In the Buddha’s teachings, mindfulness (sati) is something that can never be excessive. However, wisdom needs to be balanced and it can become excessive; when excessive, it can become unbalanced and harmful. Concentration also needs balance; when it becomes excessive, dullness can arise.
Similarly, generosity (dāna) can be both wholesome (kusala) and unwholesome (akusala).
Generosity comes naturally when clinging to money and material things is reduced. We feel happy when we give with our own wish and free will. If we have to donate because of coercion, threats, or bullying, it is against our will and therefore we are not happy. Asking for donations through coercion, threatening, and bullying is unwholesome and therefore against the Buddha’s teachings. Using loudspeakers aggressively and pressuring the community for donations is also unwholesome. To my understanding, people will donate willingly to the places they truly want to support even without these activities, and the donation money can reach monasteries and nunneries directly without such pressure.
More than once, I have witnessed people organizing food-offering ceremonies with many unwholesome mental states. I have heard statements like, “The food I offered should be better than other people’s offerings.” This reflects comparison and conceit. I have also heard, “So-and-so is not coming to my offering.” Resentment and gossip after the offering are common. The stress they go through to organize these events and the aftereffects are often unpleasant. I try not to attend ceremonies like this, and yes, I have been one of the people resented and gossiped about by a few.
For a long time, I did not understand why a certain type of movie scene deeply impacts many people in our community emotionally, especially the line, “I cannot afford to make ceremonies for my son to become a novice in the monastery.” If parents truly want their son to become a novice, most monasteries will accept him willingly without any ceremonies or donations. If necessary, they will even provide robes and essential items. Nevertheless, many people feel the need for large ceremonies to show others that they can do it. Many people in our community can relate to this.
I also see that making one-off donations to people in need and taking photos of them for social media is unwholesome and lacks empathy. People often cannot reflect, “What if I were in their position?” Would they want their photos taken when they truly need help and are in a vulnerable state?
Delusion based on social comparison tells us there are things we must do even when we do not have enough money. People borrow money for wedding ceremonies and religious ceremonies and later face the consequences. These are unwholesome actions.
Killing animals to feed people, anger and resentment during organizing activities and afterward, gossiping and slandering those who did not please them, using loudspeakers that disturb the community, taking pride in offerings, and feeling “I am better than others”—all these are unwholesome and therefore bring negative karmic consequences instead of supportive ones.
Recently, I saw a person who seemed to be living on the street. He did not ask for money, but I offered all the coins I had, and his face lit up with gratitude. That small offering made me happy. Yesterday, I gave away my printer to a wellness teacher for her students at a school where two-thirds of the students are from our country. I also gave away items I could not carry to a cleaner in our building. These small acts of giving made me happy. Sometimes, I reflect on donations I made to long-term funds for hospitals and clinics for monks and nuns, as well as to long-term funds for meditation centers. There were also many times I supported people in hardship through trusted friends. I also reflect on donations since my childhood—even though many were done without much reflection, I gave willingly and they were probably wholesome. These days, I feel content with simple, everyday generosity without ceremonies or acknowledgements.
The Buddha said that donation is more effective when offered to noble ones. However, he also taught that even a moment of reflection on impermanence is more effective than donating to many noble ones. He did not teach people not to donate, but to understand which actions carry more wholesome qualities and have a deeper impact on one’s karma.
When one truly sees impermanence, suffering, and unsatisfactoriness, and there is no notion of “I” and “mine,” generosity arises naturally. There is no need for force, coercion, or threats. If Buddhist communities could truly follow the Buddha’s teachings, the generosity of people would not end up in wrong places, such as in the pockets of corrupt individuals or locked inside pagodas. People who are truly in hardship, and monks and nuns who genuinely need support to continue their practice, would have enough support from the community. A mindful community will give mindfully, and a mindless community will continue to give mindlessly. Wholesomeness and unwholesomeness will arise based on that.
Generosity is also an important factor at higher levels of collective life. History shows that suffering has arisen within Buddhist communities when power is not guided by the Dhamma. Lack of generosity in sharing land, territory, and controlled areas creates unnecessary suffering. Lack of generosity in sharing power gives rise to unnecessary conflicts and wars. Greed, fear, pride, wrong views, and deep collective delusion are also contributing factors. The consequences are immense.
These are the thoughts that came to my mind this morning.
© Dr. Tune. All rights reserved.
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