Exactly what is dana?
How do we cultivate this quality of giving, generosity, liberality and of the word dana. It is the quality of generosity that gives physically and from the heart. Hearts with dana are generous, open-handed, and liberal in terms of willingness to give, share, to be present and to help. All of those qualities take us away from me and my needs, me and my necessities, me and my demands, me and my expectations, me and my universe. That me and mine position which demands that we be recognized and noted for our importance, takes over everything. It all gets very tiring.
Ajahn Sumedho has said, “Whenever I think of myself, I feel depressed.” It’s such a great line. When dana is the center of life, instead of me and my needs, there is no need to be depressed. There is relief and release rather than anxiety and obsession.
Dana is a dramatically different focal point.
The perspective changes to “What can I give?”
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Taken from a talk given by Phra Ajahn Pasanno
Picture by: cazbo @ Flickr
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