Dāna, when given with pure volition, is highly beneficial and makes our unhealthy minds healthy. When one gives dāna, the mind which is filled with avarice, harshness, enmity, selfishness, miserliness, and dullness, becomes noble, gentle, tender, tranquil, generous, virtuous and lively.
To give dāna is the fundamental duty of householders. In the ancient spiritual tradition of India, dāna has always had special importance. In ancient times, virtuous and wealthy householders and sages of the past—Aṣṭaka, Vāmaka, Vāmadeva, Viśhvāmitra Yamadagni, Aṅgirasa, Bhāradvāja, Vaśhiṣhṭa, Kāśyapa and others—used to organise great ceremonies of dāna. Noble donors like Emperor Vessantara in ancient times and Emperor Harṣha subsequently have established the illustrious ideal of donating all their possessions. Their volition behind giving dāna was truly lofty. The volition of all for giving dāna should be similarly lofty and pure. Because of the distinctive organisation of society, the wealth of the people keeps getting accumulated with the rulers and with wealthy men. If this wealth remains acculumated in one place, it begins to rot like stagnant water. It makes the whole community unhealthy. If wealth keeps coming and going like flowing water, then its purity is maintained.
Having understood this, the donor, in order to save himself from the improper hoarding of wealth and considering his wealth as the wealth of the community, used to give dāna with the purpose of equitable distribution, so that all can share and enjoy this accumulated wealth. This wisdom of equitable distribution of wealth preserved the equilibrium of social prosperity and prevented it from becoming an unbalanced destructive force. The wealthy donor used to distribute his wealth equitably from time to time according to his wisdom and sense of duty. He did not give his wealth with the desire to obtain something in return, nor to boost his own ego by regarding others as inferior. This used to be the greatness of dāna. This used to be the purity of dāna.
"Viceyya dānaṃ dātabbaṃ, yattha dinnaṃ mahapphalaṃ."
Pure dāna, given with wisdom and discrimination is highly beneficial. Therefore, we should learn to give dāna with wisdom and discrimination.
There are two kinds of dāna:
1. Vaṭṭamūlaka dāna: meaning the dāna that keeps us entangled in the cycle of existence (bhavacakka).
2. Vivaṭṭamūlaka dāna: meaning the dāna that takes us out of the cycle of existence. The person with the right volition of mind gives only that dāna which gets him out of the cycle of existence, not that which binds him in the cycle of existence.
As with all other kamma, so too the kamma of dāna is good or bad according to the volition of the mind. Depending on the volition of the mind, the seeds of kamma are produced and nature keeps producing fruits accordingly. The vivaṭṭamūlaka mind that cuts the cycle of existence is free of craving, free of aversion, free of ignorance. Only the dāna given with this kind of mind is called vivaṭṭamūlaka dāna, which destroys the cycle of existence.While giving such dāna we do not consider our own benefit at all. Instead, we are delighted to see the happiness and welfare of the person receiving the dāna. When we take delight in the happiness of others, then our minds become pure and tender. We are freed from the limitations and harshness of narrow self-interest.
But if while giving dāna we wish for any personal benefit, our mind thus stained with craving, is vaṭṭamūlaka. Dāna given with such volition of mind will only prolong the cycle of existence. If as a result of giving dāna, we wish for worldly happiness and fame; we wish for eminence; we wish for honour and prestige; we wish for profit and respect; we wish for heaven and emancipation; then our mind, which is overwhelmed with such desires, remains in bondage instead of becoming free from bondage.
Therefore, giving dāna with the mind stained with craving is wrong but even worse is to give dāna with the mind defiled with aversion. That becomes a cause of even greater harm to us; it becomes a process of earning demerits in the name of Dhamma. Not only do we lose the donated wealth, but simultaneously, the kamma done with a defiled mind becomes the cause of great sorrow and misfortune.
