What’s in it for me? Our natural human tendency is to take, to grasp, to cling. If you can give though, there is hope, spiritually speaking. Generosity is an attitude of heart and of mind, an attitude of one’s whole being.
Sangharakshita describes the altruistic aspect of the Bodhisattva and the reconciliation of the apparent antithesis between the interests of others and of self by practising the first two of the six Perfections: dana (giving) and shila (ethics or 'uprightness').
From the talk entitled Altruism and Individualism in the Spiritual Life given as part of the series Aspects of the Bodhisattva Ideal, 1969.
***
Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma
FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook