Find out how the concept of the beggar’s gift reframes simple acts of kindness into transformative moments of moral and spiritual growth.
The basic concept behind the beggar’s gift is that when a person is in need, it gives us the opportunity to be better people.
Many people have a hard time thinking of themselves as “good” or “kind,” but it’s important to remember that kindness is a muscle that can be strengthened with practice. The only problem is most people haven’t been trained on how to use this muscle properly.
When someone directly asks us for help, such as a homeless person on the street or a neighbor who needs a favor, it’s an opportunity to exercise our kindness, compassion, and empathy.
Normally, we don’t take advantage of these opportunities to be generous in our daily lives. Perhaps we just don’t see them because we aren’t actively looking for them. So, when a situation presents itself, it can be a hidden blessing; in that moment, we are given the choice to be good and moral.
Walking through life with a more giving mindset can be rewarding on multiple levels. First, it reframes our current situation by teaching us to be more grateful, because many others can be less fortunate than us depending on the circumstances.
When we perform a good deed, we get to see with our own eyes the meaningful impact we are capable of having on others. In this way, kindness is a type of superpower that fills us with a deep sense of purpose. It proves we add value to the world. Self-esteem comes from doing esteemable acts, and kindness is almost always an esteemable act.
The Beggar’s Gift: A Moral and Spiritual Offering
One common practice among Buddhist monks is that they are not permitted to work for material gain, so instead they maintain their livelihoods through begging and asking for donations of food, money, or shelter. A big part of this practice is due to the Buddhist spiritual commitment to an ascetic life, which aims to minimize material attachments to wealth, luxury, and pleasure.
Another counter-intuitive aspect of this begging practice is that it serves to help others. According to Buddhist mythology, every good and bad deed influences the karma we accumulate in our current life, which determines how we will be born in the next life. Bad karma lowers consciousness to a level below human (being reborn as an animal or “hungry ghost”), while good karma raises consciousness to levels above human (being reborn as “demigods” or “devas”).
From a Buddhist perspective, when a monk begs someone for money or food, this allows the giver to accumulate good karma, which works toward a more favorable rebirth.
The act of giving alms to monks not only supports their ascetic lifestyle but also allows the giver to accumulate positive karma. In this way, the practice of begging becomes a mutual exchange that benefits both parties spiritually. This is the essence of the beggar’s gift. The giver is being helped even if they don’t realize it.
A Small Ripple Through the World
Our individual actions can often be more powerful than we realize.
One kind word or deed can completely change someone’s day, week, or even year. Life is hard for everyone, and we never know how much someone may be quietly suffering or feeling alienated. When we put in that extra effort to show someone we care, it can change a person’s world.
In addition, research shows that generosity can be contagious, creating a ripple effect of kindness when people perform good deeds. When we act kindly toward one person, they are much more likely to be kinder toward others in the future, and the cycle continues.
Healthy relationships and communities are based on the principle of reciprocity, or “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.”
While we never want to perform an act of kindness with the expectation of something in return, there is the golden rule to treat others the way we’d like to be treated. When being charitable, we hope that others would do the same for us if we found ourselves in a similar situation.
Ultimately, we have to try our best to create the world we want to live in, however small of a role we may play.
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