A certain Sufi master once announced that he was reviving the ceremony of gift-giving, according to which gifts were brought once a year to the tomb of one of the famous teachers. People of all classes came from distant places to give their offerings and to hear, if possible, something of the master's teaching.
The Sufi ordered that the gifts be placed on the floor in the center of the reception hall, and that all the donors sit in a circle. Then he stood in the center of the circle. He raised the gifts one after another. He returned those with a name on them to the owner.
“The rest are accepted,” he said. “You all came to learn a lesson.” Here he is. You now have the opportunity to understand the difference between lower behavior and higher behavior. Inferior behavior is what children are taught and is an important part of their training. It is about taking pleasure in giving and receiving. But the highest behavior is to give without being attached in words or thoughts to any payment for it. So, go up to that behavior, from less to more. Those who continue to settle for less will not rise. It is also impossible to receive payment with satisfaction at a lower level. This is the meaning of the teaching of restraint. Separate yourself from the lower kind of pleasures, such as thinking that you have done something good, and realize the high achievement of doing something truly useful.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru