Weird Idea: Reverse Alms

What are alms anyway?

Alms is giving to others as an act of virtue and to humble oneself. It isn’t always physical giving - it could be giving a space or the gift of giving your time. In more modern western terms it is known by another name:

Charity.

The Buddha was said to have had a bowl for his alms, it is one of the few things a Buddhist monk could own. It would be the repository and storehouse for the monk’s possessions and used to eat out of.

There are stories of how this bowl is to be used, like that you can’t just go to the places that you know give good food to monks, but part of the practice is seeking and not finding. Part of the practice is to feel yourself grow tired and hungry out of people ignoring you. Relying on the charity of others makes you more humble.

In the time of the Buddha, there was only one guiding light - the Buddha himself. Now with the help of the modern age you can read many accounts from history and find many places today that practice the giving of charity. This gives the tree of Buddhism that sprouted from the trunk of the Buddha’s teaching many new branches, many new types, many new flavors of Buddhist practice.

Today in the modern world, I see people not too concerned with the idea of Dana, or charitable giving and maybe it’s an idea to ruffle a few feathers about that.

Change it.

I rarely have change in my wallet or pocket, but when I do - I feel weighed down by it. Little pieces of metal that make the weight I carry heavier, and I don’t enjoy that at all. So recently I decided to try to give that weight back.

I started with the idea of taking my change to the streets, first idea - to the street performers, to take the weight weighing me down and using it to give those that work hard to be noticed more. To reward them and to lighten my load all at once. As luck would have it, whenever I had change - I had no street performers to give to.

Sometimes not getting what you want is an incredible stroke of luck!

Time to think again. Time to generate a new idea.

How about I save up my change and give it to a charity at the end of the week or end of the month depending on how much change I generate. A new problem is noticed: How do I select which group is deserving? How do I ignore the amount of money I give to these places? Sometimes it would be a few coins, other times many times that.

How do I not make this about me and who I think is deserving?

How can I help the most?

How do I get rid of my guilt while getting rid of my coins?

Then - I came up with this:

When I have coins weighing me down, walk from selling place to selling place (any place that could sell to the public direct) and if they had a charity tin, box or donation place put my coins in there. That means I didn’t have to think about who was worthy. If they didn’t have a place to donate try the next place.

How is this not about your pride of giving making you feel good?

I don’t tell people why I am there. If they ask I mention it is to donate my change to whatever charity they are supporting.

I don’t answer or say if they don’t ask.

After trying as many places as coins you are getting rid of and not finding enough, the next place can take them all.

This is the way I found works for me - and I have actually done it!

I walked into many places that sell to the public, many I wouldn’t usually enter - so that destroys the pride. It also helps me see things I wouldn’t usually think to see - so that expands the mind.

When I find a place, I make a tiny example - one coin per place, until I have been to more places than coins - then leave.

I did this yesterday - and it was a strange and humbling experience.

I ended up giving my coins to the place where I bought my lunch, there was a line - and I found a donation box away from the line and donated my small stack of coins.

I did it because I had something to give.

I did quietly notice that most of the people in the line I added myself to also donated their change after they made their purchase, and that did feel nice. But it’s not about that.

It’s about giving what you can when you can.

It’s about turning a burden into an opportunity.

Turning a weight into a gift.

To make less for yourself to worry and think about and giving those with little, those who need soo much, to give them more.