Gifts and Offerings

This chapter describes the wide range of Buddhist practices that center on offerings and gifts. For Buddhists, generosity is fundamentally about not being attached to things. These things might be material wealth but can also be more abstract things like time, knowledge, or even recognition. A generous individual sees clearly that there is no persisting self through time, so rather than holding on to these things lets them go easily. Meanwhile, selfless giving is strongly emphasized in a practice associated with Japanese Buddhism where the individual helps others secretly, without anyone knowing. This is a way of making sure that the giving is totally free from any hint of desire for praise or recognition. This kind of generosity is not done to get thanks nor is it done to make others see how virtuous the individual is. It is done solely to benefit others.