The Indo-European root of the word
generous, gene, means “to give birth” and gives rise to words like
germinate, generate, genius, and kin. Generosity is the act that connects in
profound ways through the process of giving and receiving.
Buddhism stresses the practice of giving
and the virtue of generosity. This is dana, which is one of the “ten
perfections.” The simple rice bowl becomes the monk’s begging bowl, a symbol of
a vow of poverty.