We Are the Economy by Kai Romhardt & Christine Welter & Teresa van Osdol & Thich Nhat Hanh

Author:Kai Romhardt & Christine Welter & Teresa van Osdol & Thich Nhat Hanh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Parallax Press
Published: 2020-07-13T16:00:00+00:00

True Generosity

Buddhist practice begins with the training of generosity. Generosity softens our ego-centeredness and connects us with our surroundings.

The power of true generosity, meaning giving without the expectation of getting something in return, is highly underrated in today’s economy. Many economists view the human being as someone who always counts on personal gain as a return for their actions, even if this benefit might not be immediately obvious.

Generosity (dana paramita) is considered one of the highest perfections in Buddhism. Generosity is the ability to give wholeheartedly without any calculation or ulterior motives. The following famous Zen story exemplifies this:

A rich man visited a Zen master. He wanted to give him 100,000 gold coins for a new meditation hall. The man was let in to see the master and heaved the heavy sack with coins onto the floor. He looked at the master expectantly.

Then he said: “Don’t you want to count it?” The master didn’t answer. The rich man insisted: “100,000 gold coins is a lot of money!” The master still didn’t say anything. After a few minutes of silence the Zen monk answered: “Would you like me to thank you? I believe you should thank me.”

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