We aim to give our readers an insight into various Buddhist concepts they might otherwise not come across, eventually leading them towards spiritual development and eternal bliss. Spirituality is a crucial aspect of life which is increasingly neglected in the modern era in large part due to humans making exponential advancements in technology and other ostensible alternative means of achieving a fulfilling life. People are becoming over-reliant on various technological contrivances, which appear to be draining our very identity as a race – that warm sense of humanity within us, and few of our readers might even argue we have reached a point of no return.

It is scary, is it not, that today we know more about the ins and outs of technology than we do about ourselves? Getting to know oneself is by far the toughest and the most important battle one will ever face, and victory in this one battle, happening internally, will guarantee one’s liberation. Yes, I refer to Nibbana, indeed. Salvation cannot be achieved without the groundwork. The groundwork consists of several noble qualities that are integral to this victory. Determination, courage, fearlessness, and skill are what a soldier needs to survive on the battlefield. Similarly, achieving one’s eternal freedom requires a set of virtues. Our readers need to strive towards embedding these virtues into their lives and hone them further to guarantee unconditional bliss. We will dissect one such virtue in this article.   

What you give is what you get

‘What you give is what you get’ is one of the fundamental principles in Buddhism. This is a universal law that applies to everyone, regardless of their caste or creed, age or gender. Hence, it is generally recognised as a virtue in most religions and philosophies. Buddhism is no different. On the surface, it means the treatment you give to others is the treatment you will receive in return. If you treat others with genuine kindness and respect, you will likely be treated with the same kindness and respect. “Sukhakamani bhutani, yo dandena na himsati, attano sukhamesano, pecca so labate sukham.” While residing at the Jethavana monastery, the Buddha uttered this verse to some youths whom He found beating a snake with sticks. It means, “He who seeks his own happiness by not oppressing others who also desire to have happiness, will find happiness in his next existence.”

Conversely, if you treat others poorly or disrespectfully, you can expect to be treated in a similar manner. “Mavoca pharusam kanci, vutta pativadeyyu tam, dukkha hi sarambkakatha, patidanda phuseyyu tam.” This is a stanza from the Dhammapada where the Buddha proclaims, that one should not treat others harshly. If one does, then expect retaliation. “Mātā yathā niyaṃ puttaṃ, āyusā ekaputtamanurakkhe; Evampi sabbabhūtesu, Mānasaṃ bhāvaye aparimāṇaṃ” were Buddha’s exact words which capture the essence of how He wanted his students to act towards one and all. Translated to “as a mother protects her only child as if her own life, so should one possess a boundless heart towards all beings,” and is often used to emphasise the importance of giving and kindness towards others.

In the modern era, people always expect a profit, a benefit or a return on investment whenever they do anything, especially if it is done for others. They will be thrilled to find out there are a plethora of benefits to giving. It is a source of happiness. Giving can increase your happiness and sense of well-being. Studies have shown that people who give to others feel happier and more satisfied with their lives. It is proven to improve relationships. Giving can help improve your relationships with others. When you give to others, you build a sense of trust and connection that can strengthen your relationships. One of the other benefits might not be something that comes to your mind naturally when you think of giving. It has health benefits. Yes, you read that right; giving has been linked to improved physical health.

People who give generously to others have been found to have lower levels of stress and lower rates of depression. Perhaps one of the more obvious benefits is it improves the community. Giving can help improve your community. When you give to local charities and organisations, you are helping to support your community and make it a better place for everyone. One of the most important benefits is it gives a sense of purpose. Giving can give you a sense of purpose and meaning in your life. Often, there are many worthy causes which, to have a considerable impact, must be organised and delivered on a global scale. Take tackling poverty, and conservation of the natural environment for instance. Alone one may be able to do very little, but together, much can be done. So when you give to others, you are contributing to something greater than yourself.

Rewards

In a capitalist society, it would be unfair to blame our readers for thinking surely, giving must grant tangible forms of profits, such as worldly pleasures and wealth. I can do you one better. Giving can even grant you out-worldly or heavenly pleasures. In Buddhist literature, there’s a mention of a poor man, who, with a mind pleased with faith in the Buddha offered a tiny flower of a common weed to a relic shrine. By that merit, he attained the splendour of a wheel-turning monarch (King Sakra) thirty-seven times.

Another instance is when a common folk offered a spoon of food to an enlightened monk. That merit was enough to grant him back-to-back births as the wheel-turning monarch five hundred times! There are multiple mentions of people being rewarded with wealth, births as devas and Brahmas through various acts of giving. “These are fairy tales, fantasies conjured by novelists, often Buddhist-biased, to highlight Buddhism among other religions and philosophies and to put it on a pedestal.” This might be a thought crossing the minds of most readers who have science-based views and perspectives. For the benefit of such readers, let me offer a more relatable, believable example. Imagine you came to the office one morning, deprived of sleep, missing breakfast and are about to head into a crucial, perhaps even career-defining meeting, in complete and utter fear of not performing at your best. Out of the blue, a colleague offers you the extra cup of coffee he bought.

Replenished with that burst of energy generated by the coffee, you were able to get through that meeting successfully yielding a positive outcome. How would you feel? More importantly, how would you go about repaying that colleague? You will at least think of buying them another cup of coffee, or a gift as a token of appreciation. In most cases, this type of act might even grant them a fine dining experience. Yes, I speak from experience. Let us look at the value of the reward they reap.

