Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving:

Excerpted and adapted (with many thanks) from Exotic India
***************************************************************************
Living Like Trees: The Hindu and Buddhist Ideal of Sharing
***********************************************************************
Generosity is an essential attitude, and is the best way of offsetting the human tendency of individual self-centeredness and attachment. Thus says the ancient Buddhist Canon:
'Like a jar of water, when overturned, empties all its contents, never to receive them back, thus should one give away without regard to money, fame, one's progeny, or even our own body to anybody who approaches us with a wish list.'

If we are lucky enough to have somebody needful at our threshold, it is perhaps God himself who has condescended to bless us. Thus is it said:
'With a guest come all the gods. If a guest is honored, so are they; if he goes away disappointed, they are disappointed, too.'

Significantly, the word used for guest in Sanskrit is 'atithi', 'tithi' meaning date and the prefix 'a' negating it. Therefore, one who arrives unexpectedly without prior date or appointment is the guest extolled here:
“An atithi is an occasion for heaven, and all gods are satisfied when he is satisfied.”

Krishna compares unselfish magnanimity with the inspiring life of trees:
"Have a look at these great blessed trees, who live only for the welfare of others, themselves facing the severity of stormy winds, heavy showers, heat and snow, all the while protecting us from them. The birth of trees is the most blessed in the world, as they contribute unreservedly to the well being of all creatures. Just as no needy person ever returns disappointed from the house of a benevolent individual, similarly do these trees do for those who approach them for shelter. All of their many parts - leaves, flowers, fruits, shadow, roots, bark, wood and fragrance, are useful to others. Indeed, there are many who live on this earth, but the birth of only those is successful, who, as far as possible, through their wealth, intellect, speech and lives, engage in acts conducive to the welfare of others."

There is a quote found in Hindu holy writings:
“Man has right over only that much wealth as is enough to satisfy his hunger.”

Selfless giving does not expect anything in return. It is perhaps only a way of saying thanks to the one god who has created us all in equality. According to Krishna, a sharing which wants its price is but mere shop keeping:
"Those who love only when loved, their whole enterprise is based on selfishness. It is only giving and taking. It is nor a joining of hearts. This love is just for self-interest and nothing else. Those who show affection to even those who do not reciprocate their love are like parents, full of karuna (compassion)."

The sense of giving is not mere alms giving or charity, but a sharing of what one has been given, in the awareness that one's life is connected with other beings. Hospitality is one such expression of this realization.

In Buddhism, generosity is not only the act of giving and gift itself, but the mental state of liberality as well. Thus it is not the absolute size of the gift that is noteworthy, but its proportion of one's own goods, that characterizes the abundance of a gift.

Our experience of the world is one of interdependence, and we do not exist as isolated elements but are related to each other as many strands of a fabric.