View Full Version : Giving: a Zen perspective
When we practice giving, it seems to me, there is the risk of actually reinforcing our selfishness -- and even worse, adding a dose of self-righteousness. Look at how generous I am! I'm such a good Buddhist! It seems very difficult to avoid this trap altogether.
Even worse, we tend to be highly selective with our generosity -- more eager to extend help to certain people than others, for motives which inevitably turn out to be self-interested. Corporations use charitable donations to buff up their image (and earn tax breaks), and wealthy individuals do the same...again for reasons which are far from pure. It seems very difficult to really practice unconditional giving. No wonder it is termed a "perfection".
From a talk (http://http://www.zencenter.com/Teachers/DharmaTalks/Roshi%20Egyoku%20Nakao%20-%20Dana%20Paramita.php) by Roshi Wendy Egyoku Naka:
We say that the giver, receiver, and the gift itself are empty and peaceful. This is our standard for dana paramita: the giver is empty of self, the receiver is empty of self, and the thing given is empty of self. Simply selfless. Without this wisdom, giving is an ego trip. How can we cross over to a life where benefiting others is more important than our own self-interests? Unsurpassable giving is realizing that there is no one who possesses and that there is nothing to possess. When we realize this, giving and receiving is done without any thought of loss or gain.
Giving and receiving are not based on any conditions or self-consciousness. There is only giving. When we live in this way, our generosity flows from the unlimited treasure house that is our intrinsic nature.
We can see here that, in Mahayana, dana is related directly to sunyata (emptiness of self-nature) and tathagatagarbha (Buddha nature). Or, rather, we could say that insight into the latter is necessary in order to perfect the practice of dana.
She goes on to discuss three kinds of dana: the giving of material goods, the giving of the dharma, and the giving of no-fear. The first is easiest but can be deceptive -- because material help is not always beneficial. If I have a friend who is a new parent, and I present her with a pile of electronic toys that will contribute to her child having a short attention span, how am I helping her in any way?
What has been your experience with cultivating dana? Do you focus more on acts of giving -- whether of material goods, your time, the dharma or liberative insight -- or are you more centered on making spiritual progress so you can become a better bodhisattva? Or both at the same time?
What do you think about Buddhist philanthropy, i.e organizations such as Tzu Chi, as an "engaged" form of dana practice?
I make an effort to give when I have enough to do it without regret and I try to do it when I think it will help the other person (you never really know; you can make an educated guess and maintain proper intention). I try to always avoid thinking about merit when I give, but feel happy about it afterward and rejoice in it. I don't give because I'm supposed to give; I give because I have a real wish to give in that moment of engagement with another being (or observing them and seeing some need). It's hard for me to look at someone when I give them money; however I try to look, briefly, at least; ...and when I do that I am generally rewarded; their look back provides a feeling of connection. The feeling of being connected with another being (in the context of caring for them) as a far better feeling than the feeling of simply having done something good for another being.
That's my personal experience; here's my opinion:
If your intent in giving is to end/ameliorate suffering of some being(s) in furtherance of your vow, you make efforts to determine the needs of any recipients to avoid giving things that may bring harm, have the ability to give what's requested or needed, and don't regret the act, then I think it's a beneficial thing to do.
Having correct motivation AND the ability to give properly are the keys.
You can give material wealth, teach dharma, or give no-fear/protection in order to gain merit for your own practice, for example...which, of course, insures that you'll never gain much merit (self-seeking behavior). My teacher just addressed this last night. For example if you think "let me find someone who is suffering so I can give them something and gain the merit from that activity", that's totally wrong motivation. One should work to relieve suffering because there is suffering and a chance to alleviate it; no other reason is needed.
You can also give material wealth, dharma, or non-fear/protection unskillfully--- You can give a beggar $10 and she or he might use if for something harmful to themselves or others (as was pointed out, using the electronic gadget reference), teach dharma incorrectly due to lack of knowledge or confusion, or offer freedom from fear in a way that actually induces greater fear, due to your own bad qualities or unskillful behavior.
