The Joy of Selfless Giving

Pei Fuen graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2002. She has since worked in various organisations as Social Worker, youth worker, research assistant and administrator. Currently, she is practising meditation full-time with Sayalay Dipankara at Brahma Vihari Meditation Centre in Myanmar.

By Ng Pei Fuen

The Lord Buddha is our best teacher in selfless giving. In the numerous lives before he attained full enlightenment as a Buddha, he had undertaken the practice of the ten perfections, out of which generosity was the first. He had opened full granaries for all and sundry to take freely whatever amount they desired. Time and again he relinquished his wealth and had even given up those dearest to him - his wife, children, body parts, and his life in some cases.

When I reflect upon the way the Buddha had practised as a Bodhisatta, great joy arises in my mind, and I feel truly inspired to emulate our unequalled Teacher in any small little ways possible.

Sometimes I get caught up in the details of the giving, debating within on the mode that it should be given, the quality of the object, who the recipients are, and so on. Sometimes I am unhappy when things do not turn out the way I envisioned them. But gradually I began to understand that giving is for abandoning, for relinquishing, for becoming unburdened and unfettered, so that the mind becomes simpler, softer and more conducive for receiving the precious Dhamma.

And the best thing that comes along with abandoning attachment to material possessions is that we naturally start to look inwards. That gentle, uplifting joy that arises from a beautiful act of giving can support tranquility of mind, which in turn supports the arising of wisdom, the clear penetration of reality to make an end of all confusion and suffering states.

When we look further, beyond the act and objects of giving and remember that we are heading towards a bigger and nobler goal, then the initial clumsy, grasping and self-motivated giving slowly fades into the background and we begin to experience more and more, the simple joy of that comes with having lesser of the 'self'.

The wholesome and beautiful qualities will take root firmly in our hearts and if we practise consistently in this way, we will one day be closer to perfection than we ever thought possible!