Let us understand by examples how we give dāna with the mind defiled with aversion:
A beggar standing outside my door is calling out, "Sir! Give alms, sir! Give alms!" Becoming enraged at his repeated pleas, I throw a five paise coin towards him so as to get rid of the nuisance. At that time, my mind is filled with anger and abhorrence.
Some people collecting donations for some school, hospital, or ashram, have come to my shop. As soon as I see them, I fly into a rage and start grumbling, "Donation, donation! All the time, people are asking for donations! Accountant, give them five rupees and get rid of them." While giving them the money, my mind is filled with resentment. I am eager to be free of these undesirable donation-seekers.
Some minister or political leader calls me to his office or home and says that I shall have to give a certain amount of money for some charity. I do not have the slightest interest in that charity. But I am afraid because if I refuse, I may not get the next quota, permit, or licence. Or I may be embroiled in some investigation and my business may be ruined. I give dāna because of this fear.
My Dhamma-teacher (kalyāna mitta) has sent a message that you should give this much dāna for this work. I do not wish to give this dāna but do so out of deference and diffidence.
The rest of the people in my community have given dāna for some work. I do not have the slightest desire to give any dāna for that work. But if I do not do so, it will harm my reputation, others will criticize me. So I give dāna because of this fear.
My rival has given so much dāna for some charity that he has become famous. This has caused jealousy in my mind. Obsessed by egotism, I give more than him to break his pride and to put him down.
In this way, I give dāna with the unwholesome volition of anger, rage, resentment, abhorrence, fear, deference, diffidence, rivalry, jealousy, hostility, pride, and conceit. And after giving such dāna, I regret whenever I remember it and defile my mind. Not only is the dāna of such unwholesome volition not beneficial; it also becomes the cause of my sorrow and misfortune.
All actions done with wholesome Dhamma-volition are beneficial; all actions done with unwholesome volition are unbeneficial. Therefore dāna given with wholesome volition is beneficial; dāna given with unwholesome volition is unbeneficial. So dāna should always be given with wholesome volition. When dāna is given with wholesome volition, the mind is filled with a feeling of renunciation; it is filled with delight at the happiness and benefit of others. It is filled with contentment before giving dāna, while giving dāna and after giving dāna.
Before giving dāna, such joyful thoughts keep arising in the mind, "I shall give dāna! How many will benefit from my dāna! How many will gain happiness!"
While giving dāna also, my mind is suffused with these joyful thoughts, "I am giving dāna! I am fulfilling the duty of a householder! By this dāna, the recipient will benefit and gain happiness! Many others will also be benefitted and gain happiness!"
Even after giving dāna my mind is repeatedly filled with these auspicious thoughts, "Oh! I have given the dāna of choice food eating which; I have given the dāna of fine clothes wearing which; I have given the dāna of excellent medicines partaking of which; the recipient will be healthy and strong in mind and body and practising sīla, samādhi, and paññā, he will attain his own welfare and will become the cause of the welfare of many! I have given the dāna of this cottage staying in which the meditator will practise sīla, samādhi and paññā! By practising samatha and vipassana bhāvanā, he will experience the peace and happiness of nibbāna and will become the cause of the peace and happiness of many!"
Whether the recipient of my dāna is a fully liberated arahant or any virtuous saintly person who is a follower of the path of arahants, my mind will be filled with boundless joy and exultation, "Oh! It is my good fortune that, by my dāna, such a saintly person will remain healthy and strong for some time, and through him, many others will gain happiness! By accepting my dāna he has bestowed boundless compassion on me!"
In this way before giving dāna, while giving dāna, as well as after giving dāna, the donor fills his mind with pure contentment and makes it gentle.
Pubbeva dānā sumano, dadaṃ cittaṃ pasādaye;
datvā attamano hoti, esā yaññassa sampadā.
(Aṅguttara-Nikāya 2.6.37, Chaḷaṅgadānasuttaṃ)
The donor is happy before giving dāna, fills his mind with contentment while giving dāna, and is delighted after giving dāna. Such is the abundance of happiness of dāna offered with wholesome volition.
