thumb|Woman giving alms by [[János Thorma]]

Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving.

Etymology

The word alms comes from the Old English ', ', which comes from Late Latin ', from Greek ' ("pity, alms"), from , ' ("merciful"), from , ', meaning "pity or mercy".

Buddhism

thumb|Three monks seeking alms in [[Lhasa, Tibet in 1993.]]

Dāna in Buddhism

In Buddhism, both "almsgiving" and "giving" are called "dāna" (Pāli). Such giving is one of the three elements of the path of practice as formulated by the Buddha for laypeople. This path of practice for laypeople is dāna, sīla, and bhāvanā.

Generosity towards other sentient beings is also emphasized in Mahayana as one of the perfections (paramita). As shown in Lama Tsong Khapa's 'The Abbreviated Points of the Graded Path' ():

The giving of alms is the beginning of one's journey to Nirvana (). In practice, one can give anything with or without thought for Nibbana. This would lead to faith (), one key power () that one should generate within oneself for the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.

According to the Pali canon:

Intentions for giving

The intentions behind giving play an important role in developing spiritual qualities. The suttas record various motives for exercising generosity. For example, the Anguttara Nikaya (A.iv, 236) enumerates the following eight motives:

  1. One gives with annoyance, or as a way of offending the recipient, or with the idea of insulting him.
  2. Fear also can motivate a person to make an offering.
  3. One gives in return for a favor done to oneself in the past.
  4. One also may give with the hope of getting a similar favor for oneself in the future.
  5. One gives because giving is considered good.
  6. "I cook, they do not cook. It is not proper for me who cooks not to give to those who do not cook." (i.e. Some give because they are able to do what others cannot.)
  7. Some give alms to gain a good reputation.
  8. Still others give alms to adorn and beautify the mind.

In support of Buddhist monks

thumb|upright|Alms bowl as used by [[bhikkhus for going on an alms round]]

In Buddhism, alms or almsgiving is the respect given by a lay Buddhist to a Buddhist monk, nun, spiritually-developed person or other sentient being. It is not charity as presumed by Western interpreters. It is closer to a symbolic connection to the spiritual realm and to show humbleness and respect in the presence of the secular society. The act of almsgiving connects the human to the monk or nun and what he/she represents. As the Buddha has stated:

thumb|upright|Pre-packaged alms kits can be bought to donate to monks

In Theravada Buddhism, nuns (Pāli: bhikkhunis) and monks (Pāli: bhikkhus) practice Takuhatsu (') where they collect food ('). This is often perceived as allowing the laypeople to make merit (Pāli: puñña). Money cannot be accepted by a Theravadan Buddhist monk or nun in place of or in addition to food, as the Patimokkha training rules make it an offense worth forfeiture and confession.

In countries that follow Mahayana Buddhism, the practice of Takuhatsu has mostly died out. In China, Korea, and Japan, local cultures resisted the idea of giving food to 'begging' clerics, and there was no tradition of gaining 'merit' by donating to practitioners. After periods of persecution, monasteries were situated in remote mountain areas; the distance between the monastery and the nearest towns made this practice impossible. In Japan, the practice of a weekly or monthly Takuhatsu replaced the daily round. In the Himalayan countries, the large number of bhikkhus would have made an alms round a heavy burden on families. Competition with other religions for support also made daily practice difficult and even dangerous; the first Buddhist monks in the Silla dynasty of Korea were said to be beaten due to their minority at the time.

Christianity

thumb|[[Clare of Assisi|St. Clare distributes alms; Tennenbach Codex 4, illustrated before ]]

In Christianity, the giving of alms is viewed as an act of charity. In nearly all Christian denominations, money is donated to support the church's financial needs and its ministry to the less fortunate. In some churches, the alms are placed near to the altar to symbolize that the offering belongs to God and to represent the unity of the congregation.

In the New Testament, private acts of charity are a duty and considered virtuous only if not done for others to admire:

Jesus places the primary focus on the motives behind the outward and inward giving of alms, which should be love:

thumb|Jesus commends this poor but generous woman in .

Jesus contrasts the giving of the rich and the poor:

Giving should be out of love and not out of duty:

In the Apostolic age, Christians were taught that giving alms was an expression of love. Such care for the poor was to be understood as love for God, who, in the person of Jesus Christ, sacrificed himself for the salvation of believers. Sharing possessions was practised in the church:

In Western Christianity

thumb|Collecting the Offering in a [[Scottish Kirk by John Phillip]]

The offertory is the traditional moment in the Roman Catholic Mass, Lutheran Divine Service, and Anglican Eucharist, when alms are collected. Baptists and Methodists, among other denominations, collect tithes and offerings (alms) during the offertory in church services. A tithe, the first tenth of one's income, is seen as what is owed to God, while an offering (alms) includes anything contributed beyond that. Some fellowships practice regular giving for special purposes called "love offerings" for the poor, destitute or victims of catastrophic loss such as home fires or medical expenses. Traditionally, deacons and deaconesses are responsible for distributing these gifts among widows, orphans, and others in need. Many Christians support a plethora of charitable organizations, not all of which claim a Christian religious affiliation. Many American educational and medical institutions were founded by Christian fellowships giving alms.

