GENEROSITY AND GREED

"When you are practicing generosity, you should feel a little pinch when you give something away. That pinch is your stinginess protesting. If you give away your old, worn-out coat that you wouldn't be caught dead wearing, that is not generosity. There is no pinch. You are doing nothing to overcome your stinginess; you're just cleaning out your closet and calling it something else. Giving away your coat might keep someone warm, but it does not address the problem we face as spiritual practitioners: to free ourselves from self-cherishing and self- grasping."—Gelek Rinpoche

"Buddhist teachings emphasize that the manner in which we give is as important as what we give—we should give with respect, with happi- ness, and with joy. When we are practicing generosity, and it does not bring happiness and joy, we should pay close attention to our motiva- tions for giving, and perhaps even reevaluate whether to give at all." —Gil Fronsdal

"You can measure the depth of a person's awakening by how they serve others"—Kobo Daishi (774–835 C.E.)

"Shakyamuni Buddha and his monks and nuns based their survival— day-to-day food, clothing, and shelter—on the layperson's giving prac- tice, dana. Today in our Western Buddhist world, we give generously to our own places of practice. We help support the center or temple,

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