MINGUN SAYADAW
Chapter VI: Paramita (Perfections)
Edited and Translated by
U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin
Yangon, Myanmar
1991
dana / mingun3.htm
MINGUN SAYADAWChapter VI: Paramita (Perfections) Edited and Translated by |
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TYPE OF DANA IN GROUPS OF THREES(1) dana can also be divided into three categories namely, Inferior (Hina), Medium (Majjhima), and Superior (Panita). The degree of benevolence of an act is dependent upon the strength of intention (chanda), the conscious state (citta), energy (viriya), and investigative knowledge (Vimamsa) involved in the act. When these four constituent elements are weak, the dana is said to be of inferior type; when they are of medial standard the dana is regarded as of medium type; when all are strong, the dana is considered to be of the superior order. (2) When the act of dana is motivated by desire for fame and acclaim, it is of inferior type; when the goal of dana is for attainment of happy life as a human being or a deva, it is of medium type; if the gift is made in reverence to the Ariyas or Bodhisattas for their exemplary habits of offering, it is an excellent gift of superior order. (In the various discourses of the Pali Texts are mentioned parks and monasteries which were given the names of the individual donors, for example, Jetavana, the garden of Prince Jeta; Anathapindikarama, the monastery donated by the rich man Anathapindika; Ghositarama, the monastery donated by the rich man Ghosita. This system of nomenclature was adopted by the First Council Elders with the intention of encouraging others to follow their example and thus acquire merit. So donors today, when making such gifts, inscribe their names on marble or stone. In doing so they should keep under control, by exercise of mindfulness, any desire for fame bearing in mind that they make the gift in order to set an example to those who wish to acquire merit..) (3) When the donor aspires for happy life as a human or celestial being, his gift is of inferior type; when the aspiration is for attainment of enlightenment as a disciple (Savakabodhi-nana), or as a silent Buddha (Paccekabuddha-nana), the gift is a medium one; when one aspires for Perfect Self-Enlightenment (Sammasambodhi Nana or Sabbannuta Nana), one's gift is of superior order. (By Bodhi or Enlightenment is meant knowledge of one of the four Paths. The sages of yore had advised that in order for the gift to serve as a means of escape from the round of rebirths (Vivattanissita), one should never make a gift in a haphazard or casual manner, one should seriously (positively) aspire for one of the three forms of Enlightenment while making an offering.) (4) Again, gifts may be of three types, viz: dana-dasa, gift fit for a servant; dana-sahaya, gifts fit for a friend, and dana-sami, gifts fit for a master. Just as in everyday life, one uses materials of good quality while offering the servants inferior things, so also if one makes a gift of materials which are poorer in quality than those enjoyed by oneself, the gift is of inferior type, a dana-dasa, fit for a servant; just as in everyday life, one offers one's friends things which one uses and enjoys, so also if one makes a gift of materials which are of the same quality as used by oneself, then the gift is said to be of medium type (dana-sahaya); just as in everyday life, one makes present of gifts to one's superior of things better in quality than those enjoyed by oneself, so also if one gives dana of superior quality materials, then the gift is said to be of superior order, dana-sami. (5) There are three types of Dhamma-dana (the division being based on the meaning of the word 'Dhamma' for each type). In the first type of Dhamma-dana, 'dhamma' is the one associated with the Amisa dhamma-dana, mentioned above under dana categories by Twos. Therein, it was stated that Amisa dhamma-dana is the gift of palm-leaf scriptures or books of the Scriptures. In this classification, the 'dhamma' is the scriptures themselves, the Pariyatti Dhamma, that was taught by the Buddha and recorded on palm leaves or books as texts.) The dhamma-dana, there fore, means here teaching the Scriptures or giving the knowledge of the Buddha's teachings to others. The Pariyatti is the gift-object, the material that is given; the listener is the recipient and one who teaches or expounds the dhamma is the donor. (In the second type of Dhamma-dana, the 'dhamma' refers to the 'dhamma' included in the Abhidhamma classification of danas into six classes, namely, rupa-dana, sadda-dana, gandha-dana, rasa-dana, photthabba-dana and dhamma-dana, The dhamma in this particular case is explained as all that forms the object of the mind or mental objects) The mental objects are :(l) the five sense-organs (pasada rupas); (2) the sixteen subtle forms, (sukhuma rupas;) (3) the 89 states of consciousness, (citta); (4) 52 mental factors (cetasikas); (5) Nibbana and (6) Concepts (pannatti). Whereas in Pariyatti dhamma, the 'dhamma' means 'noble'; here it has the sense of 'the truth concerning the real nature of things'. Dhamma-dana of this type is made through rendering assistance to those afflicted with (organic) disabilities, for example, weak