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Giving of your time to an organization that feeds and tries to improve them is the better way to go obviously.
Some of the responses on here are why I think the beggars actually serve a purpose and earn their money -- however they spend it. They sit outdoors in whatever weather, rain or shine and they get paid to make bleeding hearts feel good about themselves.
I see it often. Someone hands some guy on a corner a dollar and the rest of the day feels great about him/herself. The dollar doesn't accomplish anything because the next day the same guy is out there taking more dollars and making more bleeding hearts feel great about themselves.
Then you have the guy who brings food and volunteers at the local mission who invests not only money but himself.
And WHAT EXACTLY is WRONG with making people feel good about themselves???
I think many people "protest too much"........lol......and they're just stingy.
And WHAT EXACTLY is WRONG with making people feel good about themselves???
I think many people "protest too much"........lol......and they're just stingy.
Ever heard of rose-tinted glasses? The people tossing out money to homeless people just so they can feel better about themselves are doing just that...feeding their egos, just so they can say they did something good for the world today. Except...they didn't. They're just fueling the problem. Good intentions are nice, but they need intelligence and realism behind them to effective.
Also, you haven't responded to my reply to your post, where you grilled me about me volunteer activities.
I don't understand your statement "they are Buddhists wth them there has to be some sort of exchange."
I don't remember any stories about the Buddha having to have an "exchange" when people gave him things. Did I miss something?
The distinction is that buddha does not ask, beggars do.
I wasn't stating specifically that with Cambodians that they require an exchange because they are buddhists. I was making the observation that they are buddhists, and culturally it appears that they prefer the transaction to be mutual. However, if i were to give them something freely, without them asking, i am sure they would graciously accept, but would never 'beg'
I also noticed you selectively quoted only a part of my sentence lol.
And WHAT EXACTLY is WRONG with making people feel good about themselves???
I think many people "protest too much"........lol......and they're just stingy.
There may be more to the equation here. The donors want to become rich.
As the old saying goes: give $1 away and $3 will come back to you some form or another. We're talking giving without expecting anything back in return, though. If you expect a "return on your donation", then you forfeit the $3.
Ever heard of rose-tinted glasses? The people tossing out money to homeless people just so they can feel better about themselves are doing just that...feeding their egos, just so they can say they did something good for the world today. Except...they didn't. They're just fueling the problem. Good intentions are nice, but they need intelligence and realism behind them to effective.
Also, you haven't responded to my reply to your post, where you grilled me about me volunteer activities.
Didn't see your post about your volunteer activities. Sorry. I'll look for it. I support you 1000% for volunteering your services to help those less fortunate. We all do WHAT WE CAN. And we each have different abilities.
So let me ask you: Do you volunteer your time so you can feel good about yourself? Just a little?
Maybe if people could just stop with the judgment of others' MOTIVES for what they do, the world might be a better place for just a few minutes. Just because I choose to volunteer to help people who are dying, and give money to people I feel drawn to give money to on the streets doesn't mean I consider whatever volunteer work you do "less than" what I do, or better or worse than what I do.
Ever heard that saying, "different strokes for different folks"? Giving in any way you can is the important thing. And the key word is GIVE.....not to feel better about yourself, but to GIVE and totally let go of whatever you gave and move on.
There may be more to the equation here. The donors want to become rich.
As the old saying goes: give $1 away and $3 will come back to you some form or another. We're talking giving without expecting anything back in return, though. If you expect a "return on your donation", then you forfeit the $3.
Clearly you have not read my previous posts. I have tried to make the point in a number of posts in this thread that when you give something to someone else, what you gave does not belong to you any more and whatever that person does with, for example, any money you may have given is basically none of your business.
I also pointed out that what is important about GIVING is "non-attachment"......meaning non-attachment to what the person does with what you gave them as well as non-attachment in terms of expectations of any reward in return.
I have NEVER expected a "return on my donation"........if I give with my motive to GET SOMETHING BACK, then I haven't "given" anything at all.
The distinction is that buddha does not ask, beggars do.
I wasn't stating specifically that with Cambodians that they require an exchange because they are buddhists. I was making the observation that they are buddhists, and culturally it appears that they prefer the transaction to be mutual. However, if i were to give them something freely, without them asking, i am sure they would graciously accept, but would never 'beg'
I also noticed you selectively quoted only a part of my sentence lol.
I've been reading Buddhist philosophy for a number of years. I like Tibetan Buddhism, and I just never ran across ANYTHING which indicated that Buddhists require an exchange. Maybe it was just the way you wrote the sentence that gave me the impression you were making a connection between being Buddhist and requiring an "exchange"........rather than saying that in the Cambodian culture they require an exchange.
From what I've read in Buddhism, the act of giving is actually a practice in non-attachment. Whatever karma results is based on your real motive, the motive you might even hide from yourself. There is a non-attachment practice in which one gives away his/her most valuable possession.....not necessarily money, but if your most "valued possesion" is expensive, at some point on your path, a practice of non-attachment would be for you to be able to give that possession away WITHOUT REGRET and WITHOUT ATTACHMENT, and without expectation of a reward. It's a very hard practice in non-attachment an compassion.
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