Charity and sacrifice why and how

By undertaking pilgrimage to holy places and participating in ‘Satsangas’ (congregations) one leads towards charity, individually, combined or by some other way which is very much desired for the needy and down-trodden for their upliftment. Pilgrimage without imbibing virtues will remain and mean only some distance covered and journey undertaken without purpose. No doubt holy places give refuge to the weary souls, make us humble and help in enhancing our spirituality. Charity is an act of great sacrifice, graciousness, piousness, nobleness, compassion, forgiveness and one of the virtuous qualities for absolving one’s adversities. One who gives charity feels the pinch of problems of others as his/ her own. Happiness and grace multiplies by sharing with others.

One should not accept charity from atheists and those having sense gratification for the purpose of maintaining sanctity. Some of these charities are compassion, land donation, material charity, charity of cow, charity of maiden, donation of limbs after death, education, charity for peace and charity for food which is the most pious service to the poor and needy. In fact charity given to a needy person for education is a permanent one as it removes one’s ignorance. Knowledge and wealth are God’s gifts which must be shared with others to enjoy and fructify. Charity of education is given in secrecy as education and intellect cannot be stolen, being hidden treasures, and is helpful even when one does not possess money. An educated and learned person does not possess destitute qualities and he is not an encumber on earth. Some prefer secret charity without revealing their names, as they believe that their left hand should not know what the right one gives.

Blood donation to save some one’s life is also a supreme act in the service of mankind. For the infertile couple the donors of eggs and sperms can help in conceiving and giving new lease of life to the dismayed and emotionally shattered people. Those who have absolutely nothing to give can at least devote their precious time for the benefit of the needy. With charity of love which is instilled in us by the parents, saints and erudites by drenching us with nectar of love we can inculcate brotherhood and friendship towards all irrespective of caste, creed, colour, sex, religion and underprivileged etc. and reinstate them into the main stream of life otherwise they will be alienated from mankind and society. This also gives them emotional support. In short, charity is nothing but service to the needy. It is marvelous act and the donor is placed in heaven on this earth itself.

We should contribute and share our possessions with others as the trees, rivers, seas and mountains do without discrimination. Charity is a trust, which should not be considered in terms of cash or kind in quantity. Even the road does service by leading us to our desired destination without expecting any reward . Unfortunately, we share our grief with others but not our comforts and possessions. God is ’Giver’ Who always fills our treasures with His bounties and marvels. His treasures are full upto the brim. He takes care even of the tiniest creature. By giving away in charity it dissipates and checkmates our craze for amassing unnecessary wealth and helps in preventing many discomforts and vices of our life. It also stops allurement of unworthy ambitions and wants.

Learn that the whole life is giving, that nature will force you to give. So, give willingly. Sooner or later you will have to give up. Besides the attitude of giving leads to spiritual progress whereas those of taking to a great fall. It is believed that charity or donations sanctify the earnings of the donor. Thus one elevates one’s soul and gets salvation. It is also said that God manifests in different forms before His arch devotee, like food for the famished and consolation for the helpless etc.

Charity given with pomp and show stains its true purpose. The purity of hands is based on the charity given and shared through them with generosity. What we give to the poor, in fact we give back to Lord due to His grace. We are giving this gift of God to the weak, unhealthy, illiterate or broken-hearted, inferior and suppressed. We get satisfaction and Lord’s blessings only when it reaches the real needy otherwise its purpose is lost in case the receiver becomes dependent for ever and does not try to stand on his / her own feet.

A renowned diplomat and author of Artha Shastra, Acharya Chanakya (Prime Minister of Chandra Gupta Maurya), had rightly said that we should remain within our limits even while giving charity otherwise our stocks will dwindle and we will be left with nothing except worries.

It is proved beyond doubt that one who gives in charity without expecting anything in return is benefited in health and long life. Such persons remain free from blood pressure, heart disease etc. and get peace of mind due to God’s grace and blessings of the receivers and also due to their changed positive attitude towards life. The giver also gets contentment. Such a giver never tires in his virtuous actions and his treasures never exhaust but are always replenished by the Supreme Lord in a mysterious way. Also we should give as one lamp lights up many other lamps (for removing ignorance) without losing its own light. Charity is also like an intellect, the more we use the more it sharpens, strengthens and breeds. Charity is a penance for inner purification. It is the way to God realization.

Shadows

710 words

The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort.

To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspect of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for self-knowledge, and it therefore as a rule meet with considerable resistance. These shadows are repressed elements of the personality which we choose not to be identified with.

..Carl Jung

Shadows lurk in the deep recesses of the psyche. It is buried in the heart, in the mind; it is part of us. It follows us, it frightens us, and they come to us in different ways, but always, fits our lifestyle, our beliefs or therof. The shadow is not a mere concept or a matter of perception. It is very real!

Just as there is light, there is also darkness. Is it possible to deny the shadow element? It is usually the worst side of the person. The courageous person may have a cowardly shadow. The kind, gentle and caring person may have a cruel side hiding behind all that softness. Even among the most benevolent, the most

respected personalities and leaders in every field of endeavor, part of their shadow element peeks through their eloquence and their elegance.

Do they really know themselves, or having denied their shadow element, they find their views, their words and their actions in conflict. This is not intentional - the internal shadow conflicts they fail to deal with come to surface at the worst moment.

Is it possible to ignore or avoid the shadow? Some call it demons that stick around every dark corner, every perilous turn, in every struggle and conflict. When we are at the lowest point in our lives, shadows haunt us.

It is that part of ourselves that we leave in the closet as we face our public and put our best foot forward. Hide them, deny them, suppress them, would they just vanish?

These actions may end up attracting these shadows into our lives in other ways.

Do shadows impact on our lives? Do they mean anything? Shadows come in many forms. They can come as temptations, obsessions, addictions, co-dependency and other forms of indulgence. Shadows appear in the darkness cloaked in fear; shake us at our core.

Shadows also show as projections. It can be a dislike of certain traits in people, unjustified and unexplainable. We don’t like what we see perhaps it mirrors part of us that we choose to ignore or may not even be aware of.

Are you comfortable with your friends? If not, ask yourself, why do you hang out with them? Do you judge them harshly? If so, why do you share your precious time with them?

Do you tend to make a compromise that you can not meet? What about the times you get angry at the slightest provocation at times by the same person.

There are times we look for our shadows in the face of other people. We even attract them into our lives. Buried deep, these shadows may drive us to places we dare not go.

Pundits would say it is not wise to deny the shadow element. They believe the only way is to confront it, deal with it and work through the conflicts it creates.

Each one has their personal demons to deal with and to face, otherwise, it follows us in less conscious ways. There are lessons from the shadow element. To become aware of it, we need to go deeper into ourselves, be all that we can be, assuredly.

We can take the good. Work with the bad, see the light, face the darkness without fear. Go deep within; let the fears and insecurities buried deep within surface. Confront the anger seething under the skin.

We are not perfect. No matter how many dark clouds hover above us, no matter how long the dark night is, light will surely come. These dark nights offer a chance to enrich and nourish our spirit, our soul and our lives. It helps us to align ourselves with our highest purpose.

By striving for greater balance, endurance and perspective, we generate more personal power and strength.

END