddhist ethics. It’s the positive approach to the precepts don’t steal and don’t lie! So difficult 🙏🕉🙏
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Yes, dana is very important to living a skillful life. Thanks for the affirmation, Dr. B.
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I like your reminder that the act/practice of giving can include something as simple as a smile.
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Giving is also a Christian tenet.
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Definitely! The Golden Rule and the two great commandments of Love. Thank you for reminding us.
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