eye-sight, trouble in hearing, etc. Helping others to improve their eye-sight is cakkhu (dhamma) dana; helping them to improve their hearing is sota (dhamma) dana, etc. The most distinctive dana of this type is Jivita-dana, the promotion of longevity of others. In a similar manner, the remaining danas of the type, namely, gandha, rasa, phottabba and dhamma may be understood. In the third type of Dhamma-dana, the 'dhamma' refers to the Dhamma of the Triple Gem, namely, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. As in the second type of Dhamma-dana, the Dhamma here means the Scriptures of the teachings of the Buddha. Whereas in the second type the 'dhamma' is a gift-object for offering, while the listener is the recipient; in this third type, the Dhamma, which is a part of the trinity of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha itself forms the recipient to which offerings are to be made. When the Buddha and the Sangha become recipients, the associated Dhamma; also becomes a recipient of offerings. To give an illustration: The Buddha was residing in the Jetavana monastery in Savatthi. At that time a rich householder who had faith in the Teaching, thought to himself thus; 'I have had opportunities to honour the Buddha and the Sangha constantly with offerings of food, robes, etc. But I have never honoured the Dhamma by making offerings to it. It is time now that I should do so'. With this thought, he approached the Bhagava and asked the Bhagava how to do about it. The Bhagava replied: 'If you wish to honour the Dhamma, you should give food, robes etc. to the bhikkhu who is well cultivated in the Dhamma, but with the clear intention of honouring the Dhamma which he has realized'. When the householder asked the Bhagava which bhikkhu would be appropriate to receive such an offering, the Buddha told him to ask the Sangha. The Sangha directed him to give his offerings to Venerable Ananda. So he invited Venerable Ananda and made a generous offering of food, robes, etc. to him, keeping in mind that he was honouring the Dhamma which Venerable Ananda had realized. This story is described in the introduction to the Bhikkhaparampara Jataka, the thirteenth Jataka of the Pakinnaka Nipata. According to the story, the householder is the donor; food, robes, etc. are material objects of offering, and the body of the Dhamma which lies embedded in the person of the Venerable Ananda is the recipient of the gift. This householder was not the only one who made such offerings at the time of the Buddha, keeping in mind the Dhamma as the recipient of offering. The Text clearly mentions that the great ruler Siri Dhammisoka (Asoka) with much pious reverence for the Dhamma built monasteries, 84,000 in all, one in honour of each of the 84,000 groups of Dhamma (Dhammakkhandha) which form the complete Teaching of the Buddha. (Note of Caution) Many have heard of this great dana of Asoka and have desired to imitate him in such giving. But it is important to follow his example in a proper manner. The real motive of the great king Asoka was not merely giving of monasteries, but the paying of respect to the groups of Dhamma individually. Building of monasteries serves only to provide him with materials for offering. Later generations of donors who wish to follow the example of Siri Dhammasoka should understand that they build monasteries not just as objects for offering, not with the intention of acquiring the fame of being a monastery donor, but with the sole aim of paying homage to the Dhamma. The significance of these Dhamma-danas may be appreciated when one remembers the importance of the Teaching, the Dhamma. The great Commentator, Venerable Maha Buddhaghosa concluded his work Atthasalini, the Commentary to the Dhammasangani, the first book of the Abhidhamma, with the wish "May the true Dhamma endure long. May all beings show reverence to the Dhamma." (Ciram titthatu saddhammo, dhamme hontu sagarava, sabbepi satta). He made this wish because he was fully aware of the important role of the Dhamma. He realised that as long as the Dhamma endures, the teachings of the Buddha cannot decline and everyone who honours the Dhamma will show reverence to the teachings and follow them. And the Buddha had said, "Only those who see the Dhamma, see me." And nearing the end of his life, the Buddha had said that "The Dhamma will be your teacher after I am gone". (So vo mamaccayena sattha.) Therefore one should strive to cultivate this third type 'of Dhamma-dana which plays such an important role. (6) Another three types of dana are classified as Dukkara-dana, gift which is difficult to be given; Maha-dana, awe inspiring gift of great magnificence; and Simanna-dana, common forms of gifts, which are neither too difficult to make, nor too magnificent. An example of the first type, Dukkara-dana, may be found in the story of dana given by Darubhandaka Tissa. This story is given in the commentary to the 28th vagga of Ekadhammajhana, Ekakanipata of the Anguttara Nikaya. The story of the dana given by Darubhandaka There was a poor man who lived in Mahagama of Sri Lanka, and who earned his living by selling firewood. His name was Tissa, but because his livelihood was selling firewood, he was known as Darubhandaka