1. The Perfection of Generosity

Giving begrudgingly is the same as not giving at all.

The difference between giving begrudgingly and giving freely with out any thought of gain or profit, is motivation. When giving we should ask ourselves, What is my motive in giving? Giving can and often does, have a degree of selfishness within it. If behind our act of giving is the notion that we will benefit from it in some way or other then our motivation has been polluted. Giving with only the thought of how the recipient will benefit, is the purest form of giving.

Traditionally there are three types of giving:
Giving material help.
Giving protection.
Giving pure sincere Dharma teaching.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun, (of the Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Tiwan):

A devotee told Chan Master Moxian, "My wife is extremely stingy. She will not spend even a penny on charity. Could you please come to my house and talk to her about engaging in benevolent deeds?" Very compassionately, Chan Master Moxian agreed. The next day, when he went to the devotee's house, the wife came out to receive him. True to her miserly nature, she did not even offer Chan Master Moxian a cup of tea. Chan Master sat down and held out his fist, asking, "Madame, look at my hand. What would you think if my hand remained constantly in a fist?". The wife responded, "If it remained in a fist, then your hand is deformed! Something must be wrong with it." Chan Master repeated her words back to her, saying, "It is deformed!" In the meantime, he opened up his fist and held out a flat palm to her, asking, "Were it like this all the time, what do you think?". The wife responded, "That would be deformed too!"


Seizing this opportunity, Chan Master Moxian immediately came to the point, saying, "Madame, you are right! A constant closed fist and a constant opened palm are both deformed. It is the same with the way we use money. If we are always closefisted, only concerned about getting more money, but never consider giving, we are deformed. If we are always open-handed, only thinking about spending but not saving, we are deformed as well. Money should flow like a smooth current. When it comes in, it should flow out too. There should be a balance in your receiving and giving." With this example from Chan Master Moxian, the devotee's wife had a clear idea about how to conduct herself in money matters.