A Closer Look at Tithing

I think we all know what tithing is. It's in the Bible, and at some point we've heard it from our parents or our parish priest. Of course, for students of esoteric spirituality, one can actually be more scientific in how they do tithing. This is discussed in detail at the GMCKS Kriyashakti course, by the way.

Before I embarked on the esoteric path, all I knew about tithing was that it's the good thing to do. It wasn't enough for me to do it regularly, though. And then I got into pranic healing and I learned that not only does tithing earn good karma for oneself, it's also one of the tools that helps mitigate one's negative karma (the other being service). A few days ago I came out with a post about taking control of one's life that deals with this topic specifically.

So now I started tithing more regularly, and took it more seriously after hearing the testimonials of people who experienced a change in their lives after tithing regularly. Yet for all that, I'm still trying to puzzle out exactly how tithing works. I know that tithing = good things happening, but how exactly it enacts that process, that's what I've always been thinking about. How does giving money translate into lessening one's negative karma? How is it that we can seemingly "buy off" negative karma the way we repay a loan at the bank? It boggles the mind to think that something as physical as money can counteract something as intangible as negative karma.

Among all the esoteric works I've managed to read so far, the kabbalistic belief comes closest to explaining tithing. It has something to do with our physical reality representing one-tenth of the total reality. According to the kabbalah, there are ten dimensions of reality, represented by the ten sefirot. This is why we tithe 10% (i.e. one-tenth of our income), because this lowest dimension is the realm of the Adversary. Therefore, giving up 10% cuts out the force of the Adversary from our income and our lives.

It makes sense, but for me, there is still something more that is missing. And then yesterday, I learned from my manghihilot (Filipino-style masseur) that before Holy Week, he was held up at knife point and lost his cellphone as well as his earnings for the day. It was a big blow for him, because beyond the monetary loss, all his customers' contact information was in his cellphone, and he had no way to tell most of them that he had lost his phone. And then it struck me, the thing about negative karma coming into fruitition is that it involves the concept of loss. When one gets sick, it involves a loss of good health, loss of comfort and loss of money (to pay for the medicine and hospital bills). When we fight with someone, we lose peace of mind and harmony.

Negative karma finds physical expression and representation somehow, either materially, financially or in terms of ill health. Therefore my theory is that in tithing one is able to substitute the loss that was supposed to be brought about by negative karma with a voluntary giving up of a portion of one's income for the benefit of others. Viewed in this way, it still does not violate the concept that all karma needs to be repaid. Because it is a voluntary "loss" or sacrifice, the effort is more productive in that one's tithe is supposed to result in something good for others, therefore preventing involuntary and painful loss on one's part while still balancing out the negative deed that one did before. The act of making it voluntary signals that one has taken responsibility for one's past misdeeds, thus setting the forces of mercy and compassion in motion.

Going back to the case of my manghihilot, perhaps if he had tithed regularly from way back, then perhaps there would have been no need to lose his cellphone and day's earnings, because the equivalent amount would have been covered by his tithing over the years. Additionally, he would have preserved his contact list so that his income level would not have been affected at all. Of course, I would like to add that it is not about the exact amount at all, but rather what the offering means for oneself (take a look at Mark 12:41-44, about the widow's offering). This is why a tithe is "a tenth" of one's income instead of a set amount, so that rich or poor, 10% is still 10%.

The theory makes sense and I'm glad that finally there is a workable explanation for one of the questions that has been on my mind for some time. I hope I can come across a piece of esoteric work that would eventually verify this theory.