Jean Smith reflects on Generosity First…

A reflection on practice by Jean Smith

When fifth-century monk-scholars shaped a list of the heart-mind characteristics of the Bodhisattva’s path to buddhahood, these Paramis, or “Perfections,” began with generosity. The sequence was a reflection of the way the Buddha offered his teachings: the Buddha’s first talk in a new community was usually about generosity. Probably the Buddha began with generosity partly because he recognized that it is and has been so widely accepted as one of the most basic human virtues by so many cultures. But there was a more important reason: Generosity is a foundational building block of spiritual development and his most important teachings.

In an unfamiliar village, he regularly used a particular sequence of teachings: he began with a talk about generosity, then spoke about morality, then about karma, then about the benefits of renunciation. When he felt that his listeners had understood all these teachings, only then did he give his first talk on suffering, its cause, and its end, the Four Noble Truths. He would explain that a universal condition of life is dissatisfaction– stress or suffering whose cause is clinging or attachment. Therefore, the end of suffering is nonclinging or nonattachment, and the path to liberation begins with generosity, the natural antidote to greed or clinging. The great value of generosity would become clear to the newcomers.

Clinging or attachment cannot exist at the same time as true generosity. By cultivating generosity, we can bring an end to clinging, an end to attachment, to stinginess, to greed to material things — even to our most cherished ideas and sense of self.

In the Buddha’s teachings, one strong cluster focuses on the way we can cultivate generosity: (1) By relinquishing external or material things to benefit others; (2) by giving others the gift of freedom from fear; and (3) by giving others the Dharma.

Through this practice may our hearts be open to give and to receive with ease and joy.

Jean Smith has practiced Buddhist meditation in the Vipassana-Insight Meditation tradition since 1986 & has led sanghas in New York City, the Adirondack Mountains & online from Taos NM. She has published nine books on Buddhism, including The Beginner’s Guide to Insight Meditation (with Arinna Weisman) & Life is Spiritual Practice (the Paramis) (from which this piece is excerpted). Jean serves on the board of The Mountain Hermitage. She is shown in in the photo riding her beloved golden palomino horse Cody at the age of 86.