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December 5, 2024 The Essential Practice of Giving    As we enter what for many people is a season of giving, it’s a good time to examine the core practice of dana, the Sanskrit word for giving, or generosity. Dana is a foundational Buddhist outlook and perspective, listed first among the ten paramis (Pali; Skt.: paramita), which are perfections to develop on the path to awakening. When we give, we give up attachment, the root of suffering. Of course, we might have mixed motives when we give, and this is why we must also try to establish pure intentions. One route to genuine generosity is to start with gratitude. As writer and lay dharma teacher Sallie Jiko Tisdale says:   Gratitude, the simple and profound feeling of being thankful, is the foundation of all generosity. I am generous when I believe that right now, right here, in this form and this place, I am myself being given what I need. Generosity requires that we relinquish something, and this is impossible if we are not glad for what we have. Otherwise the giving hand closes into a fist and won’t let go. Citing the nature that surrounds and gives to us every day—flowers, trees, birds at dawn—Tisdale reminds us that generosity born of abundance is natural, while clinging to what we have is forced. This week’s Three Teachings offers three perspectives on the essential practice of giving. Forward today's teachings to a friend » Support Tricycle with an End-of-Year Gift   To sustain Tricycle’s mission in 2025 and beyond, we hope you’ll consider making an end-of-year gift. Donate $30 or more and receive a FREE e-book full of teachings on generosity!   Donate today » As If There Is Nothing to Lose By Sallie Jiko Tisdale In a personal reflection, writer and lay dharma teacher Sallie Jiko Tisdale shows us how giving comes from gratitude.  Read more » Rich Generosity By Master Sheng Yen  In his 2008 book The Method of No-Method: The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination, Chan Master Sheng Yen (1930–2009) reminds us that we don’t necessarily lose something when we give. Speaking about sharing the dharma, he writes, “When out of gratitude we use our candle to light other people’s candles, the whole room gets brighter.” Read more » The Dance of Reciprocity By Melinda Bondy Former Zen nun Melinda Bondy says as we learn to give, we must also learn to receive. “In the end, it’s not so important who gives and who receives. What matters is what takes us beyond our separation.” Read more »