For Roman Catholics, alm is a mandatory work of mercy. Pope Leo XIV observes that "almsgiving ... nowadays is not looked upon favorably even among believers", but "we Christians must not abandon almsgiving. It can be done in different ways, and surely more effectively, but it must continue to be done. It is always better at least to do something rather than nothing."

In Eastern Christianity

In the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, the collection of alms and tithes has not been formally united to the offertory in any liturgical action. However, either having a collection plate in the narthex or passing it unobtrusively during the service is not uncommon. In Eastern Orthodox theology, almsgiving is an important part of the spiritual life, and fasting should always be accompanied by increased prayer and almsgiving. Almsgiving in the name of the deceased also frequently accompanies prayer for the dead. Those whose financial circumstances do not permit the giving of monetary alms may give alms in other ways, such as intercessory prayer and acts of mercy such as visiting people in prison, clothing the poor or volunteering in soup kitchens.

Hinduism

right|thumb|Lady giving alms at the Temple by [[Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906)]]

Dāna in Hinduism

In Hinduism, ' () is an ancient concept of almsgiving dating to the Vedic period of Hinduism. ' has been defined in traditional texts as any action of relinquishing the ownership of what one considered or identified as one's own, and investing the same in a recipient without expecting anything in return. While ' is typically given to one person or family, Hinduism also discusses charity or giving aimed at public benefit, which is sometimes called utsarga. This aims at larger projects such as building a rest house, school, investing in drinking water or an irrigation well, planting trees, and building care facilities, among others. The practice of begging for alms is called bhiksha ().

The 11th century Persian historian Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī, who visited and lived in India for 16 years beginning in about 1017 CE, mentions the practice of charity and almsgiving among Hindus as he observed during his stay. He wrote, "It is obligatory with them (Hindus) every day to give alms as much as possible."

Judaism

Tzedakah

thumb|Sandstone vestige of a Jewish gravestone depicting a [[tzedakah box (pushke) in a Jewish cemetery in Otwock (Karczew-Anielin), Poland.]]

thumb|Tzedakah pouch and gelt ([[Yiddish language|Yiddish for coins/money) on fur-like padding.]]

In Judaism, tzedakah, a Hebrew term literally meaning righteousness but commonly used to signify "charity", refers to the religious obligation to do what is right and just. In the Greek Septuagint tzedakah was sometimes translated as , "almsgiving".

In Judaism, tzedakah is seen as one of the greatest deeds that a person can do. Tzedakah, along with prayer and repentance, is regarded as ameliorating the consequences of bad acts. Contemporary tzedakah is regarded as a continuation of the Biblical Maaser Ani, or poor-tithe, as well as Biblical practices including permitting the poor to glean the corners of a field, harvest during the Shmita (sabbatical year), and other practices. Jewish farmers are commanded to leave the corners of their fields for the starving to harvest for food and are forbidden to pick up any grain that has been dropped during harvesting, as such food shall be left for the starving as well.

In the Mishneh Torah, Chapter 10:7–14, Maimonides lists eight "laws about giving to poor people" ('), listed in order from most to least righteous, with the most righteous form being allowing an individual to become self-sustaining and capable of giving others charity:

  1. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant.
  2. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity.
  3. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity.
  4. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity.
  5. Giving before being asked.
  6. Giving after being asked.
  7. Giving less than you should, but giving it cheerfully.
  8. Giving begrudgingly.

Mandaeism

Zidqa

In Mandaeism, zidqa refers to alms or almsgiving. Mandaean priests receive regular financial contributions from laypeople.

The Mandaic term zidqa brika (literally "blessed oblation") refers to a ritual meal blessed by priests. An early self-appellation for Mandaeans is bhiri zidqa, meaning "elect of righteousness".

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • Mydans, Seth (20 September 2007). Monks Pressure Myanmar Junta (New York Times). Retrieved 20 September 2007 from "The New York Times
  • Nyanatiloka Mahathera (4th ed., 1980). Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. . Available on-line at Budsas.org
  • Pāli Text Society (PTS) (1921–1925). The Pāli Text Society's Pāli-English dictionary. London: Chipstead. Available on-line at Uchicago.edu
  • Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997). Tanhavagga: Craving (Dhp XXIV). Available on-line at Accesstoinsight.org
  • Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2001). The Group of Fours (Itivuttaka 4). Available on-line at Accesstoinsight.org
  • Tsongkhapa & Alexander Berzin (trans.) (2001). The Abbreviated Points of the Graded Path. Available on-line at StudyBuddhism.com