Tissa (Tissa who has only firewood as property). One day he had a talk with his wife: "Our life is so humble, wretched, lowly; although the Buddha had taught the benefits of nibaddha-dana, the observance of the duty of regular giving, we cannot afford to cultivate the practice. But we could do one thing; we could start giving alms-food regularly twice a month, and when we could afford more, we will try for the higher offering of food by tickets* (salakabhatta)." His wife was agreeable to his proposal and they started giving whatever they could afford as alms food the next morning. (* According to I.B.Horner (Book of the Discipline), food tickets were issued at times when food was scarce. But the story of Darubbandaka suggests that the same is adopted also when food is abundant as a higher form of dana. That was a very prosperous time for the bhikkhus who were receiving good food in plenty. Certain young bhikkhus and samaneras accepted the poor alms-food offered by the Darubhandaka's family, but threw it away in their presence. The housewife reported to her husband, "They threw away our alms-food", but she never had an unpleasant thought over the incident. Then Darubhandaka Tissa had a discussion with his wife. "We are so poor we cannot offer alms-food that would please the Noble Ones. What should we do to satisfy them". "Those who have children are not poor", said his wife in order to give him solace and encouragement and advised him to hire out the services of their daughter to a household, and with the money so acquired, to buy a milch cow. Darubhandaka accepted his wife's advice; he obtained twelve pieces of money with which he bought a cow. Because of the purity of their wholesome volition the cow yielded large quantities of milk. The milk they got in the evening was made into cheese and butter. The milk they got in the morning was used by the wife in the preparation of milk porridge which together with the cheese and butter, they offered to the Sangha. In this manner, they were able to make offerings of alms food which was well accepted by the Sangha. From that time onwards the salakabhatta of Darubhandaka was available only to the Noble Ones of high attainments. One day Darubhandaka said to his wife, "Thanks to Our daughter we are saved from humiliation. We have reached a position in which the Noble Ones accepted our alms food with great satisfaction. Now, do not miss out on the regular duty of offering alms food during my absence. I shall find some kind of employment; I shall come back after redeeming our daughter from her bondage." Then he went to work for six months in a sugar mill where he managed to save up twelve pieces of money with which to redeem his daughter. Setting out for home early one morning, he saw ahead of him, Venerable Tissa on his way to worship at the Pagoda at Mahagama. This bhikkhu was one who cultivated the austere practice of pindapata, that is, he partakes only of alms food offered him when going on alms round. Darubhandaka walked fast to catch up with the bhikkhu and strolled along with him, listening to his talk of the Dhamma. Approaching a village, Darubhandaka saw a man coming out with a packet of cooked rice in his hand. He offered the man one piece of money to sell him the packet of meal. The man realising that there must be some special reason for offering one piece of money for the food packet when it was not worth the sixteenth part of it, refused to sell it for one piece of money. Darubhandaka increased his offer to two, then three pieces of money and so on until he had offered all the money he possessed, But the man still declined the offer (thinking Darubhandaka had still more money with him.) Finally, Darubhandaka explained to the man, "I have no money with me other than these twelve pieces. I would have given you more if I had. I am buying this meal packet not for myself; wishing to offer alms food, I have requested a bhikkhu to wait for me under the shade of that tree. The food is to be offered to that bhikkhu. Do sell me the packet of food for this twelve pieces of money. You will also gain merit by doing so.' The man finally agreed to sell his food packet and Darubhandaka took it with great happiness to the waiting bhikkhu. Taking the bowl from the bhikkhu, Darubhandaka put the cooked rice from the packet into it. But the Venerable Thera accepted only half of the meal. Darubhandaka made an earnest request to the bhikkhu: "Venerable Sir, this meal is sufficient for only one person. I will not eat any of it. I bought the food intending it only for you. Out of compassion for me, may the Venerable One accept all the food." Upon this, the Venerable Thera permitted him to offer all the food in the packet. After the Thera had finished the meal, they continued the journey together and the bhikkhu asked Darubhandaka about himself. Darubhandaka told everything about himself very frankly to the bhikkhu. The Thera was struck with awe by the intense piety of Darubhandaka and he thought to himself: "This man has made a dukkara-dana, an offering which is difficult to make. Having partaken of the meal offered by him, under difficult circumstances, I am greatly indebted to him and I should show my gratitude in return. If I can find a suitable place, I