The Sweetness of Sharing and the Poverty of Stinginess

On a sweltering afternoon at the monastery, the heat left everyone weary. The abbot sat down to eat with a pot of fragrant mung bean sweet soup. After just a few spoonfuls, he suddenly paused, frowned, and then burst into hearty laughter. His disciples looked on in surprise and asked, "Venerable sir, the soup is delicious, so why are you laughing?"

The abbot set his bowl down and spoke with a playful tone. "Who cooked this pot of soup? Please hand over all the temple’s funds to that person for safekeeping!"

The disciples were even more confused. The abbot explained, "Because there is not a single grain of sugar in this entire pot. The cook was too frugal, afraid of spending money on sugar, resulting in a bland taste. This is a perfect image of the mind of stinginess—selfishness and miserliness."

He shared another story. "Yesterday, I was hungry and asked my attendant to make me a sandwich with butter. When the bread arrived, I opened it to find a layer of butter thinner than a paper napkin. I immediately decided to transfer the role of treasurer—the one who guards the money—to this same attendant. Why? Because he guards things so tightly that even his eating habits are stingy. Surely, not a single coin of the temple’s wealth would go missing under his watch."

As the smiles faded, the abbot’s expression turned serious. He looked directly at his disciples. "Do not think this is merely a joke. Hoarding money in your home without daring to use it or share it is only an illusion of wealth. Two people might eat the same bowl of pho and enjoy it equally, yet one hides billions in a safe while the other lives simply. In terms of actual happiness, they are not very different. The hoarder buys only a false sense of security."

"The Buddha taught," the abbot emphasized, "that the mind of stinginess is not just about withholding money; it is also about hiding knowledge and talent. If you possess something good but refuse to share it, you will not be skilled in your next life. Conversely, if you are generous in giving and ready to transmit goodness to others, you will be intelligent in future lives, learning one thing and understanding ten. Great geniuses do not appear by chance; they accumulate blessings from sharing over dozens, even hundreds of lifetimes."

He concluded, "Reserving resources is necessary if done for noble reasons, such as caring for disciples or preparing for emergencies. But if you hoard solely out of greed, selfishness, and a desire to accumulate for yourself alone, it is a transgression. Remember, even the air we breathe is not free; we pay for it with merit. If you cling tightly to possessions and fail to create new merit, one day heaven and earth will 'cut off the power,' and we will lose the capacity to enjoy anything at all."

The Meaning of the Story

This narrative illustrates the harmful effects of a stingy mind—characterized by selfishness and miserliness—from the perspective of cause and effect (karmic law). Clinging tightly to assets and knowledge not only diminishes the quality of our current life, much like the sugarless sweet soup, but it also severs the source of future blessings. The lesson is clear: generosity, giving, and sharing are not just moral behaviors; they are the keys that unlock success, wisdom, and lasting happiness across many lifetimes.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Most Venerable Thich Chan Quang