Right Volition Of Dāna

　　- by S. N. Goenka

　　(The following is a translation of an article originally published in the September 1995 issue of the Hindi Vipaśhyanā Patrikā.)

　　Dāna, when given with pure volition, is highly beneficial and makes our unhealthy minds healthy. When one gives dāna, the mind which is filled with avarice, harshness, enmity, selfishness, miserliness, and dullness, becomes noble, gentle, tender, tranquil, generous, virtuous and lively.

　　To give dāna is the fundamental duty of householders. In the ancient spiritual tradition of India, dāna has always had special importance. In ancient times, virtuous and wealthy householders and sages of the past—Aṣṭaka, Vāmaka, Vāmadeva, Viśhvāmitra Yamadagni, Aṅgirasa, Bhāradvāja, Vaśhiṣhṭa, Kāśyapa and others—used to organise great ceremonies of dāna. Noble donors like Emperor Vessantara in ancient times and Emperor Harṣha subsequently have established the illustrious ideal of donating all their possessions. Their volition behind giving dāna was truly lofty. The volition of all for giving dāna should be similarly lofty and pure. Because of the distinctive organisation of society, the wealth of the people keeps getting accumulated with the rulers and with wealthy men. If this wealth remains acculumated in one place, it begins to rot like stagnant water. It makes the whole community unhealthy. If wealth keeps coming and going like flowing water, then its purity is maintained.

　　Having understood this, the donor, in order to save himself from the improper hoarding of wealth and considering his wealth as the wealth of the community, used to give dāna with the purpose of equitable distribution, so that all can share and enjoy this accumulated wealth. This wisdom of equitable distribution of wealth preserved the equilibrium of social prosperity and prevented it from becoming an unbalanced destructive force. The wealthy donor used to distribute his wealth equitably from time to time according to his wisdom and sense of duty. He did not give his wealth with the desire to obtain something in return, nor to boost his own ego by regarding others as inferior. This used to be the greatness of dāna. This used to be the purity of dāna.

　　"Viceyya dānaṃ dātabbaṃ, yattha dinnaṃ mahapphalaṃ."

　　Pure dāna, given with wisdom and discrimination is highly beneficial. Therefore, we should learn to give dāna with wisdom and discrimination.

　　There are two kinds of dāna:

　　1. Vaṭṭamūlaka dāna: meaning the dāna that keeps us entangled in the cycle of existence (bhavacakka).

　　2. Vivaṭṭamūlaka dāna: meaning the dāna that takes us out of the cycle of existence. The person with the right volition of mind gives only that dāna which gets him out of the cycle of existence, not that which binds him in the cycle of existence.

　　As with all other kamma, so too the kamma of dāna is good or bad according to the volition of the mind. Depending on the volition of the mind, the seeds of kamma are produced and nature keeps producing fruits accordingly. The vivaṭṭamūlaka mind that cuts the cycle of existence is free of craving, free of aversion, free of ignorance. Only the dāna given with this kind of mind is called vivaṭṭamūlaka dāna, which destroys the cycle of existence.While giving such dāna we do not consider our own benefit at all. Instead, we are delighted to see the happiness and welfare of the person receiving the dāna. When we take delight in the happiness of others, then our minds become pure and tender. We are freed from the limitations and harshness of narrow self-interest.

　　But if while giving dāna we wish for any personal benefit, our mind thus stained with craving, is vaṭ̊…

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