Generosity

in the cool descending dusk

even as the sun falls to end another day

still there’s a sky so boundless,

more so than the clouds

that restlessly course through it

could this too be generosity?

i have hosted many a cloud party in this lifetime

some smooth and some tumultuous

each swirling body ebbs and passes

some large and shimmering,

some thunderous and simmering

some as light as the starlit sky

yet none has ever harmed me

or affected my special sheen of blue

to each i give their rightful accord before

sending them off on their own special ways

could this too be generosity?

sometimes you are taught you have to pass the test

at giving the best,

leaving behind all the rest

in your endless quest to be a tragic saint

‘til you’re fighting the thick and blue,

and you no longer know which one of these forms is you

but if you know that everything is just a cloud

in the endless

skymarked sea that is all of you

can anything take you out of your zone?

after all, “you” are the host—”they” are the passing guests

and they are all deep inside of you: your taste, your form,

your sound, your smell, your touch, sight, thoughts

and what you gave was what you already had

and now the giver and receiver is mind itself

to the point where giver knows no giver and

no receiver—no separate "I" to say

"I have given it away"

and no one to say

they have permanently acquired

the cosmic deed

to all the skylit seas.

could this too be generosity?

**

For this module on generosity, one text we will be reading is Ven. Chan Master Sheng Yen’s book The Six Paramitas (2002), a free publication which can be found by clicking here.  Prior to beginning this module, please be sure to read pages 5-16 of The Six Paramitas, “Generosity”. This short reading will give us a good background in what we will discuss through the exercises.

 Exercise 1: Creating a Generosity Object

·  What thoughts, images or new connections come to mind as you are reading the poem on generosity at the beginning of this module? Did any surprises or questions emerge as you were reading the poem and saw the photographs beside it? Write down any thoughts, insights, puzzles or new connections you may have formed.

·  If you were to choose a central “metaphor” or guiding image for generosity, what would it be? (Consider the following metaphors: host and guest, sky and clouds, joining of hands, a specific gift you may have received from someone, etc.)

·  Using the central metaphor or image you have chosen in question #2, try to express your understanding of generosity through a poem, short paragraph, photograph, or other artifact. Explain in a short paragraph why this object represents generosity to you. If possible, save the object as a digital format (Word document, jpg file, etc.) under the title “My Generosity Object”. (You will come back to this object later as you start to build your blog and upload your creations onto the blog).
  

Now watch the video "What Gives" (2017) 

Exercise 2: What’s Your Generosity Story?

1. As you watched this video, how would you describe the relationship between the ideal giver and recipient of generosity? Consider the following possibilities:
1. “I give to you because I have more than you do” (more talent, abilities, etc.)
2. “I give to you because you have more than I do” (and need to gain from you)
3. “I lose something in the process of giving” (generosity as self-sacrifice)
4. “I gain something in the process of giving” (generosity as rational self-interest)
5. “I am neither better nor less than you in giving. We are equal parts giver and recipient” (generosity as a form of equal regard, in mutual dialogue)

OR choose your own way to express generosity

2. Consider a relationship where you are the recipient of a generous act. How did you feel when you received the gift? What relationship in question #1 best characterizes your experience of this relationship? What did you find inspirational, and what might have felt potentially disconnecting?  Write down your story and sharing in a short paragraph, and save it as “My Generosity Story”.

Exercise 3: A Buddhist Vision of Generosity

Let’s start by watching the following two videos, which can be found on YouTube:

1) Master Sheng Yen,  "Appropriate Ways of Giving":  

 2. Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu, Buddhism 101: Generosity:

After watching these video, go back to your Generosity Story.  Consider the following:

1. How important do you see it to consider the recipient when making a gift? Consider the situation of giving to a homeless person. Have you ever thought that the value of the gift is based on how the homeless person uses the money you might give to her or him? Or is the value more based on the intention and heart to give? Are there other possibilities that could explain the value of generosity, in cases where the benefits to recipients is not entirely known or certain?

2. In the first video, Master Sheng Yen notes the value of giving in an ‘open handed’ way to reduce self and desires. What does ‘open handed’ giving mean to you? What are some examples of giving that is not open-handed?

