A German Buddhist nun, Ayya Khema, says that generosity diminishes the ego—that diminishing the ego is the essence of the path of purification, and leads to the eventual experience of non-self. Before he teaches meditation, before he teaches the Four Noble Truths or the Eightfold Path, the Buddha teaches generosity because it’s such a direct way to letting go. And since the cause of suffering is not letting go, this shows a direct way to end suffering.