Religious Roots of Charity and Donations

Charity and Donations are a religious practice of undetermined antiquity common to many
belief systems. The practice of charity is also called Dāna. It is the virtue of generosity or
giving. Dāna has been defined in traditional texts as “any action of relinquishing the
ownership of what one considered or identified as one's own, and investing the same in a
recipient without expecting anything in return”. Charitable giving is the act of giving money,
goods or time to the unfortunate, either directly or by means of a charitable trust or other
worthy cause. Charitable giving as a religious act or duty is referred to as almsgiving or
alms. The name stems from the most obvious expression of the virtue of charity; giving the
recipients of it the means they need to survive. The impoverished, particularly those
widowed or orphaned, and the ailing or injured, are generally regarded as the proper
recipients of charity.

1. The Sanctity of Dāna in Hinduism

The well known Hindu text the Bhagavadgita speaks of three types of giving :
 A gift that is given without any expectation of appreciation or reward is beneficial to
both giver and recipient.
 A gift that is given reluctantly and with the expectation of some advantage is harmful
to both giver and recipient.
 A gift that is given without any regard for the feelings of the recipient and at the
wrong time, so causing embarrassment to the recipient, is again harmful to both giver and
recipient.
(Bhagavadgita 17.20-22)
Any giving that is motivated by selfish considerations loses its value from the spiritual point
of view.
It is not so much wealth that brings happiness and peace but our attitude to possessions.
Hindu philosophical texts such as the Isa Upanishad (1) point to the fact that true enjoyment
and peace lie in detachment from wealth. We are not asked to renounce wealth but rather
our sense of possession. Whatever we give will have no value if we part with our wealth
reluctantly.
King Janasruti Pautrayana and the cart-driver
In the Chandogya Upanishad (4.1-2) we find an interesting account of a king called Janasruti
Pautrayana, renowned for his generous giving and philanthropic works, and Raikva, the cart-
driver who was indifferent to wealth. The king felt restless on overhearing a conversation
between two geese who were flying over his palace. They commented on the king’s charity
being motivated by his desire for name and fame, whereas Raikva, the cart-driver, was at
peace with himself as he cared not for wealth or fame. The king went to Raikva loaded with
gifts and asked him which deity he needed to worship in order to attain inner peace and
happiness. But Raikva told the king that the gifts were of no use to him. The king again went
to Raikva with lavish gifts and begged him to teach him the way to true happiness. Raikva
imparted the sacred teaching: that all things in the universe are supported by the Spirit and
all belong to the Spirit. The mere giving of gifts without this spiritual wisdom can bring no true
peace.
Sharing food with others
One of the commonest forms of giving is anna dana, the sharing of food with others. It is part
of one’s religious duty (dharma) to offer food to any unexpected guest. In the orthodox
tradition a householder is expected to partake of food only after it has been reverentially
offered to the deities, the ancestors, the mendicant, and those dependent on him. The
practice of anna dana is common to all sections of Indian society and continues to be an
important aspect of people’s way of life. On religious and other important occasions anna
dana may be undertaken on a large scale. Some Hindus organize a special meal for the
needy, or donate to a charitable cause, in memory of the deceased.
To refuse hospitality to one who comes to your door is an unpardonable act.
The Chandgoya Upanishad (4.3) refers to two sages who are about to have their meal when
they hear a knock at the door. They dismiss the starving young student on their doorstep. He
did not expect such treatment from such reverend persons. When he finds out that they both
worship Vayu, the wind-god, also called prana (breath, life-force), the young man reminds
the sages thatprana, which pervades the universe, also pervades the hungry mortal, who is
also part of this universe. In neglecting the young man, they are not honouring the divine.
Although this passage focuses on theological questions, it is not without practical
implications – that there is no point in worshipping Brahman (Supreme Being) in all creation
while ignoring the needs of others.
Charity in pre-colonial India
Charity is more than merely giving; it involves the sharing of resources with others, be it
wealth, food or other things. It may involve giving to philanthropic causes – providing rest-
houses, planting trees, digging wells. The Chinese scholar Hiuen-Tsiang, who visited India in
the seventh century during the period of the Indian king Harshavardhana, recorded the
king’s generous sharing of his wealth with his people. Similarly, the kings of Thanjavur in the
nineteenth century were renowned for establishing chatrams, centres of hospitality located
along the road to pilgrim centres, which took care of the needy, the sick and those who died