shall strive hard to attain Arahatship in one sitting. Let all my skin, flesh and blood dry up. I will not stir from this position until I attain the goal". As they reached Mahagama, they went on their separate ways. On arriving at the Tissa Mahavihara Monastery, the Thera was alloted a room for himself, where he made his great effort, determined not to stir from the place until he had eradicated all defilements and become an arahat. Not even getting up to go on the alms round, he steadfastly worked on until at the dawn of the seventh day, he became an Arahat fully accomplished in the four branches of Analytical Knowledge (Patisambhida). Then he thought to himself thus: "My body is greatly enfeebled. I wonder whether I could live longer". He realised through exercise of his psychic powers that the phenomenon of nama rupa which constituted his living body would not continue much longer. Putting everything in order in his dwelling place and taking his bowl and great robes he went to the Assembly Hall at the center of the monastery and sounded the drum to assemble all the bhikkhus. When all the bhikkhus had gathered together, the head Thera enquired who had called for the assembly. Venerable Tissa who had cultivated the austere practice of taking only alms food, replied, "I have sounded the drum, Venerable Sir" "And why have you done so?" "I have no other purpose, but if any member of the Sangha has doubts about the attainments of the Path and Fruition, I wish them to ask me about them". The head Thera told him there were no questions. He then asked Venerable Tissa why he had persevered so arduously sacrificing even his life for the attainment. He related all that had happened and informed him that he would pass away the same day. Then he said, "May the catafalque on which my corpse would be supported remain immoveable until my alms-food donor, Darubhandaka, comes and lifts it with his own hands". And he passed away that very day. Then King Kakavannatissa came and ordered his men to put the body on the catafalque and take it to the funeral pyre at the cremating grounds, but they were not able to move it. Finding out the reason for this, the king sent for Darubhandaka, had him dressed in fine clothes and asked him to lift up the catafalque. The text gives an elaborate account of how Darubhandaka lifted up the catafalque with the body on it easily over his head and how, as he did so, the catafalque rose in the air and travelled by itself to the funeral pyre. Darubhandaka's dana involving the sacrifice ungrudgingly of twelve pieces of money which were needed for redeeming his own daughter from servitude and which had taken six whole months to earn is indeed a very difficult one to give and thus is known as Dukkara-dana. Another example of such gifts is found in the story of Sukha Samanera given in the tenth vagga of the Commentary to the Dhammapada. Before he became a samanera, he was a poor villager who wanted to eat the sumptuous meal of a rich man. The rich man Gandha told him that he would have to work for three years to earn such a meal. Accordingly he worked for three years and obtained the meal he so earnestly longed for; when he was about to enjoy it a Paccekabuddha happened to come by. Without any hesitation, he offered the Paccekabuddha the meal which he had so cherished and which had taken him three years to earn. Another example is provided by the Ummadanti Jataka of Pannasa Nipata which gives the story of a poor girl who worked for three years to get the printed clothes she wanted to adorn herself. When she was about to dress herself in the clothes she had so yearned for, a disciple of the Buddha Kassapa came by (who was covered only with leaves because he had been robbed of his robes by the dacoits). The giving away of clothes which she so cherished and for which she had to work for three years is also a Dukkara type of dana. Awe-inspiring gifts of great magnificence are called Maha dana. The great Siri Dhammasoka's (Asoka) gifts of 84,000 monasteries in honour of 84,000 passages of the Pitaka are great danas of this type. On this account Venerable Mahamoggaliputta Tissa said, "In the Dispensation of the Buddha. or even in the life time of the Buddha, there is no one equal to you as a donor of the four requisites. Your offering is the greatest." Although the Venerable Mahamoggaliputta Tissa said so, the gifts of Asoka were made on his own initiative without any one to compete and therefore, there is no need to classify them as Sadisa or Asadisa type of dana. Passenadi Kosala's gifts were made in competition with those of the citizens (of Savatthi) and are therefore termed 'Asadisa dana', the Matchless gift. All other gifts of ordinary nature which are neither difficult to make nor of great magnitude are just common gifts, Samanna dana. In addition to these, there is another classification of three Dhamma danas described in the Vinaya Parivara Texts and its commentary, viz:
These are called Dhammika-dana, gifts offered in connection with the Dhamma. (Further details of these types of gifts will be found below in accordance with the nine gifts of Adhammika-dana. (End of the chapter on Type of dana in Groups of Threes.) |
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