What is giving?

Giving refers to the act of freely transferring one’s possession of something to someone. The practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most basic human virtues, a quality that testifies to the depth of one’s humanity. Giving is good. During the act of giving, other factors come into play. Is the act of giving by the person a wholesome one?

When can you call an act of giving as wholesome?

The willingness of the person before, during and after the act of giving is the most important factor involved in the action of giving. A person’s mental state and reasoning affect the act of giving. A person gives from the feeling of desire. A person gives from the feeling of fear. A person due to the pressure put on them to give. A person gives as it was an old family custom practiced by his fathers and forefathers. A person gives as he/she thinks that after death, he/she will get rewarded for giving and go to heaven. A person can give to trick the mind into believing that he/she is a generous person. A person can also give as it makes his/her mind calm and he/she becomes happy and joyful by the act of giving. When there is no attachment or desire for anything in return from the act of giving, giving can be called as wholesome. Wholesome giving is like an apple tree. An apple tree keeps giving fruit without accepting anything in return.

True wholesome giving is giving because you have a surplus of any resource. This resource can be time, money or material things. A person feels like he/she has a lot of something only when he/she is not attached to it. When a person has a lot of something, the person will naturally give it to the people who require it. A person does not have to think about giving, it comes naturally and is instinctive.

Giving is good but this doesn’t mean that a person has to give up everything a person has. A person can do that when he/she has obtained the quality of complete detachment. Until this quality is met, a person is still on the path to complete detachment. A person has to have a strong determination to stay on the path to complete detachment. Falling prey to people’s abusiveness will take a person away from the path. A person on the path will be confronted with feelings of anger, which will take you away from the path. A person on the path should stay away from abusive people. A person should not allow himself or herself to be abused by others.

Giving works hand-in-hand with kindness. Kindness is one of the products of giving. While giving, a person should be alert to stay away from people’s abuse. A person should stop giving to abusive people to save himself or herself from the unwholesome emotions generated within while giving to an abusive person.

Why do most people hesitate to give?

Some people don’t give because they feel abused. Most people don’t give because they don’t feel like they have a surplus of any resource. Most people have an attachment toward their possessions. This tendency of attachment arises as people feel they don’t have enough of any resource. The sense of attachment and/or desire for something hinders people from giving.