197 lines
8.1 KiB
Plaintext
197 lines
8.1 KiB
Plaintext
GIVING AND RECEIVING
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World Scripture
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GIVING AND RECEIVING
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Passages in this section express the general spiritual principle of giving and
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receiving. When we give to one another, freely and without conditions, sharing
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our blessings with others and bearing each other's burdens, the giving
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multiplies and we receive far more than what was given. Even when there is no
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immediate prospect of return, Heaven keeps accounts of giving, and in the end
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blessing will return to the giver, multiplied manyfold. We must give first; to
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expect to receive without having given is to violate the universal law. On the
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other hand, giving in order to receive--with strings attached, with the
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intention of currying favor, or in order to make a name for oneself--is
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condemned. See also The Golden Rule, pp. 172-74.
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Give, and it will be given to you... for the measure you give will be the
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measure you get back.
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1.Christianity. Luke 6.38
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Those who do not abandon mercy will not be abandoned by me.
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2.Shinto. Oracle of the Kami of Itsukushima
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He who gives liberally goes straight to the gods;
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on the high ridge of heaven he stands exalted.
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3.Hinduism. Rig Veda 1.125.5
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Who is honored? He who honors mankind.
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4.Judaism. Mishnah, Abot 4.1
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Those who act kindly in this world will have kindness.
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5.Islam. Qur'an 39.10
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Luke 6.38: Cf. Matthew 7.7-11, p. 594. Abot 4.1: Cf. Matthew 25.31-46, pp.
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840f.; Gandavyuha Sutra, p. 841. Qur'an 39.10: Cf. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi
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36, p. 840; Hadith of Muslim, p. 841.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Understand that through saving others you shall also be saved.
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6.Tenrikyo. Ofudesaki 3.47
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It is only when one does not have enough faith in others that others will have
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no faith in him.
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7.Taoism. Tao Te Ching 17
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One must pour cold water on the ground before he can tread on soft soil.
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8.African Traditional Religions. Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria)
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You will not attain piety until you expend of what you love; and whatever thing
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you expend, God knows of it.
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9.Islam. Qur'an 3.92
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If beings knew, as I know, the fruit of sharing gifts, they would not enjoy
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their use without sharing them, nor would the taint of stinginess obsess the
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heart and stay there. Even if it were their last bit, their last morsel of
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food, they would not enjoy its use without sharing it, if there were anyone to
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receive it.
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10.Buddhism. Itivuttaka 18
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The Buddha said, "When you see someone practicing the Way of giving, aid him
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joyously, and you will obtain vast and great blessings." A shramana asked: "Is
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there an end to those blessings?" The Buddha said, "Consider the flame of a
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single lamp. Though a hundred thousand people come and light their own lamps
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from it so that they can cook their food and ward off the darkness, the first
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lamp remains the same as before. Blessings are like this, too."
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11.Buddhism. Sutra of Forty-two Sections 10
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The accumulation of wealth is the way to scatter the people, and the letting it
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be scattered among them is the way to collect the people.
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12.Confucianism. Great Learning 10.9
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Ofudesaki 3.47: This is the basis of Tenrikyo's hinokishin, voluntary service
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for the well-being of the community, when one seeks neither praise nor reward.
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Yoruba Proverb: In other words, be kind and generous to others if you expect
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others to help you.
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He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully
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will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not
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reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is
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able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always
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have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As
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it is written,
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He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
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his righteousness endures forever.
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He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply
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your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be
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enriched in every way for great generosity.
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13.Christianity. 2 Corinthians 9.6-11
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It is more blessed to give than to receive.
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14.Christianity. Acts 20.35
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Give not with the thought to gain,
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and be patient unto thy Lord.
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15.Islam. Qur'an 74.6-7
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When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is
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doing.
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16.Christianity. Matthew 6.3
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Giving simply because it is right to give, without thought of return, at a
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proper time, in proper circumstances, and to a worthy person, is enlightened
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giving. Giving with regrets or in the expectation of receiving some favor or
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of getting something in return, is selfish giving.
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17.Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 17.20-21
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He who gives his wealth to purify himself,
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and confers no favor on any man for recompense,
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only seeking the Face of his Lord the Most High;
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He shall surely be satisfied. 18Islam. Qur'an 92.18-21
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Qur'an 92.18-21: Cf. Qur'an 2.261-62, p. 752; 2.267-74, p. 752.
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Enlightening beings are magnanimous givers, bestowing whatever they have with
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equanimity, without regret, without hoping for reward, without seeking honor,
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without coveting material benefits, but only to rescue and safeguard all living
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beings.
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19.Buddhism. Garland Sutra 21
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If I give this, what shall I [have left to] enjoy?"--
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Such selfish thinking is the way of the ghosts;
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"If I enjoy this, what shall I [have left to] give?"--
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Such selfless thinking is a quality of the gods.
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20.Buddhism. Shantideva, Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life 8.125
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Mencius said, "A man who is out to make a name for himself will be able to give
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away a state of a thousand chariots, but reluctance would be written all over
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his face if he had to give away a basketful of rice and a bowlful of soup when
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no such purpose was served."
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21.Confucianism. Mencius VII.B.11
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When a greeting is offered you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous,
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or at least of equal courtesy. God takes careful account of all things.
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22.Islam. Qur'an 4.86
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There was presented to me a papaya,
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And I returned for it a beautiful keu gem;
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Not as a return for it,
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But that our friendship might be lasting.
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There was presented to me a peach,
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And I returned for it a beautiful yaou gem;
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Not as a return for it,
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But that our friendship might be lasting.
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There was presented to me a plum,
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And I returned for it a beautiful kew stone;
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Not as a return for it, But that our friendship might be lasting.
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23.Confucianism. Book of Songs, Ode 64
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Love cannot return unless you give it. People who love each other can continue
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the give and take action of love with more power than they invest. We can
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conclude that the word "eternity" can only be formed through love.
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24.Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 12-5-71
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Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life 8.125: This distinction between gods and
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demons is made in Satapatha Brahmana 5.1.1.1-2, p. 383. Book of Songs, Ode 64:
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It is commonplace for people to give gifts with the intention of securing a
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favor in return. In such calculations, the gift and its return would be of
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roughly equal value. To return a gift of immensely greater value might burden
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the recipient with a feeling of indebtedness. This passage, however, describes
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an exchange of gifts with a purer motive: friendship that goes beyond the
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calculations of obligation.
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