There are plenty of Buddhists who come to the temple to bring a few bananas and apples and donate a little money for incense and lamp oil in hope of seeking good fortune, honor, and power and asking for protection, wealth, and other benefits. This kind of giving abides and is invested in the six sense objects (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, and dharmas). It is not too different from trying to bribe the gods or offering something with strings attached.

If the thought behind a gift is not pure then the gift has some notion behind it, and the merit to be gained from such a gift is limited. Examples of such notions are giving to obtain fame, rewards, or advantages, giving out of fear of being reborn in the lower realms of existence, or even giving for the sake of one’s own health or fortune. But if something is given with no thought of reward or benefit, but is given only for the sake of living beings and meeting their needs, that is giving without notions. The merit from giving without notions is limitless.

“For this reason, Subhuti, a bodhisattva should turn away from all notions, and initiate the mind of anuttara samyaksambodhi. He should not give rise to a mind abiding in form, and he should not give rise to a mind abiding in sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. He should give rise to a mind that does not abide in anything. If the mind abides in anything it is a false abiding. Thus, the Buddha says that a bodhisattva should not give abiding in form. Subhuti, a bodhisattva should give in this way to benefit all sentient beings. The Tathagata says that all notions are not notions, and therefore he also says that all sentient beings are not sentient beings.”

“Subhuti, the Tathagata is a speaker of what is true, what is real, what is so, what is not deceptive, and what is not altered. Subhuti, the Dharma that the Tathagata has attained is not real and it is not unreal.”

“Subhuti, when the mind of a bodhisattva abides in phenomena and practices giving he is like a person who has entered into darkness-he sees nothing at all. When the mind of a bodhisattva does not abide in any phenomena and practices giving, he is like someone who has eyes in the full light of the sun-he sees all forms clearly.”

Sixth Patriarch Huineng wrote in his Exegesis on the Diamond Sutra:

When giving one should have a pure, undefiled mind. First, do not seek to dignify your own appearance. Second, do not seek the pleasures of the¹ Giving eliminates miserliness internally and benefits all living beings externally.

Giving without notions means that there is no “self” giving the gift, no “self” that receives the gift, and that the gift itself doesn’t even have a” self’ Naturally there is no thought of any sort of reward coming from the gift after it has been given either. Only when the essence of these three aspects is empty does it become “giving without notions.” and the merit of such an act of giving becomes limitless.

As long as we maintain our compassion while we talk, work, eat, and dress during our everyday lives, we will be able to help others at every turn and bring benefit to the larger community. We must make sure not to weigh every gain or loss in our relationships, nor inhibit our giving with considering if we should give more or less.

When we give we should keep in mind four things:

1. Do not wish for some extraordinary circumstances, but give as conditions allow.
2. Do not be stingy, but give what you can.
3. Do not distinguish between beloved friends and hated foes, but give to both joyfully.
4. Do not be deluded by the idea of some future reward, but do so for the sake of giving.

As we cultivate the three karmas of body, speech, and mind, it is easiest to give through the karma of speech. It does not take a large amount of wealth or very much time to put in some good words. Good words are just like the smell of flowers, in that they infuse others with joy and happiness.

One day a brahman came storming into the Buddha’s Bamboo Grove Monastery outside of the city of Rajagrha, looking for trouble. Many of the brahman’s relatives had joined the monastic order, and this was something that infuriated the brahman to no end. So the brahman slandered and defamed the Buddha with his harsh words, claiming that the Buddha had bewitched his friends through black magic. The Buddha listened to the brahman’ s abusive tirade quietly, the Buddha spoke:

“Suppose you were visiting a friend and brought a gift, but your friend steadfastly refused to accept the gift that you brought, what would you do?”

The brahman answered, “If my friend truly refused to accept my gift, then the only thing I could do would be to take it back home.”

The Buddha said, “I refuse to accept any of the language you tried to give to me today, so all those spiteful, abusive words are yours to keep.”

Under no circumstances should we utter abusive words, use our language to make hell for other people, or fall into the hell of language created for us by others. If we can instead speak the Buddha’s four kinds of right speech to anyone, anywhere, then we will naturally be able to dissolve the conflicts and misunderstandings that arise between people:

1. Speak good words that are pure and undefiled.
2. Speak wonderful words that put an end to dissension and conflict.
3. Speak true words that reflect the true Dharma and the right path.
4. Speak Dharma words that bring benefit, peace, and happiness.

A long time ago there were two geese living in the wild forest. The geese were good friends with a turtle who lived in a nearby pond. During one summer there was a long dry spell where there was no rain, and the water in the pond dried up. The turtle was getting anxious, if the drought continued there was no way he would be able to survive. The two geese felt sorry about the turtle’s predicament, and they wanted to help him move to a new place with water. The two geese came up with an idea: They would use a tree branch and have the turtle hold the middle part in its mouth, then the two of them would each hold an end and they would be able to lift the turtle to a new location. The two geese advised the turtle that, as long as he kept his mouth shut and did not talk for any reason, they would be able to transport him to safety.

~Listen to the full story at Bodhi Light Tales #34 “Turtle and the Cranes”: https://bit.ly/2UqWrGX

The two geese then flew high into the sky carrying the turtle. When they passed through the sky above a village, a group of children pointed at the sky and yelled, “Come and look everyone! Looks like these geese caught themselves a turtle!”

The turtle became annoyed with the children and thought he was being humiliated. Burning with rage, the turtle yelled at the children: “What do you know? These geese didn’t catch me at all!” The instant the turtle opened his mouth to yell at the children he fell out of the sky.

Source: Hsing Yun, Four Insights for Finding Fulfillment: A Practical Guide to the Buddha’s Diamond Sutra, Los Angeles: Buddha’s Light Publishing, 2012.

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Footnote:

1. Wealth, sex, fame, food and drink, and sleep. Ed.