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To be a
channel
for the higher power
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When man is aware of the divine part in him, he seeks to keep his awareness alive by
linking himself to a higher source. This link can be maintained by allowing himself to
become a channel through which Divine Love can flow and reach others. By giving love, man
will be nourished with and purified by love. Almsgiving is the practical level of this
kind of spiritual flow. In almsgiving the act of giving is at the same time the act of
receiving.
The Ancient Egyptians beliefs, Taoism,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism,Christianity, and Islam encourage compassion, love and sharing
among men. They use different terms to express this essential relationship and stimulate
man's awareness of the others' needs by different means. However, they all aim at
supporting man in his struggle against the egoistic tendency in order to be open to the
Supreme Power's grace. |
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The Ancient Egyptians: : The Ancient Egyptians' civilization is based on the denial
of individuality and the emphasis on the whole. An individual was viewed as part of the
whole community, humanity and nature. The act of "sharing" and supporting
others was known to provide an individual with great pleasure. Agriculture, a major
activity for ancient Egyptians played a major role in bringing out those values in
individuals. The nature of agriculture imposed a certain life style where every one needed
help and team spirit was essential for success. The ancient Egyptians worked together
spontaneously and with love and devotion. In such a society, caring for others, sympathy
with the poor and the weak was part of the norms and ethics. Hathor is a symbol of natural
sympathy that was greatly appreciated. Divine love was expressed in the
sympathy that should enrich man's heart. Nature, therefore is personified as a feminine
principle because it provided love and care. It set an example to human beings for
behaving towards each others. . |
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Taoism: High moral is the main way to attain balance between yin and yang
and to be in harmony with Tao. Love is a flow that spring from the heart of a balanced
personality. Love does not recognize "you", and "me", it transcends
the manifested diversity to the real unity. So one cannot enjoy life that is full of
misery and unhappiness. It is a natural and spontaneous act to help the needy and support
the poor. |
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In Hinduism man is a channel for manifesting Divine love through offering gift and charity
to whoever needs them. This is one way of purification. He is purified through the
unconditional love where he is in a state of complete surrender to the higher and complete
awareness that he is not the giver but it is God who gives. That is very clear in the
Gita. Moreover, he addresses the Divine in those whom he gives. What matters is not the
amount or quality of things offered. What matters is the purity of the heart that is
expressing love to all. In the Gita we read:
Whosoever offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, that
offering of love, of the pure of heart I accept. (Gita: 9: 26)`
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In Buddhism, man is guided to be a channel of love by giving True Offering. It is one that
"is given with pleasure, forgetting oneself as the giver, the one who receives it and
the gift itself." (TB: p. 336). True Offering purifies man from selfishness. It must
be unconditioned:
…he must never abandon the disposition of charity toward all beings
(GB: 47:
10)
Teaching of Buddha clarifies that a "true offering comes from a sympathetic
heart before any request is made, and a True Offering is the one that gives not
occasionally but constantly. Neither is it a True Offering if after the act there are
feelings of regret or of self-praise". (TB: p.334).
"True offering springs spontaneously from one's pure compassionate heart
with no thought of any return, wishing to enter into a life of Enlightenment
together." (TB: p. 336)
When man supports others, helps them and offers them what they need, he establishes a
foundation that will grow and flourish. Man sometimes is sacrificing his whole life to
save another. He does not lose real life then. He attains it.
"Offering and keeping Precepts make the foundation necessary to build a
great castle on"(TB: p. 334)
True Offering is not necessarily money. It could be physical labor, compassion, or even
a warm glance to others, which will give them tranquility, a smile, or warm words. It
could be offering one's seat to another, or giving shelter to others.
