Minor Religions & Generosity

Buddhism

Buddhism is the world’s 4th largest religion with a half billion practitioners, 6.6 percent of the world population. Cambodia, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka installed the Middle Way as the state religion, and it’s the majority creed in Thailand, Laos, Mongolia, and Japan, plus large minorities in Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Nepal, and India, with the biggest contingent (244,000,000 million) residing in atheistic China.

Buddhism blossomed out of Hinduism, like a rebellious young lotus, and a hefty bulk of its idiom and ideology is identical to its ancestor. Dāna remains securely in place as a karma-boosting big step towards spiritual liberation. Both beliefs overly support (in my view) generosity towards monks and temples, and both focus far too intensely (my view again) on the philanthropist’s attitude.

Buddhism ridiculously believes the intention behind the giving is more important than the gift itself, because pure intention purifies the mind. This is terribly solipsistic, centered sillily on only the giver. I DON’T CARE ABOUT THAT. What concerns me is the recipient’s health. “It’s the gift that counts” is my lone opinion, a bowl of satiating food remains a bowl of satiating food, even if its handed over to an indigent by a smug-faced show-off or a “white-savior.” It will taste precisely the same and deliver identical calories.

Sikhism

Sikhism (let’s pronounce it “seek” instead of “sick”) is my favorite religion in terms of charity, which is all I care about, isn’t that obvious? Have you ever been to a langar - the free community meal served after the Gurdwara (service)? People are seated in long rows at tables like a hofbräuhaus (this signifies the creed’s ideals of unity, social justice, and equality). Together, in communal friendliness, the polite mob devours delicious Punjabi vegetarian food. The Golden Temple of Amritsar, the pre-eminent glittering hub of Sikhism, serves an amazing 50,000-100,000 meals daily.

The langar is categorized as an act of Seva - remember that word? Yeah, it’s Hindu, because Sikhism is a synthesis of Hinduism and Islam, omitting the flaws of each, improving valued aspects, and adding original high-grade amenities that sometimes resemble features in Judaism and Christianity. Sikhism rejects the caste system of Hindus, proclaims there is only one God, like Islam, and encourages members to donate 1/10th of their wealth, like Judaism.

Most surprising (or not?) is the biography of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism born in 1469, who behaved eerily like Jesus Christ. Born high caste, he preferred mingling with the humble poor, refusing to eat with rich people who earned wealth dishonestly and/or refused to share their fortune.. Guru Nanak also criticized the wealth accumulation and hoarding.

“The true path to God lies in the service of our fellow beings” is proclaimed in Sikh scripture; the creed (like Quakers) has fought for women’s equality, social justice, poverty alleviation, and wealth distribution to the sick and needy. Walking-the-walk is Khalsa Aid, a prominent Sikh-directed NGO that’s provided disaster relief to war-persecuted Yazidi, refugee Rohingya, and Nepali earthquake victims. Sikhs worldwide total approximately 25 million.

Judaism

The 4,000 year old Hebrew creed is the forerunner of Christianity and Islam, but it’s dwarfed in size by its descendants. Only 0.2 percent of the world, 15.7 million, practice the original Abrahamic faith.

References to charity and the benefits of providing it are prolific in the Torah. Isaiah’s optimistic prophecy “the poorest of the poor will have pasture” is my favorite; others include “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor,” (Proverbs 22:9), “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him,” (Proverbs 14:31), and “…one who gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.” (Proverbs 11:25)

Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for charity but it also refers to the Jewish obligation to YHWH to help bring fairness to the world. Another term - mitzvah - is defined as “good deed” implying a form of tzedakah such as visiting the elderly, helping someone who is sick, or volunteering.

ADDENDUM - The “Nones”

1.1 billion people, 16% of the global population, are classified as “nones” i.e., they are not part of any religious group. They might be atheists, or agnostics, or perhaps they believe in God and “spirituality” but they don’t identify with any faith-based group. In the USA, 28% of the population are nones. A 2012 PEW Charitable Trust survey determined that the best examples of none-nations (defined as those with <40%) include China, Japan, Estonia, Czech Republic, Latvia, North Korea, and Uruguay.