28. Giving
By Luang Pu Thate Desaraṅsī
May 19, 1985
I will explain the Dhamma close at hand for you to listen to — regarding giving, regarding morality, regarding concentration. This is what all of us live by. If there were no giving, human beings could not be born. Everyone, from birth until the day of death, must receive giving. If there were no giving, we couldn't survive. Scholars praise the matter of giving. Only hooligans do not praise it, even though they themselves receive gifts, but do not recognize the value of giving.
Giving is generosity. From birth, our parents provide for us in every way — even giving a morsel of food or a drop of milk is already called giving. That act of giving is called dāna. Even nations give, but they don't call it giving; they call it mutual assistance — distributing happiness to one another, or helping each other. When any town or city faces a calamity — floods, earthquakes, fires, various disasters — they help and support each other with millions of baht. That is also called giving.
But we monks have nothing to give. People without a livelihood depend on laypeople. The laypeople are the ones who earn a living; they give. Everything we have — robes, clothing, food, shelter, medicine — all of it comes from laypeople. The reason we can survive is because of the laypeople. They give. We should reflect on their giving. We are only recipients. We should be mindful of their support. If they didn't give, we couldn't survive. We couldn't practice the religion, couldn't strive in meditation, couldn't attain concentration, wisdom, path, fruition, jhāna, or absorption — all of that is because of them. What we have gained is of great benefit to ourselves.
When we reflect on their kindness in this way, we radiate loving-kindness to them, wishing them happiness and freedom from illness. That benefit gives rise to their rapture and joy. Even if we don't show it outwardly, inwardly it is mutually known. That loving-kindness, that goodwill — that is truly called giving. They give, wishing us well. We radiate loving-kindness to them — that is also called giving. Giving our heart as a gift, giving the gift of forgiveness — this is a way of reciprocating.
Giving has many forms, too many to count. But in truth, if there is good intention, wishing happiness for others, that is truly called giving. Whether giving a little or a lot, coarse or refined — that is not the issue. The intention itself is the great and abundant thing. That is how giving becomes beneficial. Giving is a means of nurturing the hearts of those close to us.
In Buddhism, when one gives, one feels great satisfaction and devotion. There is no giving like the giving in Buddhism. Being close and familiar with the Buddha and the Sangha — because we practice rightly and properly — when laypeople give, it becomes great merit and wholesomeness. They draw near, become familiar, and study the Dhamma. We then have the opportunity to advise, admonish, and teach them. This is of great benefit. Then they gradually progress to morality. Now, those who give regularly train their minds to be calm, gradually refining their mental habits. Giving is one of the perfections (pāramī), a means to cross over the flood of saṃsāra.
Unlike doing evil — doing evil never improves anything; it only makes things worse. Wholesome giving is called a pāramī. The Buddha practiced it. People today also practice it to reach the ultimate — that is called pāramī. When one gives heavily and often, one constantly thinks about giving, performing acts of generosity all the time. That is the cause for being close to Buddhism.
Now, regarding observing morality: refraining from various evil actions — the five or eight transgressions — we can refrain. Giving is relinquishing material things. Observing morality is relinquishing evil actions. For example, when we kill, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or drink alcohol — when we give, we abandon evil and cultivate goodness. Seeing only goodness continuously, in refraining from evil — such as seeing killing, stealing, etc., as bad — the mind becomes clear and pure, and refraining becomes easy. Giving leads to the observance of morality.
Observing morality means the intention to abstain from evil — that alone is sufficient. No need for many words. Whatever is evil, abandon it, refrain from it. That is called observing morality — in body, speech, and also mind. The elders speak of body and speech as the observance of morality. I say: without mind, one cannot observe it. They say that intention is what abstains — that is the observance of morality. They mean the mind. They speak of body and speech, but without the mind to abstain, how can one observe morality? The mind must be involved. So this is an internal relinquishment. Giving is external — the mind focuses solely on giving, on the act of generosity. But morality is internal relinquishment. We don't need to seek elsewhere; it's right here. Even with nothing, we can give — the intention itself is the observance of morality.
The intention to abstain is a form of relinquishment. This kind of relinquishment — giving — connects with concentration and with meditation (bhāvanā). Meditation means abstaining from everything completely, relinquishing everything without remainder — all mental objects. Whatever mental object comes through the six sense bases and contacts us, we let it go, abandon it, give it away. The five hindrances — we relinquish them, give them away. Regarding jhāna and concentration — initial thought, sustained thought, rapture, happiness — we also relinquish them, let them go, withdraw. This is giving in the context of concentration.
The initial level of giving is called dāna-pāramitā. The gift of forgiveness — which is the observance of morality — is called upapāramitā (the higher perfection). The type of giving that involves practicing meditation and developing concentration is called paramattha-pāramitā (the ultimate perfection), the supreme perfection. This kind of giving is easy to do. It is entirely within ourselves. As monks, we do not need to strive or seek external objects. We give through observing morality — the gift of forgiveness — and through practicing concentration and meditation, abandoning all evil entirely. This is giving as the supreme ultimate perfection, the cause for crossing over the cycle of saṃsāra.
Cāga (relinquishment) and dāna (giving) are different. Dāna is general giving of all kinds of things, as explained. Cāga is internal relinquishment — the giving practiced by Noble Ones, not by ordinary worldlings like us. It is the supreme ultimate perfection. As it is said: Cāgo paṭinissaggo mutti anālayo — "Relinquishment, abandonment, release, non-clinging." One who relinquishes does not cling or have attachment, truly freed from saṃsāra. Why don't they say "dānaṃ deti" (he gives a gift)? They say "cāgo paṭinissaggo" — one who relinquishes everything completely, not involved or entangled in anything at all. That is paṭinissaggo mutti anālayo — freed from the cycle of birth and death.
Thus, giving that proceeds gradually in this manner — please understand that cāga and dāna are different. That is all.