|
Part Three - The Path of Life
Chapter 13. Love
10) Charity
2. The Manner of Giving Charity
World Scripture
A kind word with forgiveness is better than charity followed by injury; God is Self-sufficient, Forbearing. O you who believe, do not make your charity worthless by reproach and injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen by men. Qur’an 2.263-64
One should give even from a scanty store to him who asks. Dhammapada 224 (Buddhism)
Even a poor man who himself subsists on charity should give charity. Talmud, Gittin 7b (Judaism)
He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise. Luke 3.11
When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6.3-4
Enlightening beings are magnanimous givers, bestowing whatever they have with equanimity, without regret, without hoping for reward, without seeking honor, without coveting material benefits, but only to rescue and safeguard all living beings. Garland Sutra 21 (Buddhism)
O you who believe, give of the good things which you have earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you, and do not aim at getting anything bad for the purpose of giving it away, when you would not take it for yourselves save with disdain… If you publish your almsgiving, it is well, but if you hide it and give it to the poor, it will be better for you, and will atone for some of your ill-deeds. God is Informed of what you do… [Alms are] for the poor who are straitened for the cause of God, who cannot travel in the land [for trade]. The unthinking man accounts them free from want because of their restraint. You shall know them by their mark: They do not beg of men with importunity. And whatever good things you give, surely God knows it. Qur’an 2.267-73
And in their wealth and possessions they remembered the right of those [needy] who asked and those who [for some reason] were prevented from asking. Qur’an 51.19
The highest degree of charity—above which there is no higher—is he who strengthens the hand of his poor fellow Jew and gives him a gift or [interest-free] loan or enters into a business partnership with the poor person. By this partnership the poor man is really being strengthened as the Torah commands in order to strengthen him till he is able to be independent and no longer dependent on the public purse. It is thus written, “Strengthen him [the poor person] so that he does not fall and become dependent on others” (Leviticus 25:35). A lower standard of charity is one in which the benefactor has no knowledge of the recipient and the latter has no knowledge of the individual source of charity—“giving in secret.” This is practicing the mitzvah of charity for the sake of the mitzvah.28 Such charity is like the courtyard in the [ancient] Temple where the righteous used to place their donations secretly and the poor would benefit from them in secret. Similar to this secret courtyard is the act of one who puts his money into the charity box. Below this rank is the case where the recipient is known to the benefactor but the latter is unaware of the source of the charity. This is what the sages used to do when they would go in secret and place their gifts at the door of the poor. It is fitting to do this and meritorious in those cases where the officials in charge of the communal charity do not behave righteously. Where the recipient is aware of the source of the charity but the giver does not know to whom the money is being given, the degree is lower. Yet, there is merit since the poor are saved from direct shame. Of less merit is charity where both are known to each other but the gift is made before the poor asks for it. Of lower degree is where one gives charity after being asked for it. Lower still is one who gives less than what is fitting but with good grace, and least of all is one who gives unwillingly. Maimonides, Mishneh Torah: The 8 Degrees of Charity (Judaism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
When you meet a poor person and give him alms out of sympathy, never say, “Hey, you are a young fellow who can work. What’s the matter with you?” I suggest you say to him, “Though it is but a small token, if you revere it highly you will receive many blessings in the future.”29 You can say this to everyone to whom you give alms. (127:89, May 5, 1983)
When you offer your substance to build the Kingdom of Heaven, do not think that you are offering what belongs to you; think that your offering already belongs to Heaven. Likewise, when you give to others, do not think that you are giving to them out of your own pocket. Give with the mind that it comes from the treasury of Heaven. The person receiving it will know your mind; thus he will recognize that he is actually receiving from God. Then God will take note and return it to you ten times over. (102:119-20, November 27, 1978)
The most excellent giving is to give generously to others although you yourself are in want. (Way of God’s Will 2.2)
Our mind urges our body to help the poor and sacrifice for others, even though we may be going through hardships of our own. (41:60, February 13, 1971)
It is said, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” If you lend ten thousand dollars to someone and then remember it with added interest, you cannot be an owner of the Kingdom of God. You should forget about the money you lent. When parents raise children, do they remember how much money they spent for their care? Do they tally up a bill and present it to their grown children, demanding payment with interest? No, a parent’s heart is to forgive and forget it all. Moreover, after forgetting what they have given, parents are anxious that they could not have given something better. (36:85, November 15, 1970)
When I was a student in Seoul, my home was outside the city, in Huk Suk Dong. For a nickel I could ride a streetcar to school. The ride took only a short time, while on foot the journey took over an hour. Every day I walked, in order to save that nickel to give to some needy person on the street. By the time I came home, the nickel was gone, not to the train conductor but to a needy person. (244:25, January 29, 1993)
I observed the beggars closely; there were many on the street by the Noryangjin Station and the Hwasin Department Store. As I walked, I would quickly distinguish the old ones from the young ones. I would not give to the young ones; I only gave to those who were handicapped, blind or elderly. Likewise when you give alms, give to those who truly need it. (50:308, November 8, 1971)
|