Just like happiness, kindness and love, generosity breeds more generosity. It’s difficult to say that there can ever be a selfless act of generosity because giving happiness to others is the best way to give happiness to yourself. But the key with practising generosity is to do so without expectation of anything in return, and this is the hard part. So even if you start small and give just a little, it is good if you can do so from the heart and with no selfish conditions attached. Of course, if somebody thanks you it is very nice, but if you don’t get any thanks it doesn’t matter, you just give anyway.
Generosity isn’t just about giving in a material way. If you can teach or inspire another person, that is an excellent practice of generosity. You can also give protection or care to someone, another act of generosity. Patience, tolerance, respect, laughter, appreciation, kindness and compassion are all wonderful gifts that we have to offer every day when we think about it.
A good way to start is by dividing what you can give into two; giving half to others and the other half keep for yourself; you share.
In this way, we gradually get back to a sense of pure motivation, with no strings attached or any need to tell the world what we have done. The act is enough in itself.
When you make such actions from the heart it gives you a cooling, peaceful, happy feeling. You are not proud, but appreciative. The practice is sincere and genuine — and being sincere, rather than acting out of a feeling of burden or guilt, gives a tremendous feeling of joy and satisfaction. Give willingly and with joy in your heart. Even if you have nothing material to give, it does not matter. You just have to open your heart and let go of your burning attachments to things or people. Give others freedom and you will be free yourself.
Regardless of who you are, we are all the same. We all go through different experiences, but at the end of the day, we each have nothing in our hands. So we cry together, we laugh together, we mourn together, we enjoy together, we help each other.
Most of us are always concerned about making ourselves happy, doing all sorts of silly and selfish things, without realising that actually by making others happy, we will be, too. You can check by yourself whether this is true or not. What I am trying to say is that if you have a big heart that is willing to share your virtues, then your virtues will actually multiply. The more giving your heart is, the more you are able to receive. If we give and help without any expectation or any condition, that itself is a great practice and a great joy that cannot be measured by any mundane means. In fact, I can even say that when you help, give or do anything that is beneficial unconditionally, whatever you get in return is also unconditional. It’s a pretty fair deal, isn’t it?
Gyalwang Drukpa
