An essential concept in Mahayana Buddhism is the Six Paramitas, which can be translated as the “Six Perfections.” These include giving, discipline, patience, enthusiastic effort, meditation, and wisdom. With these, the practitioner walks their way towards freedom from conditions and can be of service to all beings.
As many of us are fortunate enough to have been given and to have received gifts during this holiday season, it’s nice to reflect on the nature of giving. Why do we give gifts? Why must we also receive them? And what does a gift symbolize?
In the case of the Six Perfections, giving is not necessarily implying a material exchange, but more so the generosity of extending ourselves to others. Of course, the tradition of giving a physical gift is simply an aspect of serving something outside of ourselves.
Thinking of the person we’re gifting to, finding the perfect gift, and taking our time to thoughtfully prepare the gift takes some energy. Therefore, the steps we take to give a thoughtful present are also a movement towards selflessness.
Giving (and receiving) is an opportunity to reveal our inherent interconnectedness. In my opinion, we give gifts to realize this truth. One of the three elements of giving – the giver, the receiver, and the gift – would not be without the other. Hence, their emptiness standing alone. At the same time, it becomes evident that the giver, receiver, nor the gift is better than the other because they are meaningless in isolation.
“Giving is an opportunity to reveal our inherent interconnectedness.”
Further, through our generosity, a hidden, fourth, element is revealed. The union of the prior three. That is when generosity is extended there’s an energy that flows into the space which could best be described as love. This is why the holiday season can be experienced as more joyful and bright than other times of the year. The spirit of giving is very present in the collective field.
This fourth element is what holds everything together. It is the interdependence itself and is revealed through the actions of receiving and giving. This is interesting because in some way we all benefit, or receive a gift, from an act of generosity. Not only the people directly involved, but anyone who witnesses or is told about the act of kindness.
So, again, generosity brings light into the collective field and its benefits extend far beyond the people immediately involved in the act. Why does this matter? Because it shows us the power of giving. Moreover, the gift is secondary. It means that it is not necessarily about the gift but more about the act of giving ourselves. Selfless service.
If we take this and spin it we see that we can give ourselves to our work, to a cause, to our family, to someone in need, to the moment, to nature, and many other ways. But what does it mean to give ourselves to something?
In my opinion, it requires transparency – humility, authenticity, and truthfulness – and a commitment to coming back to presence each moment we are engaged with the thing we give ourselves to. Then, how we live becomes an act of generosity. We give gifts and engage in acts of kindness at the right time, but more than that, all our actions are infused with generosity.
What I mean by this is that we are more and more living in service to others. Everywhere we go the field is infused with the fourth quality of giving because we bring it with us. We see the interconnectedness of the planet and know that we are not separate from it. This is the “perfection” of giving, as it was meant by the Buddha.
As we meet with our families, friends, and loved ones. As we exchange gifts of hugs, laughter, conversation, and physical material. As we extend ourselves to others who may need our support this holiday. May we remember why we give.
May we remember that the perfection of generosity is not something we need to strive for, but something that is naturally within us. May we let the spirit of giving flow into these holidays and the New Year. And may we feel the fourth element that helps us realize our interconnectedness.
Have a blessed holiday season.