in their care.
With the advent of colonialism, chatrams were deprived of this important role. What we see
today in these traditional institutions of hospitality are scenes of hunger, starvation and
deprivation. Raja Sarfoji, the king of Thanjavur, in a letter to the British colonial masters in
1801, implored them to ensure that whatever else might befall his state, this tradition of
hospitality would not be curtailed or done away with. But the British came to see these
traditional institutions of hospitality as a wasteful use of resources. The Indian kings were
warned against directing funds to their maintenance, and elite Indians were quick to
internalize this attitude. With the Famine Commission Report of 1880, an elaborate state-
controlled bureaucratic management of supply and distribution of food was introduced, thus
discouraging the existing centres of hospitality and undermining the religious and cultural
values underpinning them.
Minimizing needs and sharing resources
Although material prosperity is valued, the accumulation of wealth for one’s personal greed
goes against the principle of dharma – righteous living. The Bhagavata Purana states that
we have no right to claim more than what is required for our basic purposes. The
Mahabharata recommends that one third of our wealth is used for philanthropic purposes.
Mahatma Gandhi laid emphasis on minimizing one’s wants even if resources are in
abundance. ‘It is a fundamental law of Nature’, Gandhi remarked, ‘that Nature produces
enough for our wants from day to day; and if only everyone took enough for their own needs
and nothing more, there would be no poverty in this world’.
Gandhi made a telling remark to Nehru about the wasteful use of water. Nehru was pouring
water from a jug for Gandhi to wash his face and hands, but as they were deeply engaged in
conversation Gandhi didn’t realize that he had used up all the water. Gandhi was
embarrassed but Nehru assured him that there was plenty of water in his hometown of
Allahabad where there are three rivers, the Ganga, the Jamuna and the Sarasvati. Gandhi’s
response was: ‘Nehru, you are right. You have three great rivers in your home town but my
share in those rivers is only one jug of water a morning and no more.’ Gandhi’s
Sarvodaya (welfare for all) schemes and Vinobhave’s Bhoodan movement (distribution of
land to the landless) and other ventures by individuals and organizations are good examples
not so much of ‘giving’ in the traditional sense of the term but of showing that by minimizing
our needs we can promote self-sufficiency.
Misconceptions about Hindu beliefs
Hindu beliefs such as maya, karma and rebirth have been seen as not conducive to
progress. Maya, which means ‘illusion’, is largely understood in a literal sense: this world is
an illusion and there is therefore no point in changing it. In fact the term maya is also used to
indicate that this world is a manifestation of the divine creative power. Understood
rightly, maya does not deny the reality of the empirical world.
Although within the tradition there is both affirmation and negation of this world, it is the
negation that has been given exclusive emphasis in some approaches to Hinduism. The
Hindu sannyasi (renunciant) is seen as lacking concern for this world and therefore unable to
contribute to the material welfare of society. On the contrary, even this ‘other-worldliness’ is
beneficial to the society because people’s wants are reduced to the minimum. In an era of
globalization and capitalist enterprise, these values may seem out of date and out of place,
but they do foster values such as selflessness, sacrifice and simple living which are not
detrimental to development and progress.
Similarly, the theory of karma is interpreted in a simplistic and legalistic way. The term
karma implies that all thoughts and actions carry consequences which must be faced in this
life or in the life to come. This is not a punishment inflicted on us but created by us inasmuch
as by our actions we create bad or good karma for ourselves and others.
The teachings of Hindu gurus and leaders emphasize the need to devote some time to seva
or serving humanity in a selfless manner. Dana also includes physical, intellectual and
spiritual service. Some professionally qualified Hindu doctors and surgeons render free
medical service on certain days of the week. The Swami Narayan temple in Neasden in
London and Hindu groups and individuals were quick to respond to the recent earthquake in
Gujarat by collecting funds for the rehabilitation of the earthquake victims.
Although within Hinduism (a loosely knit tradition with no centralized authority) one does not
see large-scale organized charity, Hindu religious movements such as the Ramakrishna
Mission, Swaminarayan, Sri Satya Sai Baba, Chinmaya Mission, Hindu ashrams,
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and other organizations are
actively involved in charitable work – in providing for educational, medical and other basic
needs. The Bhagavadgita urges people to act selflessly for the welfare of others: ‘Strive
constantly to serve the welfare of the world; by devotion to selfless work one attains to the
supreme goal in life. Do your work with the welfare of others in mind’ (3.19-26).

