One of the hardest things for a young child to learn, or even for you or me, is to share. It’s a foundation for the Bodhisattva Way. Do not be stingy with the dharma assets. This refers to far more than material possessions or money, though these are included when appropriate. Dharma assets are everything in life, every moment is a potential dharma gate. A gate that opens when our Dharma eye is open to its potential, its full life.
To be available to lend a hand, to listen, to notice and offer whatever assistance is needed is our Way. And this means paying attention with an open heart. Stingy is a feeling in the body, a crink in the heartmind. We know it when it’s happening. Our practice with this precept is offering what is needed, receiving what is offered, using ordinary or challenging circumstance to benefit the many concerned. Practicing with the sangha, meditation, and precepts diligently, we realize that the clearer we are, the more settled we are in our own hearts, the more we can live generously and joyfully.
