What is Charity

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

"To be kind and loving is charity. To forget and forgive some harm done to you is charity. A kind word said to a suffering man is charity. Even a little meditation saves one from fear of death. Spiritual progress is not measured by Siddhis, or powers, but only by the depth of your bliss in meditation. " - Swami Sivananda

[FONT=Century Gothic]I am overwhelmed at the moment with organisations contacting me for financial assistance over the festive season in South Africa and even though I want to help them all, it is financially impossible for me to do so. And then I was reminded of these words by Swmiji and yes a kind word (read blessing) is just as charitable as money in the account. [/FONT]

[FONT=Century Gothic]Namaste,[/FONT]

#2

personally I give to no organizations. I saw a homeless man 3 weeks ago, I gave him a ride to the store and bought him food, he told me some of his story and I felt he was being honest so I gave him some money for him to stay in a shelter. Often times I will buy a book for people, because I believe through our conversations their heart has said there is a particular area to address, so I buy a book based on my observations, My aging father sits in crappy plastic chairs, so I bought him a comfortable rocking chair for his porch. My point is, what I do as far as charity is concerned is try to address specific needs and concerns for people based on my observation of their life situation. In this way I know the monetary amount is %100 percent to the person in need.

Does this mean I feel those organizations are worthless, no, I believe many kind hearted and well meaning people approach charity in the best way they seem fit. I am no one to judge right or wrong of others, this is just my preferred method
seeker

#3

Hi Tube,

I hear what you say, problem in Africa and particularly in South Africa is there is so many needy people (you saw a homeless man 3 weeks ago, I see between 10-20 of them on a daily basis) and animals. To give individualy is just impossible, so it is beter to work through organisations who are geared to address the most needy people or animals. Anyway my prefered way of contributing.

Africa is good for practicing compassion.

#4

personally, if I went there I would probably fall into a state of depression when I realized how ungrateful and greedy I am. What you speak of I have no personal insight into.
my best to you
seeker

#5

“[B]It’s the little things that count, because they are more spontaneous and show who you truly are[/B].” -[U]BOL[/U]

Helping another is really helping one’s self. Help yourself by doing what you can :), you aren’t expected to save the World.

#6

I connect with some of the examples that Seeker offered. I think considering the needs and comforts of others helps to elevate our offerings to something more than just the material item. It also nourishes us both on a deeper level like Spirittap offered. That said, we need to also remain dispassionate toward the outcome of giving to others. We just never know what God has in store for the things that we do (I like this very much).

My husband and I were recently traveling in Oaxaca, Mexico. And eating street foods didn’t always leave us with left-overs, but the more touristy places did. When we have left-overs, we package them up and give them to someone who is asking for handouts. We also order extra items to give out. We ask for a blessing for anyone who is going to share our dinner with us that night. This is just the [I]tiniest[/I] thing to do, but we do this wherever we travel. While on streets, I have noticed that giving food seems to connect us more as people than giving a few rupees, cents or pesos. But families and individuals still need financial resources, so when we give money, we give to organized groups that we have researched because I feel like our money has the best chance to help this way. Kiva.org - Loans that change lives is a wonderful organization for this type of giving.

lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu

#7

Oh, I wanted to add that some of the kindest “charity” that I have received is when a friend had made themselves completely available to me and listen so attentively as I talked through my troubles with them. I felt so loved by this.

#8

I really enjoyed reading all of the replies here. I particularly liked some of Tubeseeker’s ideas - especially at this time of year when it is difficult to know where one’s services or donations are needed the most. I live in a large metro area. Every year we drive into the city on a weekend to hand out new blankets, gloves and hats. Sadly, there are ALWAYS homeless men and women in the parks and elsewhere even though there are a fair amount of shelters in the area.

This year, however, I was delighted to assist with a holiday coalition in our county. More than 1200 families qualified. Each day at a specific time, one member of each family comes to a large warehouse where clothing, non-perishable food, toys, games and books are available to them. They are given a large shopping cart and escorted around by a volunteer who checks off a list of items each individual is permitted to take, according to the number of people in their family. I have to admit this was one of the most gratifying experiences I have ever had. These people are so grateful for everything. And when they leave, their carts are BRIMMING! A very humbling experience for me. I am hoping to have an opportunity to do it again this season.

#9

Dear All who replied,

Thanks for the thoughts and insights on this, I really appreciate it and as I have said in my original post starting this thread that Swamiji’s words reminded me that there are actually different kinds of charity and when one cannot give either financially or your time or whatever, we still have the power of the spoken word within us, we all have the innate creative power and seed of the Divine within, we just need to express it in order to make a difference.

I have made blessings part of my pre-meditation practice in the mornings over the past few days since posting this thread, blessing individuals, groups, people and animals who are ill or who are in a difficult situation at the moment and the results were to say the least remarkable and wonderous.

I think we all do what we can under our individual circumstances and as yogis we have the spiritual awareness to add a blessing to what we give, no matter what, in doing so we know that Spirit will direct our energy - in the form we have expressed it be it money, time, effort etc - to where it is really needed.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.