Giving (dāna) is a fundamental virtue in Buddha's teachings. It serves as the foundation and seed for spiritual development. Dāna marks the start of the path to liberation. The Buddha often begins his teachings with the virtues of giving.
Objects of Giving:
- Material Gifts: These include food, drink, garments, vehicles, garlands, scents, unguents, bedding, dwellings, and lamps.
- The Gift of Dhamma: The gift of the Dhamma (dhammadāna) is considered to excel all other gifts. This involves sharing the Buddha's teachings through sermons, books, discussions, or support for meditation centers.
- Giving Fearlessness: By observing the five precepts, one gives fearlessness, love, and benevolence to all beings.
Motivations for Giving:
- Impure Motivations: These include giving with annoyance, fear, or hope for reciprocation.
- Pure Motivations: Giving because it is good, or out of altruism.
- Highest Motivation: This is associated with wisdom, understanding of karmic law, impermanence, and the aim of enlightenment. The intention to strengthen one’s efforts to attain Nibbāna is also the most excellent motive. *
- Adorning the mind: The only valid motive for giving should be the motive of adorning the mind, to rid the mind of the ugliness of greed and selfishness. *
Right Attitude of Givingis also discussed in the podcast.
Disclaimer: This podcast uses AI to interpret Buddhist texts. While I strive for accuracy, some discrepancies and mispronunciations may occur. Misquoting Buddha is considered a Bad Kamma and I would consider this to be wrong on my part to not warn you of errors in this episodes. Thus, Explore the original teachings for deeper clarity and use these podcasts only as a push to read the books and original teachings.
* = There could be more clarity available on this in the book "Manual of Perfections" by Ledi Sayadaw. Other book referred is Dana - The practice of Giving by Bhikkhu Bodhi.
