How much is enough (charity)? (church, bible, Christian, principle)
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yes i agree with bold above.
however to say as opening post did that helping others must benefit your own self, is itself an act of selfishness and greed. quite simply it is the selfish mindset of not helping others unless you get something out of it.
also kindness, dignity, love, respect, regard, helping others, those are not "measurable."
so still wondering why view expressed in the opening post insists that helping others "must be measurable?"
Blind handouts may cause more harm, than good, as donator never knows. From the kindness of your heart, you give a panhandler 5 bucks, he goes gets high and kills someone. Happens. Cruel example, but how many times have we seen stories, when society put its soul into helping someone and grew a murderer?
Also, I hate to do this to you, my dear Tzaphkiel, the Leader of Erelim, but a lot of charity is pride. I strongly, very strongly encourage everyone, interested in this topic, to read up on what OSHO said about dogooders.
True charity is not giving. True charity is educating. Raring the entire country so that its citizens become self conscious and then, they simply can not do any wrong and, really do not need any charity. Of course, such a country will be destroyed by its good willing neighbors way before it achieves such goal.
Blind handouts may cause more harm, than good, as donator never knows. From the kindness of your heart, you give a panhandler 5 bucks, he goes gets high and kills someone. Happens. Cruel example, but how many times have we seen stories, when society put its soul into helping someone and grew a murderer?
Also, I hate to do this to you, my dear Tzaphkiel, the Leader of Erelim, but a lot of charity is pride. I strongly, very strongly encourage everyone, interested in this topic, to read up on what OSHO said about dogooders.
True charity is not giving. True charity is educating. Raring the entire country so that its citizens become self conscious and then, they simply can not do any wrong and, really do not need any charity. Of course, such a country will be destroyed by its good willing neighbors way before it achieves such goal.
Several times here in the States when I would give a beggar $$, they would walk right into a 7/11 and buy beer.
You go to work everyday buying stuff driving a car, you are already giving a great amount in taxes and red tape. They take your money and chairably give to somebody else.
Now, two more diseases, two more complexes, two more illusions. We discussed three in the night: mind, lust for life, and desiring. Now the fourth is sattva – it means virtue. It means an inner accumulation of being good. This feeling of being good is also a disease – for so many reasons. One is: you cannot feel you are good, unless you feel others are bad. Mm? that’s impossible. You cannot feel you are good unless you feel others are bad, and the feeling that others are bad is a disease; the feeling of good is just a relative term. So a person who wants to feel good is bound to condemn others as bad; and the more you condemn others as bad, the more you can feel you are good. So these so-called good men go on condemning everyone.
Bertrand Russell has criticized Jesus for this reason. He says, “Everything is divine, everything looks holy, except one thing: why Jesus condemns the sinners so much – that they should be thrown into hell, and they should be condemned? Jesus cannot feel good unless he condemns.” I don’t think that Jesus ever condemned – a person like Jesus cannot condemn. The condemnation has come through the tradition; it is really St. Paul who speaks through Jesus, and he is one of the most deeply involved personalities who feels himself to be good. But whosoever it may be – whether Jesus says so, or St. Paul puts is in Jesus’ mouth – the criticism is valid. A good man can never be good if he is condemning others as bad, but you can never feel good unless you condemn.So a good man must be unaware of his goodness; only then it is not a disease. He must not be aware at all that he is good; only then is he not aware that others are bad. No religion other than Hinduism has condemned even goodness – even goodness becomes a sin, because it is ego-strengthening. It feeds your ego – of course with very pure food. But sometimes poisons can also be pure, so purity in itself is not something to be hailed. Poisons can also be pure, and when the ego becomes strengthened by purity, by virtue, by being good, it is pure poison – it is dangerous. That’s why you can never feel at ease with any so-called good man. Around him there is always restlessness; no one can feel at ease. and unless you can feel at ease, the man is not good, not good at all.
So the true charity, the pure one, is the one, that is done, as a natural inclination, without any attachment to it, without any thought of it and definitely without any thought of the others. It is like breathing. You breath and you do not even notice it. You have to concentrate on it, to notice it. If you do not, it is simply living. We never really pay attention to how we "live", mmm? Organs function, muscles act, body moves, life goes on, all this is naturally unnoticed.
So is true charity. The very moment you notice it - a worm of sattiva, virtuous pride, enters your heart. Oh, I am such a great benefactor to someone/humanity. Mmm?
So what is this thread about?
I'm feeling very sorry for somebody's "old man" right now, if there even is one.
And, here's an example.
" I feel very sorry for someone".
To feel sorry for someone, you must feel higher of yourself, mmm? It can't be any other way, as, otherwise, you do not feel sorry for....
And this is the sin of pride.
So the true charity, the pure one, is the one, that is done, as a natural inclination, without any attachment to it, without any thought of it and definitely without any thought of the others. It is like breathing. You breath and you do not even notice it. You have to concentrate on it, to notice it. If you do not, it is simply living. We never really pay attention to how we "live", mmm? Organs function, muscles act, body moves, life goes on, all this is naturally unnoticed.
So is true charity. The very moment you notice it - a worm of sattiva, virtuous pride, enters your heart. Oh, I am such a great benefactor to someone/humanity. Mmm?
So what is this thread about?
and when giving x% of income becomes automatic then it is as natural as described above.
it is simply living and yes like breathing.
no, not as a "great benefactor" but as a requirement and as an obligation, just like eating food and drinking water and sleeping and grocery shopping and paying the rent. are requirements and a simple part of daily life.
My reasons, my feelings, my intentions, my sincerity,...
Are irrelevant!
Charity is always good.
The widow or orphan will not care why they were helped.
They will be greatful.
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