PTC Monastery’s dharma center in Richmond, Palpung Shenpen Tharchin, has recently begun to study the six paramitas. We’ll meet the first Thursday evening of each month, beginning in January 2026, to discuss one paramita, and the homework for the rest of the month will be to look for opportunities to practice it as much as possible. January’s topic and assignment is the paramita of generosity, and the homework is discussed below.

The paramitas, aka perfections, aka transcending actions, are the action plan of bodhicitta, which is the intention to fully awaken to our own true nature of wisdom and compassion in order to help others do the same. There are six paramitas, and according to Gampopa they unfold in the order in which they are traditionally presented: generosity, ethics, patience, joyful diligence, meditative stability, and transcendent knowledge (aka the wisdom that realizes emptiness). Actually practicing the paramitas (not just studying them) is how we wake ourselves up.

So we begin with generosity, our January topic and assignment. For a deeper understanding, I recommend reading about the paramitas in books by our teachers, such as Path to Buddhahood by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, which is an overview of the entire path to awakening for contemporary Western students based closely on Gampopa’s classic text Ornament of Precious Liberation (also highly recommended). You can also find teachings online. For now, we just need to have a basic understanding of the three types of generosity, which we will practice as much as possible during the coming month.

1. Material generosity: This one is pretty straightforward and clear: from letting someone else have the last or biggest slice of pie, to donating money to food banks and other charities, to giving away a personal possession to someone to whom it would bring joy, to offering a sandwich or a few dollars to someone who needs it. There are a couple of pitfalls to avoid, such as giving an object that is likely to cause harm, or giving to someone who is likely to misuse it in a harmful way, or giving away something that will cause pain to another person who is attached to it. There’s more information about this in Path to Buddhahood and other resources, but no need to worry too much about it, we can just use our best judgment in whatever situation arises. I’ve heard from several teachers that when we’re not sure, it’s best to err on the side of generosity, as it’s always possible to find a reason not to practice it. And all the texts emphasize that the essence of the paramita of generosity is to give joyfully, without attachment or regret (to the best of our capacity, since we’re working on perfecting the practice, which is not yet perfected; if we do happen to feel a pang we can recognize it and move on).

2. Giving emotional support and care: In the traditional texts this is called giving fearlessness. I’ve read that it can refer to saving the lives of beings who are in danger, and of course that is an important practice should we find ourselves in such a situation. But I think we could also understand it as giving whatever kind of non-material, perhaps emotional, support is needed, and there is no end to the ways in which we can practice this. Among the ones we discussed the first Thursday of January: we can help friends or family who are facing illness or obstacles. There may be material ways in which we can help them, such as sending food or helping them with errands, medical appointments, car trouble, etc. But often the greatest — and rarest — gift we can give is our presence. If someone is ill, dying, or distressed, we can inquire as to whether they would like company, and we can be with them in whatever way helps alleviate their suffering, preferably while refraining from giving advice unless it’s asked for. We can listen to whatever they wish to talk about, or just share activities they enjoy. If we can’t be with them in person, perhaps we might check in regularly by phone or email or send a card or letter to let them know we’re thinking of them.

Emotional generosity could also be practiced in the more traditional form of giving fearlessness if we are in a position, for example, to speak up for someone who is vulnerable in a difficult situation, such as bullying or trolling or racial, gender-based, or other types of belittlement or harassment. 

I think there are also more subtle ways to practice emotional generosity, such as reminding ourselves that there can be more than one side to any story before judging someone or criticizing them, and if the situation allows, perhaps asking for clarification and listening to their side with an open mind before we make up our mind; or letting someone else have the last word in a trivial disagreement. I find many opportunities for these last two on any given day; the trick is to remember!

3. Generosity with the dharma: This can be a tricky one. There may occasionally be an opportunity to share what we’ve learned from the dharma in order to help someone navigate a challenging or distressing situation — while being careful not to proselytize or use Buddhist terminology (unless we know they’re interested in Buddhism). But I think the most effective way to practice this for many of us might be through the example of simply being fully present to our own experience in any given moment, especially the difficult ones, with an open, relaxed mind and a strong intention to pause and get our bearings before reacting from one of the emotional afflictions such as anger, greed, jealousy, pride or confusion. Putting the dharma into practice by regulating our own emotional responses is a very powerful way to share the charma with others, without necessarily speaking a word.

So the homework for the rest of this month is to be alert for opportunities to practice each of these types of generosity, and then follow through and put it into practice. You could keep a log if that would be helpful, and for PST sangha members, we’ll check in next month before going on to the second paramita, ethics. 

For a bit more background on generosity: 37 practices: verse 25