Write a short paragraph or reflection which answers these two questions. When you are finished your reflection, save it as “Buddhist Vision of Generosity Exercise”.

Exercise 4: Compiling a Generosity Inventory

In both Buddhist-themed videos, we have explored knowing to whom you are giving, as well as knowing what you should give and whether to give or not. We also explored the dangers of self-attachment in giving as a means of spiritual practice.

In order to understand what’s appropriate to give to whom, we will need to expand our awareness and understanding of what constitutes an act of generosity.

Typically, when we think about generosity, we often conjure the image of a wealthy philanthropist who donates millions of dollars to develop a special wing of a hospital. Generosity typically is used to describe monetary donations. But are there other kinds of generosity which we might practice?

Take a moment to brainstorm what kinds of actions might constitute generosity.  You might want to consider compiling a table which organizes forms of generosity into different types, as well as specific examples in which you might practice generosity. An example of such a table might be as follows:

Form of Giving	Example
Time	Tutor students at a local community centre
Resources	Donated food to the local food bank
Empathy	Listened to a co-worker talk about their challenges at work
Etc…

 

Consider things that people give in term of time, resources, food, etc.  Also, consider: can watching this screen and taking time to learn this module also be a form of giving? If so, how?

You can then save your work as a document called “Generosity Inventory”

Exercise 5: Draw Out a Generosity “Map”.

For this exercise, you will need to map out some contacts you have. Choose a particular community or cluster of communities you are familiar with or work with closely. Try to show via arrows how you mutually create generous interactions with each other, using arrows to illustrate the directions of giving/receiving. An example is shown below: 

 

Give to	Personal Connection	Receive From
ESL Tutoring	Jane (personal friend at Volunteer organization)	Opportunity to practice teaching Moral support
Work Assignments Projects	Boss	Teaches me patience, professional skills Hires me on a full-time basis
Food, take him on walks	Fluffy the Dog	Emotional support Hugs Someone to talk to when stressed

The purpose of this exercise is to show that generosity is about interconnection. Even in situations where one volunteers their time and resources, there are often mutual acts of generosity. Perhaps one can describe this relationship as that of “inter-generosity”, the reality that there are no relationships where there is only one way giving and receiving.

            Consider also the skills that you give to others. Were those skills completely self-taught, or did they emerge from teachers or people around us? Even one’s capacity to give is in turn a result of the generosity of many others, some known and some unknown.

Weaving it Together: Applying Our Learning to A Buddhist Context of Generosity

            In our readings of Master Sheng-Yen, we learn that Generosity, or “dana”, is a long-standing tradition in the Mahayana school of Buddhism (Shengyen, 2002, p.7), which is designed to lessen self-attachment and emphasize interconnection with others. Generosity is not just an action intended to create a specific result. It is also a way of being which relates to a specific view on the nature of life and the way out of suffering. As Sheng Yen notes:

bodhisattvas realize that even as people immerse themselves in sensual delight, they create unending afflictions for themselves and others.  They realize that even as people immerse themselves in sensual delight, they create unending afflictions for themselves and others…they have aroused a desire to help others break free from the endless cycle (p.8).

The question is, when one practices generosity, do they see themselves as someone who is rescuing others from the cycle of suffering? As long as I see myself as a ‘giver’, I am still cultivating a sense of separate self that is giving to others. This leads to what is referred to as “generosity with characteristics and intention” (p.12). I might be giving, but only with the intention of furthering my own spiritual path, or being recognized by others as a great spiritual practitioner. I myself have found that giving with expectation of reward or self-recognition can lead to a lot of suffering down the road, as I begin to believe that others owe me for what I give to them.

            Another kind of generosity, “Giving Without Characteristics” (p.13) refers to giving without “self-oriented motivation” (ibid). Here, the emphasis is on generosity as a way of seeing all beings as already deeply connected in deep ways, rather than emphasizing the value of giving itself. At this stage, there is no discreet ‘’giver” or “receiver” in mind, since all are said to inter-depend on each other. Master Sheng Yen emphasizes that this model of giving is not limited to the transfer of physical resources. It also relates to the giving of “time, knowledge (including speech), and one’s own body” (ibid). The gift of the Dharma (p.14) also refers to showing others Buddhist teachings for the sake of alleviating suffering and pointing the way towards one’s true Buddha nature. Finally, Master Sheng Yen reminds his readers that even courage, or ‘fearlessness’, can be given to others, in the face of the many challenges arising from one’s life. This giving of fearlessness takes the form of “being able to respond to people’s fears and needs with wisdom and compassion” (p.15).

            Throughout the previous exercises, you have had the opportunity to explore the following areas:

1. What generosity means to you, how it is expressed and communicated
2. What characterizes a genuine attitude of giving/generosity
3. Examples of what might constitute generosity—its many forms and permutations, including intangible examples of generosity which are often overlooked
4. The interconnectedness that generosity reveals—all of us are immersed in networks of giving/receiving.
5. With the view that generosity is based on interconnection, we can also conceptualize it as a form of dialogue, where each party is valued as someone with something equally valid (however different) to offer to a relationship or connection.  

In the next section of this module, we will explore the connection between generosity and digital technology.

Practicing Generosity in Digital Settings: Making Offerings to Buddhas

            Making offerings is an important expression of generosity in the Buddhist community (sangha). In the sangha of which I am a part, we held a Vesak celebration back in May 2016 to commemorate the birth of the Buddha. I was on the planning committee for this event, and we discussed how we could make the event an important ritual, as well as a chance to creatively express our acknowledgment to, and respect for, the Buddha’s teachings and wisdom.  We figured it also would be a good opportunity for young children to “get in on the action”, where they would otherwise feel disengaged or unable to connect with Buddhist images. Kids especially (but adults also) learn by doing and creating, not by passively absorbing information from a center stage (Palmer, 2011, p. 135).

One of the ideas we had was to set up miniature altars outside our center and decorate these altars, using various crafts and Buddha statues. While some volunteers had offered to bring their Buddha statues from home, others brought various flower arrangements or other ornaments which were no longer in use. I decided to go with another volunteer to the local Dollar Store, where we stocked up on things which we felt would add to the sense of respect or ‘playful veneration’. Plastic flower heads? Yes.  How about rocks? Seashells? Well, maybe, if the Buddha is an environmental one.

Needless to say, we were running the risk of turning the event into a sacrilegious act! And a few people, including myself, voiced the concern that giving people the chance to decorate their own Buddha altar might send the wrong impression that the formalities we use in our Buddha altar in the meditation hall could be bent or potentially overlooked in favor of other arrangements. Nonetheless, we were operating under the faith that people would be guided by their own spiritual practice to construct miniature altars that expressed their deep faith and appreciation for Buddha’s teachings. We are also operating under the view that each person has a heartfelt connection to the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion, and are to be trusted to express that wisdom and compassion without too many constraints or guidelines.

The results of the Buddha altar decoration can be seen below. You will notice that all the small items strewn around the Buddha are thought to represent our best offerings or gifts to Buddhas as a reflection of the value of Buddha’s wisdom and teachings. But this was also a valuable lesson for me, since I had to let go of my fear that the creativity I was allowing in others might lead to ‘chaos’.     

                                          

Can our Gifts be Digital Ones?

           
         Research has recently emerged on Buddhist-themed virtual worlds, and how traditional ceremonial offerings and merit transfer translate into digital space. Does giving symbolic offerings to a cyberspace Buddhist temple confer the same merits (spiritual benefits) as making offerings in a ‘real life’ physical temple? Jessica Falcone, a professor of anthropology at Kansas State University, has recently studied the role of holy ‘objects’ in a digital space.  In particular, she has explored the digital space of Second Life (SL), and how prostrating and meditating in front of a virtual Buddha object differs (or is similar to) prostrating to ‘real’ concrete Buddha statues and figures. Discussing the role of burning ‘virtual’ candles as an offering to the Buddha, Falcone remarks:

The offerings are thought by most of my informants here to be efficacious in some way, but what precisely is the nature of the effects that they seek to cause with their orientation towards Buddhist virtual objects? (Falcone, in Grieve & Veidlinger, 2015, p. 177).

