The Dana Paramita

"Truly virtuous are not conscious of their virtue. Those of inferior virtue, however, are ever consciously concerned with their virtue and therefore are without true virtue. True virtue is spontaneous and lays no claim to virtue."

- Lao-tzu, Tao Teh Ching


"People who think of themselves as kind-hearted and sympathetic are truly neither. . . There are many people who spend all their time giving aid to the needy and joining movements for the betterment of society. To be sure, this ought not to be discounted. But their root anxiety, growing out of their false view of themselves and the universe, goes unrelieved, gnawing at their hearts and robbing them of a rich, joyous life. Those who sponsor and engage in such social betterment activities look upon themselves, consciously or unconsciously, as morally superior and so never bother to purge their minds of greed, anger and delusive thinking. But the time comes when, having grown exhausted from all their restless activity, they can no longer conceal from themselves their basic anxieties about life and death. Then they seriously begin to question why life hasn't more meaning and zest. Now for the first time they wonder whether instead of trying to save others they ought not to save themselves first."

- Yasutani Roshi, in "The Three Pillars of Zen"


"In an evening talk, Dogen said, 'Doing good for others because of one's desire to be well thought of or to ingratiate oneself seems better compared with doing evil. However, it is not truly doing good for others since one is still thinking of oneself. One who does good for others or for the future, without being noticed and without considering for whom his acts are good, is truly a good person.

'Having compassion for living beings without distinguishing between the intimate and the unrelated, while maintaining an attitude of saving all equally, never think of your own profit in terms of worldly or supraworldly benefit. Even though you are neither known or appreciated, just do good for others according to your own heart, and do not show to others that you have such a spirit.'"

- Shobogenzo Zuimonki


"Then the Lord Buddha addressed the assembly . . . 'Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, in teaching the Dharma to others, should first be free themselves from all the craving thoughts awakened by beautiful sights, pleasant sounds, sweet tastes, fragrances, soft tangibles, and seductive thoughts. In their practice of charity, they should not be influenced by any of these seductive phenomena. And why? Because, if in their practice of charity they are uninfluenced by such things they will realize a blessing and merit that is unestimable and inconceivable . . .If a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, in practicing charity, conceives within his mind any of these arbitrary conceptions discriminating himself from other selves, he will be like a man walking in darkness and seeing nothing. But if the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, in his practice of charity, has no arbitrary conceptions of the attainment of the blessing and merit which he will attain by such practice, he will be like a person with good eyes, seeing all things clearly as in the bright sunshine.'"

- The Diamond Sutra (translated by Dwight Goddard)