2009-02-14
One may think: I'm giving something to you, you should be grateful to me. Buddhism teaches that we should respect and be grateful to the people we are giving to. Do you remember why?
The perfection of charity (dana paramita) is a difficult idea, involving the "Triple Emptiness": there is no giver, there is no object being given, and there is no receiver. People who has achieved perfection of charity give continuously without thinking that they are giving, that someone is indebted to them, or even that the gifts were from them.
We'll encounter the same similar concept in the other five perfections.
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Why do be respectful?
ReplyDeleteThe persons feeling matters as well, even if they need the help. I remember one story of a master who said, would you rather be the one giving or the one receiving? Giving a gift with a sour attitude or with a looking down attitude can have the opposite effect on someone. Also, we can look at the situation as them giving us an opportunity to give. Without someone needing, we would have no way to practice Buddhism and Dana.
Level 2 Class 05 - Perfection of Charity
ReplyDeleteComment by class member, Doug:
In front of the supermarket there was a man soliciting donations for a youth group. After he accepted a contribution, I thanked him for providing others with an opportunity to help. He smiled and said, "Thank you." He was talking to me, but he was thanking the Zen Center and our class.