Looking at generosity through Buddhism

Buddhism recognises ten transcendental virtues (which in Pali are known as parami) that every aspirant of enlightenment or Supreme Buddhahood should practise. They are Generosity (dana parami or alms giving), Morality (sila parami), Renunciation (nekkamma parami), Wisdom (panna parami), Energy (viriya parami), Patience (kanthi parami), Truthfulness (sacca parami), Determination (addithana parami), Loving Kindness (metta parami) and Equanimity (uppekka parami). The parami literally means perfection which in Sanskrit is known as paramita. 

These ten paramis constitute the necessary requisites that should be adopted by every aspirant for the Buddhahood or enlightenment. They are  also regarded as a discipline that should be developed not only by an aspirant to Buddhahood  but by all other aspirants to Enlightenment.

The paramis are the noble qualities that should be accompanied by compassion and untainted by craving,  and other defilements. It is said that these perfections should be practised through multiple lifetimes extending over eons of time for the purpose of achieving full Buddhahood.

Dana paramita, (generosity) which is listed as the first parami to be cultivated by an aspirant to Buddhahood also connotes “liberality in giving” or “attitude of giving” is a boundless spiritual perfection in all Buddhist traditions. 

Speaking of dana parami Bhikkhu Bodhi says “The practice of giving is universally recognised as one of the most basic human values, a quality that testifies to the depth one’s humanity and one’s capacity for self-transcendence. In the teaching of the buddha too the practice of giving claims a place of special eminence, one which singles it out as being in a sense the foundation and seed of spiritual development”.

Perfection in dana (generosity) by an aspirant to buddha hood is infinite in its extent, its dimensions are limitless. The perfection of generosity cannot be defined by the mundane things given away or by the amount of flesh and blood given away or the number limbs sacrificed. (anguttra nikaya).

For some people giving (dana) becomes difficult as the greed factor in them strong which makes them attached to many mundane things.

It is more blessed to give than receive. Giving is a positive action with right mindset and motivation, which will lead to accumulation of merit. A mindset of generosity rejoices in providing for others. There are essentially three types of dana recognized in buddhism namely dana, abhaya dana and dhamma dana.

Giving can take many forms such as wealth, effort, service, knowledge and also spiritual guidance to those who need it. However, in all these instances, what motivates a person to give is important. Spiritual giving or the gift of noble teachings known as dhamma dana, which elucidates Buddha’s teachings is said to surpass all other gifts. Giving dharma dana is much more beneficial than giving material things because material things help a person in this lifetime, but spirituality helps person in this life time as well as in future life time.

In the Pali canons dighajanu sutta, generosity is identified as one of the four traits conditioning happiness and wealth in the next life. Conversely, lack of giving leads to unhappy states and poverty. Dana paramita can be characterized by unattached and unconditional generosity. 

Generosity is an interesting paradox, as giving not only helps others , but it also rewards yourself in many ways There is much more to be gained than there is to be lost from acts of generosity.  Being generous may come at a cost, as it requires you to sacrifice something of your own, whether your time, money, talent and other resourcesthe benefitof someone else. Despite these losses recent studies have shown that giving (dana) significantly improves your mental and physical health and strengthens your relationships with others.

Besides, recent research has revealed that acts of generosity invariably produce numerous psychological, physiological and other therapeutic benefits. When we part with material things, it reduces our attachment to material things. Moreover, it reduces blood pressure depression anxiety stress and diminishes one’s ego. 

Many labour under the misconception that Buddhism is mainly concerned with suffering and impermanence. The Buddha did not confine his teachings only to suffering and impermanence, as he spoke of many kinds of joy, especially joy experienced before, during and after an act of generosity. Dana is a very crucial and integral component of Buddha’s discourses. The Buddha’s discourses generally, preceded with an exposition on the virtues of giving(dana) as a fundamental and essential requirement in one’s spiritual journey through samsara.

Vessantara jataka exemplifies the generosity of the highest order in the history of Buddhism on dana. 

Dana para mita (alms giving) is also associated with four immeasurables (in Pali termed as brahmavihra) which are loving kindness, compassion, altruistic joy and equanimity. Particularly, the first two immeasurable that are qualities of loving kindness and compassion are directly linked to the mind of generosity. 

In the Dhammapada the act of giving has been compared to “to fighting a war as various enemies such as greed, attachment and other mental defilements will fight very hard to defeat and sabotage it and to conquer miserliness with generosity”.

Buddha once said “If beings, knew, as I know, the result of giving and sharing , they would not eat without having given, nor would they have their last morsel if there was someone to share it with.”

An aspirant to Buddhahood should not be concerned as to whether the recipient is truly in need or not for his main objective in practising generosity, as he does is to eliminate craving that lies dormant within himself. (Narada)
Alms should be given in such a way that the one who receive does not feel humiliated and belittled or hurt. 

Parabava Sutta states that the wealthy man who enjoys his wealth by himself without sharing is said to be digging his own grave. It states having ample wealth, assets and property enjoying them alone is the cause of one’s downfall. 

The wealth and splendor that you amass throughout your life would be meaningless.  Every mundane thing is subject to law of impermanence and it is meaningless to cling to material things.