2. Charitable Giving in Judaism

"Charity is equal in importance to all the other commandments in the Torah combined,"
reads an early rabbinic law code. The formulation comes from the Roman period, but the
origin of this characteristically Jewish idea is much older. Its beginnings lie, in fact, in two
places: in the general ancient Near Eastern notion that the king is the protector of the weak
and the defenceless, and, more particularly, in the biblical story of God's redemption of the
people Israel from Egypt and his gift to them of the Promised Land.

In Exodus, these two related streams come together pointedly when Israel's divine king
gives them this revealingly phrased law: "You shall not oppress a resident alien, for you
know what it feels like to be a resident alien, since resident aliens is what you were in the
land of Egypt."

Through a host of institutions—most notably the tithe—Jewish law makes the giving of
charity a mitzvah (a commandment), not an option. The framework is once again theological;
charity is based in something higher and more enduring than feelings of compassion or guilt.
A verse in Proverbs pregnant with repercussions in both Judaism and Christianity renders
the vertical dimension explicit: 'He who is generous to the poor makes a loan to the LORD,
He will repay him his due.'
Lest potential givers think that by performing the mitzvah they will harm their own financial
status, the proverb assures them that in the divine plan their gift is accounted as a loan—one
that the ultimate protector of the poor can be trusted to repay in full. In this theology,
charitable giving is not a zero-sum game. It results in wealth for both the donor and the
recipient.

A celebrated passage—traditionally, the Jewish husband chants it in praise of his wife before
the Sabbath evening meal—includes women in its ethic of giving: "She gives generously to
the poor, Her hands are stretched out to the needy." For a woman as for a man, generosity
toward the poor is a sign of the God-fearing person.
Maimonides, the great codifier, philosopher, and communal leader of twelfth-century
Egyptian Jewry, speaks of eight levels of charitable giving. Which is the highest? It is,
Maimonides writes, "that of the person who assists a poor Jew by providing him with a gift or
a loan or by accepting him into a business partnership or by helping him find employment—
in a word, by putting him where he can dispense with other people's aid."

The ideal mode of giving inhibits both paternalism in the giver and dependence and
resentment in the receiver. Sometimes the best love is tough love. 

3. The Ministry of Healing in Christianity

For Christians, the role of charity is first built on the injunctions of the Hebrew Bible. But in
the New Testament, Jesus’ parables and actions also speak to the morality of charitable
sentiments.

In the Gospel of Luke, for example, an expert in the law notes the Hebrew Bible injunction to
"love thy neighbour as thyself" and asks Jesus, "Who is my neighbour?"

 Jesus responds with the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan. A man on the Jericho road
is robbed, stripped, and lies half-dead. After others pass by him, a Samaritan—whose
people were historic rivals of the Jews Jesus was talking to—takes pity on the unfortunate,
binds his wounds, and transports him to an inn for care.

Jesus asks, "Who do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the
robbers?" The expert says, "The one who had mercy on him," and Jesus responds, "Go and
do likewise."

Through the parable, Jesus essentially tells his listeners: everyone is your neighbor, even
the stranger by the side of the road. Those who show mercy obey God's law.