When man is purified from greed, lust jealousy, envy and selfishness he attains truth;
he becomes himself truth, and hence he experiences "a great peacefulness when
everyone is happy and contented, and then one can have equal feelings toward everybody".(TB: p. 340)
True offering reflects spiritual purity and helps
spiritual growth. |
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In the Holy Bible, when man feels the Divine Love he becomes himself a channel conveying
that love to the needy. In the Old Testament Moses reminds his people of the attributes of
the Supreme Power, God, their Lord "Who regardeth not persons, nor taketh
reward.He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger,
in giving him food and raiment. ; (De:10: 17,18)
God gives through those people
who surrender to Him and His will is taking place in the world through them. In Jewish
Tradition, therefore, "the Law made provision for the poor and imposed
restrictions on a farmer's unbridled greed" (Oxford Dictionary of the Bible):
But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy
people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou
shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. (Ex:23:11)
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners
of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
Le:19:10: And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every
grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your
God. (Le:19:9-10)
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In the New Testament Jesus was himself a manifestation of all Divine
Love. He guided his disciples to feel how much the Father loved them. God's love spreads
and felts when man opens his heart to his fellow man.
He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that has none; and this that hath
meat, let him do likewise" (Lu:3:11) "But when thou makest a feast, call the
poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind (Lu:14:13).
Those who follow Jesus are not attached to any material objects; they should free
themselves from their egos. They would give up anything they have to the needy
Jesus
said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." (M't:19:21)
It is compassion rather than the feeling of superiority that should overwhelm the soul
of the giver.
Take heed that ye do not do your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise
ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (M't:6:1,2)
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In Islam man, spiritually speaking, does not own anything, he is given
everything, even his own life as a debt from God. Almsgiving is a reminder of this fact
and it is a kind of purification for every other thing he has. It is also as in the other
Revelations an expression of attaching oneself to God through being a channel for His
mercy and support to others who are less fortunate in their worldly life. It is remarkable
that whenever prayer is mentioned, almsgiving Zakah is followed in Koran. The
reason is that both prayer and almsgiving are related. When man is attached to the Higher
Source he feels that what he gives is not his, it is the "right" of others. In
so doing he attaches himself to the higher source. Koran describes those who has that
feeling:
In whose wealth is a recognized right For the (needy) who asks and him who is
deprived (HQ: 70: 24, 25) (Ali Yusuf with interference)
In Islamic teachings, almsgiving Zakah is the religious practice that gives the
man the chance to be purified through doing a divine duty to the whole society. Islamic
teaching puts a 1/25 percent of man's sum of money that is saved for a year to be given to
the needy. As for people whose life depends on agriculture, they have to give
tenth of their harvested crop to the poor if they depend on rain and 1/20 of the harvested
crop if they irrigate their land.
It is He Who produceth gardens, with trellises and without, and dates, and tilth
with produce of all kinds, and olives and pomegranates, similar (in kind) and different
(in variety): eat of their fruit in their season, but render the dues that are proper on
the day that the harvest is gathered. But waste not by excess: for Allah loveth not the
wasters.(HQ:6:141)
To be a channel to the higher power is not limited to giving money, every act that emerge
out of love, compassion, and sympathy expose man to God's bless. "Good word is
considered a gift ". "To take away a stone out of passengers way
is counted as charity" (Sayings of the Prophet).
"A kind word with forgiveness is better than almsgiving followed by injury.
Allah is absolute, Clement" (K 2:263).
The teaching puts a minimum contribution of man's side to his fellow brethren as a symbol
for responsibility, yet almsgiving is unlimited and encouraged in the Islamic teachings.
The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that
of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and each ear hath a hundred grains. Allah
giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: and Allah careth for all and He knoweth all
things.(HQ:2:261)
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Conclusion:
In all religions, people are encouraged to support each other. In Islam, man was not
left to his own choice, Zakat (almsgiving) is an essential part in the
Muslim behavior. The percentage assigned, whether, it is related to the money or the crop
that is harvested are considered as rights that should be paid to the community.
However, charity is greatly encouraged. The least a person can do for the good of others
is highly appreciated such as removing any dirt from the road that might hurt or endanger
passenger. Prophet Muhammad encourages people to share anything, however small, together.
He tells his Companions, "give anything as charity even a piece of date".
In Islam there is a continuous reminder of opening oneself to be a channel for the higher
source to reach the needy, on all levels physically and morally. |