You can also give any of the above and then later regret that giving because you couldn't afford it, missed some opportunity for samsaric advancement or pleasure (you missed watching your favorite TV program while you were on the phone with a friend in need of some advice), or the like. These qualms also negate much of the benefits of that giving by associating what should be a selfless and spontaneous act to remove suffering with negative personal consequences.
(NB: Regret is one of the 4 so-called "changeable" mental factors. That's because it can either arise as a virtuous or non-virtuous mind. If you regret using harsh speech with a friend, for example, that's a virtuous mind; regretting your in-kind gift of food to a starving person is almost always a non-virtuous mind, unless, I suppose, you were also starving at the time, and you're now about to die from lack of food and will be unable to continue to practice or help others. Then you'd be regretting giving up your ability to engage in Bodhisattva activities.)
One of my main teachers says that one should not intentionally seek out opportunities for dana as a means of spiritual advancement. Dana should be engaged in with a mind that is focused on removing someone's suffering, not gaining merit. (which does NOT mean that one should ignore the fact that it generates merit; one should rejoice in all virtue including one's own virtuous acts). Fortunately virtually every being we meet is suffering, and has real needs, so we have ample opportunities to engage in one of the 3 types of dana or some other perfection (such as patience, for example; harder to do but far more opportunities to do it) or, if we find ourselves unable to actually interact with the people around us and give material aid, teach dharma, offer freedom from fear, we can at least form the intention to actually help them when we have that ability. We can at least think "may this being over here never have to suffer from ___", may this emaciated person have enough food, shelter, medical care...etc, may someone else who appears to be lonely, old, and sick have no fear, have friends to be with them, have good medical care, have a spiritual guide, etc.; or even "may ALL such beings not have to suffer whatever he/she is going through, may someone with skill to teach the dharma appear to each one of the people on this train during their lives" ; These kinds of activities all reflect proper Bodhisattva motivation. Most of us have a constant stream of opportunity to engage in such activities without ever having to bring it to mind "Ohh....I need to find someone to give something to for my practice".
(edited to add: thinking "may I be able to give this person___ " at some future time is also a good practice for those who are too uncomfortable or otherwise hesitant to engage in giving on a regular basis)
As for correct view when engaging in such activities; as one gains greater knowledge about the nature of the act of giving, the subject and object, there is an accompanying practice one can and should engage in whenever giving, or any of the 6; reflecting on their true nature while performing these acts. Additionally, there are some practitioners with sharp faculties who can and should study emptiness early on in their practice and who may be able to bring this knowledge of the 3 spheres into their Bodhisattva practice from the outset; naturally, it's something that makes Bodhisattvas unique; they engage suffering beings constantly, seeing suffering beings, helping suffering beings, and seeing their own actions , all the while knowing that, in emptiness/ultimately, there is no one suffering and no end to suffering and no method to end suffering, and no being, which helps another being end suffering. For beings like me, there are suffering beings, they do suffer, and I may be able to help alleviate that suffering in various ways.
Virtually every being we meet is suffering, and has real needs, so we have ample opportunities to engage in one of the 3 types of dana or some other perfection (such as patience, for example; harder to do but far more opportunities to do it) or, if we find ourselves unable to actually interact with the people around us and give material aid, teach dharma, offer freedom from fear, we can at least form the intention to actually help them when we have that ability. We can at least think "may this being over here never have to suffer from ___", may this emaciated person have enough food, shelter, medical care...etc, may someone else who appears to be lonely, old, and sick have no fear, have friends to be with them, have good medical care, have a spiritual guide, etc.; or even "may ALL such beings not have to suffer whatever he/she is going through, may someone with skill to teach the dharma appear to each one of the people on this train during their lives" ; These kinds of activities all reflect proper Bodhisattva motivation. Most of us have a constant stream of opportunity to engage in such activities without ever having to bring it to mind "Ohh....I need to find someone to give something to for my practice".
That's for sure. I've found practically every interaction over the course of the day provides such an opportunity, perhaps especially the ones where I start to feel impatient or otherwise reluctant to engage. It's almost as though the discomfort is a measure of the situation's potential as a moment of giving. It can be very easy, mindlessly so, to write a check to one's charity of choice. It can be much more difficult simply to give someone your full attention for five minutes while they tell you about their troubles with the neighbors, their sick pet, their problem teenager, or whatever.
