The Best Form of Donation

27/04/2018 Bangalore, India

What is donation?

To give people what they need is donation, not what you feel like giving. If you donate clothes to somebody who already has many clothes, it is of no use. Instead, give clothes to people who need clothes. Similarly, giving food to somebody who owns a restaurant is foolishness. Instead, give food to the hungry and clothes to people who need them. This is donation.

So, it is important to donate to people who need it, not to those who don’t need it. If you donate a cow to a poor man who can’t feed himself, how will he feed the cow? If you donate a dictionary to a man who is illiterate, what will he do with it? Only give to those who deserve it!

Click To Tweet This Article

Why must we donate?

People are ready to buy expensive clothes for themselves, and people are ready to spend a huge amount on their holidays, but they are not ready to give one cent to others for a service project. At least 3 percent of what we earn, we should keep aside for charity work. This converts the 97% percent of your earnings into good money.

If you want to use 100% on yourself, then that is no good! If the money needs to be pure, it can only be 97% or less of your earnings (laughs). You are free to use 97% on yourself, but 3 – 5%, you should keep aside for donation. This is because whatever you earn is never enough for yourself! You ask anyone, they all feel, "Oh, there's a shortage.” Everyone finds a shortage. So it is not wise to say, "First I will do everything for me and then I will donate to others." We have to do both. It is collective growth that we must aim for.

The best form of donation

Generosity, or sharing what we have with those around us, is a divine quality. There are different types of donations:

  • Food is the foundation of life. Hence, donating food is no doubt good. If you are not able to do it daily, then do it once in a while. You may donate food on your birthday, or in remembrance of your ancestors. That is why all these rules were instilled into our culture.  Especially in India, anna daanam (donation of food) has been there for ages.
     
  • Donating food is the best donation; donating knowledge is the best among the best kinds of donations. Food can satisfy one's hunger for a short time, but with knowledge, one can be satisfied lifelong.
     
  • Sharing knowledge of supreme consciousness or Divine is even more superior to that.

If you are not doing any donation, then do the basic first. Begin with the donation of food.

Subscribe

If you enjoyed reading this content and would like to receive a notification on our future updates, you can subscribe here.

Enter your email address:


You can also write to us on webteam.wisdom@artofliving.org for any questions or comments.

Explore your potential

Here is the transcript of what Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said at the Youth Meet on 7th November 2017 at Chitkara University

READ MORE

 

Read earlier posts

  • September 23, 2019

    September 23, 2019
  • September 23, 2019

    September 23, 2019
  • September 23, 2019

    September 23, 2019
  • September 23, 2019

    7 Steps to Cope with Frustration

    November 23, 2018
    • In life you will have 101 reasons to get frustrated. However it is up to you keep the enthusiasm alive without allowing the frustration to seep in. Here are some pointers to help you keep frustration at bay.
  • May 1, 2018

    The Best Form of Donation

    April 28, 2018
    • It is important to donate at least 3 percent of what we earn - says Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. In this article he further talks about the best form of donation
  • Is Buddhism a Part of Hinduism

    April 25, 2018
    • It is often asked - Is Buddhism a part of Hinduism? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar sheds light on the origin and similarity between the two religions

    The 5 Types of People

    April 23, 2018
    • A must read: There are 5 types of people in society - find out which type are you in this knowledge sheet by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

CONNECT WITH GURUDEV

THE GURUDEV APP

Read wisdom from Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Blog, Facebook, Twitter and Live Talks.

IPHONE | ANDROID

Subscribe to wisdom updates