Throughout Luke, Jesus breaks through class barriers, consorting with sinners, the ritually
suspect, lower-class people, the "other." That's what got him into trouble all the time! He
socialized with people who made others uncomfortable—sort of how we might be
uncomfortable with people who live on the street today. That was his "ministry of healing" —
caring for the poor and others.

The parables, the stories of Jesus being among the poor and unfortunate are important.
Narrating these stories, thinking about them, moves us. It gives us a way of thinking of "the
others" as human beings. It's really easy for us to see such people as somehow not worthy
of our respect. Telling these stories gives the poor the fullness they deserve.

First and foremost, God wants us to give because it shows that we recognize he is truly
the Lord of our lives.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the
heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV)
Everything we own and everything we have comes from God. So, when we give, we
simply offer him a very small portion of all the abundance he has already given to us.
Giving is an expression of our thankfulness and praise to God. It comes from a heart of
worship that recognizes that everything we give already belongs to him.
God instructed Old Testament believers to give a tithe, or a tenth, because this 10%
represented the first or most important portion of all that they had. The New Testament
does not suggest a certain percentage for giving, but simply says for each to give "in
keeping with his income."

Believers should give according to their income.

1 Corinthians 16:2
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money
in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will
have to be made. (NIV)
Note that the offering was set aside on the first day of the week. When we are willing to
offer the first portion of our wealth back to him, then God knows he has our hearts. He
knows—and we also know—that we are submitted completely in trust and obedience to
our Lord and Savior.

We are blessed when we give.

Acts 20:35
... remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give
than to receive.' (NIV)
God wants us to give because he knows how blessed we will be as we give generously
to him and to others. Giving is a kingdom principle—it brings more blessing to the giver
than to the recipient.

When we give freely to God, we receive freely from God.

Luke 6:38
Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together
and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it
will be measured to you. (NIV)

Proverbs 11:24
One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes
to poverty. (NIV)
God promises that we will be blessed over and above what we give and also according
to the measure that we use to give. But, if we hold back from giving with a stingy heart,
we hinder God from blessing our lives.
 4. Islam: The Many Reasons for Charity

In the Islamic tradition, there are different forms of giving. The one that is best known is
zakat or almsgiving—one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It is usually defined as a mandatory
way of redistributing wealth. In the days of Islamic empires, it was very much
institutionalized, like a tax system, where citizens were expected to give a percentage of
their income to satisfy the needs of the community. In the modern world, we see charity as a
much more personal act, but in the ancient Islamic world it was much more a community
duty.

Having said that, there is another important aspect to giving in the Islamic tradition, one that
is centered on the idea of purification (one of the meanings of zakat is purification). Being
charitable is a way of purifying your material deeds, and thus never losing track of the most
important goal, which is serving God—in this case, by serving your fellow humans.

Today, where there is no longer an Islamic empire, almsgiving still exists, but it doesn't mean
that it goes automatically to the Muslim community. It can go to other charitable causes as a
way of providing stability and solidarity within society. The whole goal of almsgiving is about
social stability and improving the relationships between human beings. During the month of
Ramadan, for example, charity becomes even more important as a way of feeding anyone in
need, not just Muslims. It is seen as a way to provide civil cohesion and peace.

Besides zakat, there are multiple other ways a person can give, preferably in secret. It is
known as sadaqa. Sometimes people ask, 'If you don't have any money, how can you fulfill
this duty?' According to one of the Prophet Mohammed's sayings: 'Even meeting your
brother with a cheerful face is charity.'

Mohammed was asked, "What if a person has nothing?" The Prophet replied, "He should
work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in
charity."

The companions asked, "What if he is not able to work?" The Prophet said, "He should help
poor and needy persons." The companions further asked, "What if he cannot do even that?"
The Prophet said, "He should urge others to do good." The companions said, "What if he
lacks that also?" The Prophet replied, "He should check himself from doing evil. That is also
charity."

