For one who holds belief in past and future lives
And likewise holds the view that past intentions ripen into present conditions
Holding no doubt that seeds of one variety may only ripen into a corresponding shoot, and so forth
For a lion among men such as this, the positives of giving in generosity
And working for the benefit of others need not be explained
The highest view
That intentions, actions today ripen tomorrow
And likewise that the trials of today are yesterday's doing
That fundamentally nothing is random
And that all is borne of interwoven cause and condition
Why merely enjoy the day, when its enjoyment can be given up and thus multiplied in future?
Better still to not care for self entirely
And to exist wholly to help others to grow their shares of ease and virtue
In this, in abandoning all expectation, hope of gain, or attachment, even a bullet to the skull will be felt as bliss
For one who holds this view, are the benefits of generosity not immediately apparent?
It is obvious to all who apprehend these high views
For those who believe in eternal afterlife, generosity and compassion are the methods through which this aim must be carried out
It will be hard to find a practice through which these principles do not exist
To these men, it is obvious
If one is to do good, there is reward
To do bad, there is punishment
And so they align themselves thusly
Though many practices result in bloodshed
And famine, and horror
This aim can still be found
Just as an archer, in missing a target, can still be said to have aimed towards said target
If one has no concern, or care for goings-on
Only believing in this body, and that death is to be annihilation
Are the effects of generosity, selflessness, altruism not still apparent?
One’s happiness is still dependent on the happiness of those adjacent
If one hurts another, then the collective suffers
Likewise, from help, the collective benefits
To plant trees, all can enjoy the shade
To burn the forest, none can live within the grounds
And one is included within “all”
And one is likewise included within “none”
If one cannot think of others’ benefit
Instead viewing the world as zero-sum
Only to be plundered and taken
Those around pockets and wallets and resources
Nothing more
One must consider the consequences of their actions all the same
To kill or to steal
Results in jail, in poverty, in those around one despising the actor
To go against this knowingly is to risk statistical eventualities
Seeking pleasure, likewise, is no good refuge
Does the man who downs saltwater to quench his thirst not give himself to ruin?
Does the man who downs bottle after bottle of alcohol, trying to sate his want for brew, not worsen his craving?
To live only for the sense pleasures is to build a house out of snow and ice
Not anticipating whatsoever that it will melt when winter is to turn to spring and likewise to summer
In this way, greater happiness can be found in reliable conditions
Reliable conditions must be traded for unreliable conditions
Generosity, compassion are suitable candidates
For they require no resources, and no external circumstances, respectively
One can give their time, or can maintain a generous mind
And one can think kindly of those they have met or will meet
In this way, selflessness ironically becomes a better state for the selfish
For it is a better source of happiness
If one cannot find any motivation
Beyond hurt and malice and revenge
Aims only resting in assault of an enemy
One will still find no comfort in this behavior
Yet will find great pain from holding this anger
For anger cannot hurt a soul but the one who has given rise to it
Just as a hunter caught in his own snare will be unable to cull a quarry
Much better to live well
And to align oneself to the benefit of others
For treating an enemy as a brother will hurt them more than even the breaking of bone
The twisting of sinew
Or the rending of flesh
After all, when our enemies show us compassion, do we not feel horrible and confused inside?
It is far worse than blade and bullet alike
And, for those still unconvinced
A final plea:
If one wishes to kill
Anger, while seeming to motivate, cannot help
In fact it may harm
Making one’s movements unwieldy, unable to hold a weapon
Anger agitates
While compassion calms and stabilizes
All that is done out of anger may still be done out of compassion
And done with more grace, too
In this way anger has no benefit
Not even in what it may cause or may be hoped to cause
Whether one will still kill out of compassion is another matter
But, unlike anger, there would be less chance for regret
And so, even in matters so worldly as to be condemnable, there is no benefit whatsoever
In giving up worldly possessions
Attachments
Grudges
One gives up self-concern
And from this the conditions from which unhappiness also come to fruition are also given up
What is there, truly, to be lost?
In loss, aligned with wisdom and compassionate motivation, there is only gain
And, in this way, likewise, worldly gain can be said to be loss