Sacrifice
Giving up something precious for a higher purpose — the spiritual act at the heart of devotion.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
“It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him.”
“Superior to any material sacrifice is the sacrifice of knowledge, O Arjuna. All actions in their entirety culminate in knowledge.”
“The Bodhisattva, as Prince Vessantara, gave away everything he possessed — his kingdom, his children, his wife — practicing the perfection of generosity to its ultimate extreme.”