Five Kinds of Giving

 

Quote:

“Good sons! A wise person practices five kinds of giving: (1) sincere giving, (2) giving in person, (3) giving with faith, (4) timely giving, and (5) possession giving in accordance with the Dharma.” Miscellaneous Subjects, Chapter 19, Sūtra on Upāsaka Precepts

「善男子！有智之人施有五種：一者至心施、二者自手施、三者信心施、四者時節施、五者如法求物施。」 《優婆塞戒經》雜品 第十九

 

Remarks:

The accomplishment of the Bodhisattva Way must be based on merits as a foundation. Cultivating the myriad practices subsumed in the six pāramitās whether before or after achieving awakening to the True Mind at the three stages of worthiness, or cultivating the myriad practices subsumed in the ten pāramitās (from the First to the Tenth Ground), can be achieved through charitable giving. Without adequate merits as resources, it is impossible to attain the Path of Vision, not to mention cultivating it. Without adequate merits, one cannot advance further or attain Buddhahood. Whether one can attain the Path of Vision in the future, sequentially complete the cultivation of the path, and attain Buddhahood all have much to do with the merits gained through giving.

Therefore, we should first understand the various aspects of giving and its causes and effects. As the aforementioned quote states, a wise person who cultivates giving fully practices five kinds of giving. The first is sincere giving, or giving genuinely instead of just showing off one’s social status to others. The second is giving in person instead of through others, which will make one receive future blessings in person or directly instead of through others. The third is giving with faith; having the slightest doubt about the cause and effect of giving will reduce the meritorious fruit of one’s giving in the future. The fourth is timely giving, or giving when others need it rather than waiting until they no longer do, which will make a difference in the future cause and effect of one’s giving. The fifth and last is possession giving in accordance with the Dharma; that is, all donated possessions must have been lawfully earned or gained.

Wise practitioners should pay attention to the five kinds of giving in their practices and to the cause and effect of giving as these are closely related to efficiently and successfully pursuing the Buddhahood Path.

#Buddhahoodpath #sixparamitas #giving