It seems to me dana may be the ideal practice for a Buddhist layperson, especially at the beginning -- precisely because of the way it comes to bear on our daily engagement with the world. It's something we can apply -- try to apply, anyway -- in every situation we meet.
Also interesting that it's about the mind-state that accompanies the giving as much as it is about the giving itself. That opens up complicated questions though -- for example, what happens if one's motives are "good", but the giving actually brings harm? You know what they say about intentions and the road to hell...
It's a risk that you'll harm someone someone every time you try to help them. I know of someone who let a homeless person stay in their apartment, fed them, helped them out financially to the degree they could afford it, and tried to find job placement help for them. The recipient of this kindness reacted negatively to the help, became abusive and more uncontrolled in their behavior. It turned into a really ugly mess for this person who genuinely wished to help; that was his only motivation (based on my knowing him for many years).
Most times you try to help and engage in some degree of due diligence regarding the circumstances of the gift, it will help or at least not harm.
Naturally, I would feel terrible if my giving caused harm to any being. I guess the best advice is to investigate the potentially negative effects of giving more thoroughly before engaging in this practice. However, this has to be weighed against the potentially chilling effect this might have on any kind of giving. Perhaps we should spend more time observing and considering the situation of the beings we are intent upon helping and then, once we've made our decision to make sure that we follow through, and that we always maintain a bodhisattva mind at all times, and never the mind that hopes to get something out of this activity.
The Seeker
05 Dec 11, 22:30
in giving we should expect nothing in return. If you do it's not truly giving.
I gave 100lbs of meat to a halfway house that hosts the AA meetings I go to.
The meats and other foods are all donated. When asked if I'd like a recipt, I said no.
"These are my brothers who have saved my life, I just want them to be able to enjoy a good meal." Since most of the donations are past date or other wise unsaleable, these people trying to better themselves are fed "slop" at times. I did it to help, not for anything in return. But I did see huge smiles and even tears in some eyes.
That made me feel like I really did the right thing.
in Loving Kindness, The Seeker
when we explore the implications of social mores implied by emphasising dana practice, perhaps it is helpful to harmonize our perspectives with the context within which the buddhadharma manifested in the beginning.
as venerable thubten chodron has emphasized, siddartha was a monastic - and his teaching was for renunciants. personally, i maintain a view that since the mind is naturally knowing, the more one renunciates, the more it will become apparent when it is wholesome to practice giving.
now, in mahayana buddhism, which was a vehicle which brought buddhadharma out from being a solely monastic subject - the question of generosity becomes one of how to balance three things.... which is, active renunciation (or mundane renunciation), renunciation of shenpa or attatchment in the mind, and lastly, the generic balancing act one takes on when one is cohabitating in a non-monastic setting - which is different to me from the cohabitation context of a comitted practice community and living situation such as it is in a monastic setting.
when we think of mahayana buddhism, we must first and foremost remember that one of the methods it has used to individuate from nikaya buddhism is that it is 'dharma for laypeople' - for a monastic, who renunciates possessions, mentation on the implications of what is implied by dana might be a far simpler enterprise.
when we think of mahayana buddhism, we must first and foremost remember that one of the methods it has used to individuate from nikaya buddhism is that it is 'dharma for laypeople'
Has it ? I practiced Mahayana/Vajrayana offline for a long time and never hear that distinction being made and there's a sizeable monastic community in Tibetan Buddhism.
I also know of plenty of non- Mahayana lay people who study and practice from the Nikayas, including Theravadin lay practitoners
when we think of mahayana buddhism, we must first and foremost remember that one of the methods it has used to individuate from nikaya buddhism is that it is 'dharma for laypeople...
Many people have that impression -- including me when I first started out -- but it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. In her scholarship on the early Mahayana, for instance, Jan Nattier (http://books.google.com/books?id=kl9RXSmfeZ0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false) has shown that the emerging movement was if anything more monastic and less lay focused than nikaya Buddhism. The "lay Bodhisattva" as depicted in early Mahayana sutras is basically someone who emulates monastic life to the fullest degree while still living at home.
It's true, though, that lay-centered forms of Buddhism emerged in some of the later Mahayana schools, in Japan particularly.
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