Real Charity

布施

You perform real charity if you can give freely without expecting anything in return.

无所求的布施，才是真的布施。

The essence of true charity is to give something without expecting anything in return for the gift. If a person expects some material benefit to arise from his gift, he is only performing an act of bartering and not charity. A charitable person should not make other people feel indebted to him or use charity as a way of exercising control over them. He should not even expect others to be grateful, for most people are forgetful though not necessarily ungrateful. The act of true charity is wholesome, has no strings attached, and leaves both the giver and the recipient free.

The meritorious deed of charity is highly praised by every religion. Those who have enough to maintain themselves should think of others and extend their generosity deserving cases. Among people who practise charity, there are some who give as a means of attracting others into their religion or creed. Such an act of giving which is performed with the ulterior motive of conversion cannot really be said to be true charity.

真正的布施是不要求任何回报的。如果企望有所回报，就不是布施而是交易了。一个人布施后，而萌起控制受施者或受施团体，是一种不正确的行为。布施，不要企望别人的感激，即使人类是善忘的，他们也一定会感激你的布施。真的布施，是不企望任何物质的回报，布施者和受施者，同样的不需要为布施而承担任何义务。

佛教的布施，是一种崇高的道德意义，布施让人接受和理解慷慨的真正意义。有些人的布施是为了宗教的理由或信条，这种不正确的动机，不是真正的布施。

The Buddhism views charity as an act to reduce personal greed which is an unwholesome mental state which hinders spiritual progress. A person who is on his way to spiritual growth must try to reduce his own selfishness and his strong desire for acquiring more and more. He should reduce his strong attachment to possessions which, if he is not mindful, can enslave him to greed. What he owns or has should instead be used for the benefit and happiness of others: his loved ones as well as those who need his help.

佛教的布施是抑制个人对物质的贪着，从而获得对心灵修养的进展。一个人如果想获得心灵的进展，就必须无我的布施，如果他有强烈的回报欲望，就无法生起正念，导致他更加的贪婪。一个人应该经常伸出援手，协助那些需要帮助的人，令他们获得利益，令他们快乐。

When giving, a person should not perform charity as an act of his body alone, but with his heart and mind as well. There must be joy in every act of giving. A distinction can be made between giving as a normal act of generosity and dana. In the normal act of generosity a person gives out of compassion and kindness when he realizes that someone else is in need of help, and he is in the position to offer the help. When a person performs dana, he gives as a means of cultivating charity as a virtue and of reducing his own selfishness and craving. He exercises wisdom when he recalls that dana is a very important quality to be practised by every Buddhist, and is the first perfection (paramita) practised by the Buddha in many of His previous births in search for Enlightenment. A person performs dana in appreciation of the great qualities and virtues of the Triple Gem.

当一个人在布施时，不仅仅是「身」的行动，「心」和「意」也一起行动，因此带来的是真正的快乐。慷慨和布施将令一个人获得提升。一个慷慨的人，以慈悲心对那些需要帮助的人伸出援手，他就是在布施。当一个人在布施时，生起的慈悲和善心，足够控制自己的自私和贪着。布施能生起智慧，布施是佛教最重要的修行，因此也成为第一巴拉密(pàramã)，是佛陀在许多过去世中，寻求圆满觉悟的重要法门之一。一个人常做布施行，能获得自我的提升和三宝的护持。

There are many things which a person can give. He can give material things: food for the hungry, and money and clothes to the poor. He can also give his knowledge, skill, time, energy or effort to projects that can benefit others. He can provide a sympathetic ear and good counsel to a friend in trouble. He can restrain himself from killing other beings, and by so doing perform a gift of life to the helpless beings which would have otherwise been killed. He can also give a part of his body for the sake of others, such as donating his blood, eyes, kidney, etc. Some who seek to practise this virtue or are moved by great compassion or concern for others may also be prepared to sacrifice their own lives. In His previous births, the Bodhisatta had many a time given away parts of His body for the sake of others. He had also given up His life so that others might live, so great was His generosity and compassion.

人类可布施的东西太多了，对飢饿者施予食物，对贫困者施予金钱、衣物，知识技术、时间、精力，一切能利益他人的，都可以布施。他可以专心的聆听和祝福那些有困难的朋友。他可以不杀生，同时对那些生命垂危的众生伸出援手。他可以将身体的部份器官施予那些有需要者，如血液、眼角膜、肾脏等器官。有些人甚至以自己的生命做为布施，在佛陀觉悟前的许多过去世中，他不但布施部份的身体，有时连生命也布施出去，这显现了佛陀的慷慨和慈悲。

But the greatest testimony to the Buddha's great compassion is His priceless gift to humanity?the Dhamma which can liberate all beings from suffering. To the Buddhist, the highest gift of all is the gift of Dhamma. This gift has great powers to change a life. When a person receives Dhamma with a pure mind and practices the Truth with earnestness, he cannot fail to change. He will experience greater happiness, peace and joy in his heart and mind. If he was once cruel, he becomes compassionate. If he was once revengeful, he becomes forgiving. Through Dhamma, the hateful becomes more compassionate, the greedy more generous, and the restless more serene. When a person has tasted Dhamma, not only will be experience happiness here and now, but also happiness in the lives hereafter as he journeys to Nibbana.

佛陀真正的无价之宝，是他那大慈大悲的佛法。佛法让众生离苦得乐。佛陀最大的布施是于佛法的布施(法施)，法施足以改变一个人的生命。当一个人以纯净的心接受佛法、实践真理，他就不再有所改变，他的「心」与「意」获得无比的幸福、宁静和欢愉。实践佛法，令残酷者生起慈悲心，令贪婪者变成慷慨，令嗔恚者懂得宽恕，令愚痴者获得智慧。实践佛法不仅于今世获得幸福，在证悟涅槃后，将获得更大的幸福。