Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

Share the knowledge of wholesome deeds

FleaMarketFleaMarket Veteran
edited December 2022 in Buddhism Today

In the past I learned from my christian friends that a good deed disclosed is a wasted deed in the eyes of God. That a good deed should be done and never spoken of. This is a fairly widely held belief in my area of the world.
I now understand the reasoning behind this belief. The doing of the good deed is not for the purpose of bragging. The fear is that incentivizing this disclosure leads to an expectation of praise as the sole purpose behind doing good deeds. It becomes a trade of sorts rather than a wholesome deed and loses some merit as result of desire for praise as payment.

However keeping good deeds to oneself reduces the number of good deeds witnessed by others. Good deeds witnessed by others inspire others to carry out good deeds. It amplifies good deeds and proliferates the idea of doing good deeds. More people do good deeds as a result. I've experienced this just recently with the sharing of picking up trash while hiking.

Knowledge and expression of good deeds should be shared as it amplifies the reach of the good deed. If the concern is bragging and desire for praise, simply check the intentions of the expression for this desire and remove it to the best of ability before expressing the good deed to others.
Happy deeding.

JeffreyShoshin1Jeroen

Comments

  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    People will brag anyway, why not brag about the good you’ve done? Well spotted @FleaMarket.

  • SuraShineSuraShine South Australia Veteran
    edited December 2022

    @FleaMarket said:
    In the past I learned from my christian friends that a good deed disclosed is a wasted deed in the eyes of God. That a good deed should be done and never spoken of.

    As someone raised Catholic I can't say I remember ever being raised with that teaching.

    Or maybe I didn't pay attention that day? It was never a common concept in our area anyways. Being Australian we had/have more of an approach along the lines of "Don't be a d**k"

    FleaMarket
  • @SuraShine said:
    "Don't be a d**k"

    I haven't come across that line in the bible yet but I take your point. We all find refuge in different things. The biblical God being an important one for many people.

  • SuraShineSuraShine South Australia Veteran

    @FleaMarket said:

    @SuraShine said:
    "Don't be a d**k"

    I haven't come across that line in the bible yet but I take your point. We all find refuge in different things. The biblical God being an important one for many people.

    I guess I didn't make my point very well. And that's my fault. I was coming more from a cultural/humourous POV (and failed).

  • @SuraShine said:

    @FleaMarket said:

    @SuraShine said:
    "Don't be a d**k"

    I haven't come across that line in the bible yet but I take your point. We all find refuge in different things. The biblical God being an important one for many people.

    I guess I didn't make my point very well. And that's my fault. I was coming more from a cultural/humourous POV (and failed).

    It was my misunderstanding. I projected upon your words some residual clung to beliefs on some things. Apologies for using what you've stated in a humorous way for my own critique of self. Your post held a different reward for me. :3

    SuraShine
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran

    I remember one time driving to the food shelf to donate some food. I became aware of a thought/emotion along the lines of "what a good boy am I", "I'm better than all those who don't do this". Seeing that arise in me as a result of doing this was so repulsive. I absolutely hated that feeling of smugness.

    I mean if I'm honest, I generally like myself more than is probably warranted. But I think its just that I'm comfortable and happy with myself instead of thinking I'm better than others, the comparing mind doesn't seem to be there much. In the case above it was and I hated it.

    Not sure what I'm getting at. I am more of the mind, just do the deed because its the right thing to do. I can't really say you're wrong about the promoting of good deeds. I guess I have a strong emotional reaction to smug, self-satisfaction.

    I've been writing this slowly and reflecting I do mention things I do that promote a healthy lifestyle, psychologically and physically. And I can do that in humble or arrogant ways, so I suppose promoting good deeds is pretty similar.

    SuraShineFleaMarket
  • @person very well stated. Sometimes people's posts will accurately describe what I've gone through myself and this is one of those times. Your observation fits well in some self examination.

    The world is ripe for plogging. Of my own debris included. If people see you picking up trash and point and judge and laugh or curse, so be it. If they say your tools are overpriced and shoes too nice and attitude too haughty, so be it. If they say you make no impact and pick up too little and work is insignificant, so be it. The world is still ripe for plogging and instead of being one of those voices judging and doing little else, I'm going to start picking junk up and I will enjoy myself while I do it. So when I catch myself shouting, I remind myself that mistakes are part and parcel of learning.

    Jeroenmarcitko
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    @person said:
    I remember one time driving to the food shelf to donate some food. I became aware of a thought/emotion along the lines of "what a good boy am I", "I'm better than all those who don't do this". Seeing that arise in me as a result of doing this was so repulsive. I absolutely hated that feeling of smugness.

    I mean if I'm honest, I generally like myself more than is probably warranted. But I think its just that I'm comfortable and happy with myself instead of thinking I'm better than others, the comparing mind doesn't seem to be there much. In the case above it was and I hated it.

    It is always interesting to see what is beneath these things, to follow them to their roots. You know the saying ‘that your irritations, your hates are your best teachers’? Maybe there is a certain insecurity at the core of this, that the ego needs to have a justification for donating things? If you’re mindful and ask yourself the question, ‘why does this thought visit me’, then your insight sometimes will supply you the answer in a flash.

    FleaMarket
Sign In or Register to comment.