Did you ever drop a tip into the tip jar, or put a dollar bill (or more) into a street musician's case, and then get upset that the server or the musician didn't notice?

Did you ever give money to a homeless person on the street and be disappointed that neither he nor anyone else saw you do it?

Have you ever held a door open for someone, and then get angry with that person when they walk right in and don't even acknowledge your effort?

If so, then these are actions that Zen Master Dogen would say aren't really good deeds at all but just self-centered acts based on our egotistical pride.  We didn't really want the server to have another dollar (or more), we wanted to be known as the person who gives servers an extra dollar (or more) and possibly get better service in the future.  We weren't really being truly generous to the street musician, we were just trying to buy his or her admiration.  We weren't really being helpful in holding the door, we were trying to gain recognition or social status.

For our actions to be truly good, Dogen argues, we should expect nothing in return - not admiration, appreciation, recognition, or even acknowledgement.  We should let go of the idea of currying favor for our actions or incurring good karma that will bless us down the road.  As long as we have a selfish motivation, even if the other person benefits, we're still just doing it for our own profit.

We should give and practice kindness just for the sake of generosity and compassion, and expect nothing in return.  Only then will our deeds be truly good.