Monday, December 13, 2010

Four Forms of Giving

Give necessaries.
Food, medicine, shelter. See Buddhist Global Relief http://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org/intro.html and other similar organizations. Or do it yourself.

Give safety or protection.
Gently get that worm off the sidewalk please. Offer your umbrella when it's raining; do something for another that they can't do for themselves. Walk the old lady across the street. Support organizations that free and/or rehabilitate sex slaves or child laborers, veterans, animals, etc. Remember to have equal compassionate concern for the perpetrator as for the victim. The victim was once the perpetrator.
 
Give love.
Hold the hand of a sad soul; don't forget aging parents or those who are in danger of dying alone. Give affection. Kyabje Dagpo Rinpoche says don't confuse attachment with affection. He says we need more love and affection. Uninformed Buddhists often make the unfortunate mistake of thinking that detachment equals emotional coldness and distance. No! We need to extend warmth, affection, tenderness, love, without generating attachment (expectations, demands, addictions, self-reference) in ourselves or others.  See Amma.org. She does it masterfully. 

Give (provisional) truth.
Recognize that Dharma doesn't belong only to Buddhists. Speak in the language of the listener. The four "noble truths" can be presented as the four facts of life.