Dāna – A Heart Full of Generosity

For the fourth year in a row we received a considerable book delivery as well as one thousand calendars. The Kataññutā Group in Malaysia and Singapore made the generous offer to our global monastic community to print various Dhamma books from teachers of the Forest Sangha annually for five years and to have them all shipped across the oceans to Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. These books are then on display within each monastery and can be taken away by any visitor free of charge.

I repeatedly encounter astonished looks on the faces of people to whom it has maybe been pointed out for the first time that all the displayed Dhamma books are for free distribution. Often there is the general notion that what is ‘for free’ can’t possibly be very valuable or that at the very best the literature available contains some kind of missionary content.

Maybe the word ‘gratis’ comes closest to the spirit behind it, in particular if one envisions its etymological root. Gratis is derived from the Latin gratia (gratitude) and simply means: ‘for the mere thanks’. Within our context behind this lies the idea that a gift of Dhamma surpasses all other gifts and that the donors are glad for the opportunity to be able to make such gestures of generosity. They neither expect a reward nor any other advantages or privileges but take great delight in the act of giving as such.

The appropriate response to such deeds finds its expression daily within the monastery in the form of the so called ‘anumodanā’(*) recitation. In it, appreciation for the generosity is expressed and the advantages of a big heart are elevated. Within the Western world, quite naturally an aspect of thankfulness comes in on such occasions because it is customary and appropriate in our culture to give thanks for gifts received.

During a similar encounter with monks or nuns in Asian countries, one usually refrains from the words ‘thank you’, however beautiful they might sound to our European ears. According to Buddhist teachings, the highest value of giving is activated if one doesn’t expect anything in return; the noble deed becomes therefore ‘pure’. The act should not be contaminated even by the most subtle response or expectation.

This is why the daily early morning alms-round of the monks in Theravādin countries is conducted in such a composed and silent manner. Not even a grateful glance or an appreciative nod of the head is to be expected. Despite all that–or better, because of that–a quiet joyousness arises amongst everyone involved, both for the giver and for the receiver.

()A free translation of the term anumodana*̄ expresses the state of mind of the alms mendicants during such situations very aptly: ‘We rejoice in the joy of those who enjoy the joy of giving.’

This reflection by Ajahn Khemasiri is from Forest Sangha Newsletter, #93, 2014 pp. 38-39, no longer available online.