5. Charity in Buddhism

Rather than being a "necessity," the act of giving voluntarily in Buddhism is motivated by a
recognition that all beings exist in interdependence. The interdependence of all things,
combined with an awareness of the helplessness of those less fortunate, inspires
compassion. Practicing selflessness in this way is thought to increase one's own merit and is
also an antidote to greed or grasping to possessions or other resources. Giving is an
expression of the natural qualities of kindness and compassion.
Recognition of the interdependence of life also means taking care of the environment by
keeping it pure and unspoiled, as well as attending to animals and also to spirits in some
traditions by offering prayers, rituals, ceremonies, or other acts dedicated to the well-being of
all life.

Traditionally, Buddhist lay people have long practiced the giving of alms, food, medicine, and
clothing to monks and to monasteries in exchange for teachings and merit. This relationship
is seen to be a sacred mutual dependence, and merit is shared on both sides for the benefit
of all.

As a spiritual practice, generosity is the first of six "perfections," or virtuous qualities, one
cultivates for spiritual awakening. As such, one offers both material donations as well as the
giving of spiritual resources out of kindness and compassion for the benefit and
enlightenment of others.

In addition to giving to the poor, generosity also includes sharing one's spaciousness of
heart, such as sharing in the loss of a loved one or family member, offering a practice of
loving-kindness through meditation, or being present with someone within their suffering.

Buddhists often quote the Buddha from an early scripture: "What is the accomplishment in
generosity? A noble disciple dwells at home, with a heart free from the stain of stinginess,
open-handed, pure-handed and delighting in relinquishment, one devoted to charity, one
who delights in sharing and giving. This is called accomplishment in generosity.

6. The Sikh Perspective on Acts of Charity

Sikhism is one of the youngest of world religions, founded by Guru Nanak in the Punjab
region of South Asia in the early sixteenth century. Guru Nanak has an interesting
perspective on charitable giving. In the context of many South Asian traditions, a person's
salvation is dependent on charitable acts. Nanak, in the Japji—which serves as the Sikh
morning prayer—makes a startling statement, especially for the time and the social context
in which it was made. He repudiates common practices, including an engagement in
charitable acts, which were considered essential for salvation:

tīrathu tapu diā datu dānu/ je ko pāvai til kā mānu//

(Pilgrimage, penance, compassion, and charitable giving,
Only feed one's ego and bring merit as much as a sesame seed.)
 
Guru Nanak also provides a scathing critique of religious figures who do not work for a living
and instead live on the charity of others. This, however, does not mean that he is
discouraging Sikhs from engaging in charitable acts. In fact, Nanak sought to create a
society in which the indigent and the oppressed are looked after. He emphatically expresses
his solidarity with them:
nīcā aṅdari nīc jāti, nīcī hū ati nīcu//
nānak tin kai saṅgi sāthi, vaḍiā siu kiā rīs//
jithai nīc samālīani, tithai nadari terī bakhsīs//
(Those who are lowest of the low class, the very lowest of the low; 
Nānak seeks the company of those, for what benefit can be derived from imitating the high
classes?
The place where the lowly are cared for, it is only there your merciful glance and grace
exist.)

Guru Nanak provides Sikhs with a new ethical framework in which people who are fit to work
are required to earn a living through honest means, while sharing the fruits of their earnings
with sections of society that are the most needy. This theology can be summed up in his
famous pronouncement that is recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture: 'Only
they are on the True Path who eat what they earn through earnest work and help support
the disenfranchised' (page 1,245).
One of the institutions that comes out of this ethical framework is the langar (or free kitchen).
The Darbar Sahib—also known as the Golden Temple—in Amritsar, Panjab, serves free
food daily to 100,000 people, regardless of their status or religious affiliation. As a
consequence, it is said, no one in Amritsar has slept hungry in the last four centuries. 

CONCLUSION
Giving is an act of righteousness that comes from our duty as human to help others, it is
called also Charity. Giving money is a form of sacrifice but it is not the
ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice is giving ourselves. Giving is also a form of worship.
The practice of giving it is a strong demonstration of LOVE toward others. You give not
necessary expecting back a blessing from those you give to, a real giver give accordance to
ones needs and because their hearts move in sympathy toward someone or something. We
also give because we should help one another showing brotherly love.