About Giving (Dāna)

Dāna, the act of giving, is a very fundamental merit according to the Buddha’s Teaching, if we perform it with pure Cetanā (intention) in accordance to the Dhamma. It is important that donors have a clear understanding of the Dhamma involved in dāna in order to produce the best merit. The following guide is given for the benefit of donors who wish to fulfill the dāna parami to the purest degree.

What is the proper time to perform dāna? When we are full of faith or joy is an appropriate time to perform dāna.

What are the five kinds of right attitudes? A wise person should have five kinds of right attitudes while performing dāna; that means one is performing dāna:

• with faith;
• with respect;
• timely – refers to offering requisite according to the monastic’s need at the right time, such as offer robe during kathina, offering medicine when one is sick, offering food in the morning, offering evening juice etc;
• with a happy mind and without attachment to the object of offering;
• without comparisons with others with regards to dāna, such as I can offer things better than others, such mind will change the original wholesome kamma into unwholesome kamma.

Pure cetanā (intention) is freed from three kinds of defilements – greed, conceit and wrong view. There are three kinds of cetanā cetasika (mental factor):

• cetanā before the dāna;
• cetanā during the dāna;
• cetanā after the dāna.

Without the function of cetanā, we will not do any wholesome deeds, will not listen to Dhamma talks in the monastery, and will not even recollect any wholesome deeds ones had previously done.

How to cultivate pure Cetanā?

• The merit of dāna is rooted in the mental state of non-greed (alobha).
• It should be performed an understanding of cause and effect (kamma).
• It should be performed , but without any expectation of worldly gain, name or fame, only for the liberation from suffering.
• The Cetanā (intention) for giving should be selfless and loving kindness, free from any craving, conceit and wrong view.
• One should maintain pure cetanā before the dāna, during the dāna, and after the dāna.
• One should contemplate on the impermanent (anicca), unsatisfactory (dukkha) and non-self (anatta) nature of the donor, the object of giving, and the receiver, in order to let go of any attachments related to the act of dāna.

By adhering to these guidelines, one will never perform any dāna for worldly gain, name or fame.

Dāna is one of the helpful conditions affecting a person’s readiness to receive Dhamma. Through the virtues cultivated during giving – selflessness, detachment, loving-kindness and other good qualities, it helps enhance one’s readiness to receive the Dhamma. Hence, we should try to maintain the purity while performing dāna, whether it is the Dhamma Dāna of the monastic to the laity or the laity’s material dāna to the monastic. We also wish that all donors who come to join the good deeds at the Centre will fulfil the best quality of all good deeds, whether it is Dhamma dāna, material dāna, or dāna in the form of services.

When the donors wish to remember and rejoice over their past dāna, they can use the suitable ways of remembrance such as taking photographs or videos when performing the dāna, in order to help in the recollection of the generosity later.

May the Buddha Sāsana be well-protected and last long! 
May the monastic and laity mutually support each other, and always dwell in concord and harmony!
May all beings be well, happy and peaceful, and attain the final liberation – Nibbāna!