The Giver Should be Thankful

Another way to look at Stewardship. Not that we shouldn't say "Thank you", but what is the wisdom in this story for you?

While Seisetsu was the master of Engaku in Kamakura he required larger quarters, since those in which he was teaching were overcrowded. Umezu Seibei, a merchant of Edo, decided to donate five hundred pieces of gold called ryo toward the construction of a more commodious school. This money he brought to the teacher.

Seisetsu said: "All right. I will take it."

Umezu gave Seisetsu the sack of gold, but he was dissatisfied with the attitude of the teacher. One might live a whole year on three ryo, and the merchant had not even been thanked for five hundred.

"In that sack are five hundred ryo," hinted Umezu.

"You told me that before," replied Seisetsu.

"Even if I am a wealthy merchant, five hundred ryo is a lot of money," said Umezu.

"Do you want me to thank you for it?" asked Seisetsu.

"You ought to," replied Uzemu.

Why should I?" inquired Seisetsu. "The giver should be thankful."

from www.Spiritual-Short-Stories.com

Then add this thought:

Tzedakah (sa-da-ka) is the Jewish tradition of giving at least ten percent of one’s income to charity. Rather than referring to generosity, it is more related to justice or fairness, giving the poor their due. According to tradition, the spiritual benefit of giving to the poor is so great that the one who receives the aid actually does the giver a favor