The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.
(Some give freely yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due and only suffer want [NRSVUE].)
I Timothy 6.6 -
There is great wealth - spiritual - in virtuous living and contentment.
Bhagavad Gita 17.20-22 -
The gift which is given without thought of recompense, in the belief that it ought to be made, in a fit place, at an opportune time, and to a deserving person - such a gift is Pure.
That which is given for the sake of the results it will produce, or with the hope of recompense, or grudgingly - that may truly be said to be the outcome of Passion.
And that which is given at an unsuitable place or time or to one who is unworthy, or with disrespect or contempt - such a gift is the result of Ignorance.
Confucius saw that there was a top-heavy bottle at the court of Prince Huan of Lu. When he asked a guard at the door, "What kind of bottle is this?" the guard replied, "This is a vessel always to be kept at one's side." Confucius said, "I have heard that when this bottle is empty, it lies on its side; when half full, it stands correctly; when completely full, it turns upside down."
Confucius thought about this and said to his disciple, "Pour in some water." The disciple took some water and poured it in. When the bottle was half full, it stood correctly; but when full, it turned upside down; when empty, it lay on its side.
Confucius sank into dejection and lamented, "Aah, why are there still those who when full do not turn upside down?"
*Husun Tzu (298-238 BCE). Hsun Tzu. Book of Chinese legalism.
When the water bottle is full, it overturns. While the piggy bank remains empty, it is whole. Therefore, the gentleman [virtuous]
Resides in vacuity rather than existence,
And exists in the lacking rather than the complete.
*Hung Ying-ming (1600s). Master of the Three Ways. Trans. William Scott Wilson. Poem 63.
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Everything is designed to pass through us: thoughts, words, perceptions, sensations, affections, money, breath, food, etc. We are riverbeds through which Rivers flow. Even our body is passing through us, in a sense, for we cannot keep it. Death is the giving up - the return - of the body, even as we received the body. Until this giving up, the body is the conduit for the Giving.
Greed is an act of ownership. It is trying to make a river stop. It is denying the nature of the River and the Riverbed.
Accumulation becomes a source of suffering leading to suffering. A gluttonous person enjoys a meal until eating beyond the tummy limits - Nature has designed that limit. This one refuses to listen to the body-wisdom, grabby for more pleasure. What remains? The misery of indigestion and gas pains for not listening, "Enough." And, then, "Enough, I said!"
What happens to someone who refuses to share love? They lose the love they had to give. In giving love, love grows. In giving love, the capacity to give love increases. Love freely pours when you are turned upside down.
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How do we live from enough amid the many messages that enough is not enough? Enough comes from within. When enough is inside, acquisitiveness and stinginess drop, and the Water will flow downstream. When the holding-on ceases, you will feel the expansiveness. You will be living like an overturned bottle. The Universe will be able to trust you to continue the Giving.
Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
*Jesus, Gospel of Matthew 6.8 (NLT)
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*(C) Brian K. Wilcox, 2023. Permission is given to use photographs and writings with credit given to the copyright owner.
*Brian's book is An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love. The book is a collection of poems Brian wrote based on wisdom traditions, predominantly Christian, Buddhist, and Sufi, with extensive notes on the poetry's teachings and imagery.
