Rinpoche tells us what he himself tries to do when offering to people who are begging. First of all remember the bodhicitta attitude, thinking that the purpose of your life is to free numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsara and bring them to peerless happiness, buddhahood. Think that you receive all the past, present and future happiness up to enlightenment from this beggar, who is most precious most kind, wish-fulfilling. If possible, seal it with emptiness, then it becomes the remedy to samsara and the best offering to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Read the video transcript below.

I remembered just one example; I think I told it quite a few times. In Bodhgaya there are many beggars around the stupa, I think during Rinjung Gyatsa and lately, maybe last year, when I make rupees charity to the beggars, I try to remember [to do it] respectfully. Respectfully, with the two hands I offer to them like this, with two hands. Sometimes they also take it with the two hands, sometimes like that. Then think, before that, it may not be possible every time, but think of their kindness, that all the past, present, and future happiness up to enlightenment came from this sentient being. So you think of that kindness. Not every time, I can’t say that, but I try, “Past, present, and future, all the happiness, including enlightenment, came from that sentient being.”

I mean, generally, bodhicitta is before that: “The purpose of my life is to free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsara and bring them to peerless happiness, buddhahood, therefore I must achieve the state of omniscience, therefore I make charity.” That is the first thing to think, but I don't remember that every time, I’m not saying that. That is what I try to do, but that doesn’t mean every time it is there, not necessarily.

Then after that you think about all the three-times happiness you receive from this beggar, so they are most precious, most kind, most dear, wish-fulfilling. Trying to think like that is good, then you offer, if possible by sealing with emptiness—I and the action of giving and to whom you give, are all empty, they do not exist from their own side as they appear to you. This is a hallucination. Looking at the emptiness, ultimate reality, you offer.

So in this, not only done with bodhicitta, becoming the cause of enlightenment, your charity, but with emptiness it also becomes the remedy to samsara. Your charity becomes the remedy to samsara. Then it becomes most pleasing, it becomes the best offering, it becomes also the offering to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, it becomes the offering to all the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. So here, anyway, now it is the best offering to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. It becomes the best offering to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. So, it becomes not only charity, it also becomes offering in this way to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, numberless buddhas, Dharma, Sangha. When you say Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, not one, but numberless buddhas, numberless Dharma, numberless Sangha, it also becomes offering, like that.

Just roughly, what I did a long time ago in Bodhgaya and even in recent times, I’m just repeating. Maybe the words are better this time, but more or less like that I tried. Like that, when you make charity, when you are helping sentient beings, not necessarily giving money to a beggar, but anything, any charity, any help, any charity, you can think like that. It is what pleases most the buddhas and bodhisattvas. You can think like that. It becomes the best offering to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, or the buddhas and bodhisattvas, like that.

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