TRUE GIVING

Many People give alms or donations to monks with a belief that the boon (merit) will reserve us a place in heaven and bestow on us happiness, success, and luck in the present lifetime.
Many time we have forgotten that :

"True giving must be free from expectations of anything in return. If you expect to get even a word of appreciation like 'thank you' from receivers, then it is not a free giving, but an exchange."

Gratitude must be voluntary, so must an act of giving. We live and feed on the "free and unconditional" giving of Nature _ the sun, water, wind, trees, rocks, animals and our fellow beings.

"Giving is indeed a duty in nature. Without giving, there would be no living, we should give as we are given to. Giving should be free and unconditional.

In giving freely, as Nature does, we learn to let go of our possession and selfishness and to be detached from expectations.

胡