      In the course of her research, Falcone found some who maintained that the efficacy of Buddhist ‘online’ offerings in accruing merit is based on the intention of the participant in the virtual world (p.178). Others disagree, arguing that the merit of an offering requires a certain level of physical interaction –such as spinning a prayer wheel rather than clicking a mouse (ibid). Interestingly, Falcone also found that most participants in Second Life are students who, rather than viewing Buddhist images as literal embodiment of a teacher or spiritual power, see them as symbolic pointers to “positive attributes and potentialities” (p.179). This tendency situates the power of the Buddhist offering in the way it cultivates wholesome qualities in the giver, rather than shifting power to a perceived recipient.

            Perhaps more significantly, Falcone’s research suggests that all forms of generosity, whether ‘physical’ or ‘virtual’, receive their power from the culture which recognizes their status as gifts. Reflecting on the differences between ‘virtual’ holy objects and so-called ‘material’ ones, Falcone aptly remarks: 

Upon reflection, the solidity of all things melts into a kind of culturally mediated ooze—things are given their shape, their backbone, by culture. Attention to virtual objects can serve to remind us that our “actual” objects were always already mediated (p.186).

Digital Exercise 1: Exploring the Blog as an Offering Space

Take a look at the photograph of the Buddha altars from the previous exercise. They show show a typical Buddhist altar, complete with flowers, incense, fruit, candles, and other symbolic offerings to the Buddha. Each part of this offering is said to represent a symbolic form of giving, either in the form of Buddhist key teachings or Buddhist qualities which we are cultivating through continued practice to purify the world. I outline some examples of the symbolic meanings of each object:

Incense: symbolizes good moral conduct

Flowers: symbolize impermanence

Fruit: symbolizes the aspiration to attain enlightenment, the ‘fruit’ of Buddhist teachings

Candles/Light: often symbolizes wisdom, casting out ignorance

Water:  symbolizes purity, clear awareness

Each object, when arrayed together, forms a comprehensive giving space, replete with all the symbolic forms of generosity we try to cultivate as Buddhist practitioners or enthusiasts.

Now take a look at the sample screen shot of a blog dashboard:

Looking at the dashboard, we can see that there could be similar ‘offerings’ in each of the respective areas of the dashboard. Each section of the dashboard might be thought to represent the kinds of services, insights, objects, stories, and experiences we are willing to share with others. Like an altar, the blog dashboard represents specific offerings and forms of generosity we are willing to share with fellow practitioners in their spiritual path.

Exercise:

Take a moment to reflect on the previous exercise you did on forms of generosity.

Now consider the following questions:

1. What kinds of generosity practices can be transferred to a digital space, such as through a blog? Consider the things you do and how they can be made into digital objects for display and use on a blog. An example:

My volunteer work at the community center can be transformed into -a written personal reflection - a photo essay -a poem or drawing              -showing appreciation for someone I worked with

My volunteer work at the community center can be transformed into -a written personal reflection - a photo essay -a poem or drawing -showing appreciation for someone I worked with

My cat-sitting adventures can be transformed into:                                     -advice to cat-owners: tips on how to manage your cat                                     -a video on cat behavior, targeted to science students

           

2. If you were to take these very same qualities and map them onto a blog template or screen, what might it look like?

Play around with the blog layouts, and try to map your generosity objects onto the blog layout.

Tip: consider embedding individual pages to your blog, each of which represents a discreet generosity object

END OF MODULE 1

References

Grieve, Gregory Price & Viedlinger, Daniel (eds). Buddhism the Internet, and Digital Media: the Pixel in the Lotus. New York: Routledge.

Palmer, Parker J. (2011). Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Shengyen (2002). The Six Paramitas: Perfections of the Bodhisattva Path. Elmhurst, NY: Dharma Drum Publications. Retrieved Feb. 24 2017 at : http://old.shengyen.org/UpFile/FlashBookEN/040511014459/Default.aspx?Folder=040511014459