The act of sharing food and sharing what one has is called, in the language of the Dhamma, Dana. When practiced consistently, an understanding naturally arises that living together in society requires sharing — sharing food, sharing shelter, and sharing resources. Without such sharing, society and the world at large cannot know true happiness. If we begin training our children from an early age — encouraging them to reflect, even as students, and better still, organizing it as a structured activity — to consider what they have shared with their friends, the seeds of generosity will take firm root.
Dana — giving, sharing, self-sacrifice, and the willing offering of what is beneficial to others — encompasses not only the giving of material wealth and possessions, but also the giving of knowledge, the giving of the Dhamma, and the giving of forgiveness by relinquishing anger. All of these are forms of giving, and all are profoundly good. For the one who gives is beloved; both giver and receiver come to hold goodwill toward one another. Generosity also serves as a safeguard for society, preventing the rise of possessiveness and a lack of compassion among its members. When this virtue is cultivated, the tendency — so common in society — for those with greater reach to simply take all they can for themselves will gradually diminish and fade away.
June 15th, 2012
