The Practice of Generosity
Generosity - dana in Pali, the scriptural language of Theravada Buddhism - is a foundational and essential spiritual practice in our tradition. Without the enlivening and liberating experience of generosity, our lives remain limited by our self-centered views, fears, and greed. The Buddha understood that generosity was a trustworthy medicine for our burdened hearts. He said that if we knew what he knew about generosity, we would not let a meal go by without sharing.
Generosity can seem like a heavy duty. It is common for us to swing from feeling guilty for being too stingy to feeling taken advantage of for having given. Because our experiences with generosity often come with doubt, fear, and regret we rarely bring a close and wise attention to the process of freely giving and receiving, and so never uncover the healing and liberating effects of these actions.
Are we interested enough to begin exploring how generous intentions can change our lives? Instead of looking for a dramatic big step, we can consider many, many small acts of generosity. Let’s commit to stepping beyond our limited, tight, and stingy views to see what comes from it.
-Mark Nunberg, Co-Guiding Teacher of Common Ground.
How we practice generosity at Common Ground
Continuing in the tradition of Buddhist monasteries in Southeast Asia, all programs at Common Ground are offered free of charge in the spirit of generosity. This offering is possible because of the generosity of people like you — from the Buddha on down to all the people in our community today —who contribute their practice, time, and financial resources to support the continuation of the center.
