Generosity can be a very confusing, complex concept in society.We could be guilted into giving - "You have so much, and they have so little - if you don't give, then you're just selfish and privileged."We could be giving to save face - "If I don't do this favour for them, what will they think of me?"We could be giving out of pity - "These poor people have such sad lives - the least I can do is give them something..."We could be giving out of other various negative intentions or emotions. It might not feel good because there can sometimes be a sense of reluctance or the feeling that we've been pressured into giving when we don't really want to.In this episode, Khema (@khema.1) and Nalanda (@nalanda.jakjan) discuss generosity and how they view and practice giving, following the guidelines given by the Buddha, which makes it a straightforward and uplifting act for the mind 🤲✨💖Timestamps  (0:51) - Motivation for the episode (01:38) - Generosity in mainstream culture (02:21) - Feeling pressured to give (04:32) - Pressuring people to give (12:11) - Suspecting that you’re giving to a scammer (15:32) - Giving can be complex (16:15) - Do your research before giving (17:51) - Giving to ‘save face’ (20:51) - It's not worth giving if you have break sila to do it (21:31) - Giving to preserve harmony (22:10) - Buddhism provides a clear guideline for giving (23:01) - Give where you feel inspired (23:49) - Giving out of pity vs compassion (25:20) - Give at your capacity and with equanimity(27:16) - Generosity as a practice, not an obligation (27:55) - Equality/ eradication of poverty is just a lofty ideal (30:01) - Status of giving in society is degraded (30:55) - Types of gifts (31:20) - Purity of the giver and receiver (32:20) - Giving encouragement (33:26) - There are many opportunities to give (34:07) - Hilarious stories of bogus monks, haha (38:26) - Knowing how to judge (39:07) - Generosity as a way to uplift your mind (40:31) - Giving with expectation of something in return (41:46) - Gift-giving - 'troublesome' cultural ritual?(42:57) - Intrinsically motivated to give (43:39) - Marie Kondo it - "does it spark joy?" ✨References:The Economy of Gifts by Ajahn Thanissaro MN 142 Dakkhiṇāvibhaṅgasutta: The analysis of religious donations Divine Abidings and their perfection (Brahma-vihara) [Info on near and far enemies] Three (not four - sorry!) types of giving - The Perfection of Giving by Acariya Dhammapala Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/uawake_podcastDM us if you have questions, comments or a topic you want us to talk about!This episode was recorded in 2022.For any words said negligently or that may have caused offence, we ask the listener’s forgiveness and take full responsibility.

Music: 'Storybook' by Lukrembo⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV2TzLUxZ3k⁠License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0