Generosity (Astheya): Giving Initiates the
Law of Prosperity
When firmly anchored in generosity,
all prosperity comes.
Sutra ii.37
The ability to have our needs met and to manifest rightful prosperity contributes greatly to our worldly happiness. It also indicates our alignment with spiritual law. The key to unlocking the spiritual law of prosperity lies in the Sutra on Astheya. The practice of non-stealing, or to go a step further, the cultivation of generosity, is instructed to assure all material and spiritual success and therefore happiness. Through the awareness of our interconnectedness, we link generous action with truthful intention, and give from what is authentic in our hearts as well as from what is within our physical means. In a balanced exchange of giving and receiving, we experience the intertwining nature of these and the joy that is equivalent in either role.
From the standpoint of non-stealing, Astheya practice calls us to honestly look at the subtle ways in which we take that which is not ours. It could be an idea a colleague had that we spin as our own. Or maybe we copied content from a website that was someone else’s creation. It could be taking supplies from the office or taking over conversation when someone else is sharing. Maybe we steal someone else’s time by leaving dishes in the sink because we do not feel like washing them.
To practice Astheya authentically, we need to monitor all the little self-serving motives that cross our minds and dictate our choices. Even subtle narcissism has no place in our life if we are practicing Astheya.
Additionally, this Sutra indicates that true fulfillment and prosperity are impossible if we take more than we give on a regular basis. Consider the exchange of giving and receiving in your primary relationships. Do you give more than you take of other people’s time, affection, resources, or attention? Do you steal by manipulating them for your desired outcomes? By reflecting on ways in which we take from others on a daily basis, we can make adjustments, and practice offering more than we expect in return. By expecting little from others and much from ourselves, we enter the practice of Astheya.
Selfless Service (Seva)
The yogic practice of selfless service (Seva) exemplifies honest generosity. It encourages us to overcome our egos and personal desires to serve someone else. Everyone can do Seva in some way. We can share our skills, energy, time, patience, and love. If we are capable of monetary offerings, they too should be shared from the standpoint of selfless giving, not so that we may be seen as great and important.
When offered from the heart, Seva brings us joy. It can take innumerable forms limited only by our creativity. Maybe we possess a skill that a friend needs to accomplish a project, so we volunteer some time to help. Or we offer to watch the children of a single parent who is short on time so she can make a yoga or meditation class. We could cook and deliver a meal to someone who is ill or donate a belonging we own that would benefit someone else more than it does us at this time. Recipients of our gestures, whether small or large, will feel love through our thoughtfulness and non-attachment. And we benefit by feeling the happiness of giving.
Tracking Motivation Authentically
To develop a joyful heart through Astheya, we must authentically assess our motivation. We can reflect on questions like these: Am I giving in order to receive at a later date, or to obligate the recipient in some way? Am I giving because I feel guilty or unduly responsible for someone else’s needs?
If we give because we feel we should and not because we are motivated by true caring, then our effort is ego-based and will feel depleting to us and insincere to the recipient. The ego hides in many ways around the domain of giving. We must identify the tricksters of subtle manipulation and selfishness in order to successfully practice the dual elements of honesty and generosity within Astheya.
There are no hard-and-fast rules about how much or how often to give, but one test is always available. Is it motivated by love? The gift of love can be expressed through simple compassion, understanding, thoughtfulness, or empathy. By approaching Astheya in this way, we find many unpretentious yet valuable ways of giving. And regardless of our capacity to give materially, we can always give generously of our love.
Everyone needs to feel loved and it does not deplete us to give love. In fact, the more love we give, the more love we feel within. If we are feeling otherwise, it is time to reflect again on the motivation behind our giving.
Examples of giving from the energy of selfless love are listening with full attention when a friend needs to be heard, or asking about a colleague’s well-being with genuine concern. We can offer a hug to a family member in need, or say a silent prayer for a stranger we see struggling. Kindness, attention, and sincere good will benefit others and us.
In the next chapter, we explore the quality of moderation (Brahmacharya), but it is important to note here as well that a fine balance is needed between giving and receiving. We are not meant to over-give to the exclusion of our own self-care and needs. If doing for another jeopardizes our ability to remain in personal balance, then we need to be honest about that with ourselves and with them, and set appropriate boundaries.
If we work a forty-hour week, giving extensively to our employers or clients, it is necessary to practice Astheya with ourselves when the workday is over, generously replenishing our energetic storehouse. If we do too much for our children, we will eventually resent that we have no time for ourselves, not to mention that we do them a disservice by catering to their every whim. The same peacefulness and generosity we show to others we must also give to ourselves. And the same respect and honesty we offer ourselves we must show to all around us.
The Abundant Universe
Giving becomes easier when we realize that we are sustained by an abundant Universe. Infinity is the very nature of the Divine. Aligned with this truth, we feel no lack and therefore no need to take from others. By linking honesty with generosity, making it our practice to give in selfless service at every appropriate opportunity, we experience the benefits of a prosperous heart. The correlation between giving and receiving is a spiritual law. As we give more, in whatever ways we are able, we increase our experience of prosperity in direct proportion. To the degree that we give to others, we attract more of what we need.
If we acknowledge our every breath as a gift from Source, a lightness of being comes into us. We can see ourselves as temporary caretakers of the bodies we inhabit, the children we call our own, and all the material possessions that enhance our lives.
By choosing a mentality of abundance, it becomes easier to accept the changeability of life and the impermanence of all material things. We have been sustained from the time we were born through the generosity of Nature. We can trust the natural abundance that flows to us from Source, providing all that we need. Both inner serenity and outer security are the by-products of Astheya. Without grasping desire, we can remember gratitude and experience an openness that is freeing. We willingly return the favor of generosity through service and love to all.
Blending Astheya with Ahimsa, we perceive the Divine within all beings and the perfect symmetry between giving and receiving. Every moment and every interaction becomes a link between us and Spirit and an opportunity to experience relationship based on unity rather than on self-protection or self-serving. As we open our hearts in generosity, we magnify abundance for ourselves and for all those around us.
Daily Practices
Integrate an active practice of generosity into your daily life. Track your motivations for giving and also your attitudes about provision. Find your personal balance of honest offering in service to the greater good and prosperity will manifest.
Questions for Further Reflection
Take a moment with your journal now to answer the following questions. Or find a quiet pause sometime today to remember the quality of generosity and contemplate these thoughts further.
Affirmations to Post and Remember
Affirmations solidify beliefs in our subconscious minds, creating a foundation from which we can then manifest positive change in our outer lives. Repeat these often with strong intensity and full faith.