Since putting a number makes it easier to grasp, your colleague will get at least one hundred per cent return on investment (ROI), if you only bought them a coffee in return, but in most cases, we are impelled by our own conscience to return far more than one-for-one. In various television programmes such as ‘Under Cover Boss’, the owner or the CEO of huge corporations would go undercover and work at one of their franchises as an entry-level worker and work with fellow workers at that level. More often than not, in these programmes, you will find them offering their genuine, loyal, hard-working employees massive sums of money, promotions, houses and vehicles as tokens of appreciation. Now, would it not be fair to argue the rewards mentioned in Buddhist literature might not be so far-fetched?

Deeper meaning

When it comes to giving to the Buddha Sasana, people often have this idea that they are making a donation. I used to think in this manner until I realised the flaw in it. I would like to offer some thoughts to dispel this misconception. When one gives to the Buddha Sasana, you are making an investment where the ROI is unlimited. There’s a very good reason for this, one which warrants a separate article in which we will discuss the value of the Sambuddha Sasana. For now, let us understand that the value earned from giving is determined by the purity of one’s intention and the nobleness of the recipient. The Buddha Sasana is the pinnacle of all that is noble, which makes it the most suitable recipient yielding infinite return.

There is this perception among some that monks go on alms rounds begging for food because they cannot engage in agricultural labour and earn a living for themselves. In their eyes, they see a bunch of bald beggars and they feel nothing but pity towards them. It might shock our readers when they find out the actual reason they engage in this activity. The Buddha embedded this practice into their routine out of pure compassion towards worldly beings, not for any other reasons. He realised worldly beings are in dire straits and out of infinite compassion towards them, He wanted to create an opportunity for them to escape their fateful predicament. In Buddhist scriptures, there are numerous mentions of people benefitting from offering food and beverages to the Buddha’s disciples. Once a humble villager offered a spoonful of rice to Anuruddha Thera, who was a doppelganger of the Buddha and the foremost in clairvoyance or divine eye, that merit was enough to grant him birth as a powerful deva with an abundance of heavenly pleasures. “Dānaṃ seṭṭhaṃ kalyāṇaṃ nidhānaṃ anuttaraṃ.” This translates to “Giving is the highest good, the supreme treasure,” and highlights the importance of generosity in Buddhist philosophy.  

Our readers might be even more surprised to learn that rejoicing in merits can be as rewarding if not more. The most famous instance is that of the bystander who was present when the Buddha’s chief male patron, Anathapindika, a wealthy merchant, was offering the Jethavanarama monastery, rejoiced over the merit and thereby earned greater merit than Anathapindika. I refer our readers back to the two main factors which contribute to determine the value of a meritorious deed, so you can deduce why the bystander might have earned more merit than the donor. So what difference does it make whether one has given or not, so long as one can rejoice over it? All of this leads from one of the core principles in Buddhism that, your intention is everything. If they are pure, the goodness you can do is immeasurable, and on the flip side, the damage you can cause is unthinkable.

I hope those aforementioned points have convinced our readers that making offerings to the Buddha Sasana is an investment rather than a charitable donation and it can potentially grant unlimited ROI.

The highest form of giving expects nothing in return. Admittedly, this is easier said than done as expecting comes naturally to us, but to give requires the gumption to push oneself beyond this natural tendency. Therefore, typically we always expect a favour, a ‘thank you’, a smile or even a nod of acknowledgement in return for something we give to someone. You will gain the most benefit by giving wholesomely the best thing you can in that circumstance. Hence it is customary for Buddhists to offer the foremost portion of their meal, as exhibited in Buddha Pujas, or the foremost portion of their monthly or weekly earnings to the Sasana. This hugely rewarding practice of giving the first and foremost portion of the fruits of one’s labour to their institution of faith and devotion is not only a practice seen among Buddhists but also people of other faiths. “Dānaṃ dadāti laddhassa nippajjati soko.” This means “One who gives is rid of sorrow that comes from attachment,” and emphasises the benefits of giving in terms of personal growth and spiritual development.

There is one expectation however, that is noble, and untainted by desire, aversion, or delusion and worthy of having at all times. This is the expectation of ultimate freedom. I am referring to Nibbana of course.

Give even if you have a little

‘Give even if you have a little’ is a classic inspirational quote often used to encourage people to be kind and considerate to others. Let us aspire to always elevate ourselves from an inferior and deserving mindset of inadequacy and neediness to a superior thinking of abundance, bountifulness and contribution. It is not what you have or do not have that makes you rich or poor, but rather your attitude to giving. Get into the act of giving whatever you can to help others. It does not always have to be money. A helping hand, a kind word, a gentle gesture – it all counts. Do not limit yourself to just charitable giving, engage in other forms of giving, such as volunteering or donating goods or services. A goal to strive towards is to make a positive impact on the lives of others and to address issues you care deeply about. Be motivated by a desire to give back to society or to support a cause that is important to you.

For some this will be worldly mundane matters, for others supramundane spiritual matters, and yet others, a mix of both. This might sound like a daunting task to the average citizen, yet seems achievable by joining hands with a group of like-minded individuals, supporting a foundation, or taking part in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at your workplace. Funding research, supporting education, providing healthcare, or responding to natural disasters are great ways to contribute to society. On the other hand, we have various events at our monastery which enable devotees to put this theory into practice, where you can acquire merits by uttering a simple sadhukāra. ‘Dakkineyyo Pachānisansa Maha Puja’, is one of the bigger events of our monastery happening once a fortnight, where the ever-faithful as well as new devotees get to witness a procession (Perahera) of epic proportions.

The blessed get to witness a very rare sight of over a hundred disciples of Buddha adorned in maroon, following one behind the other in an orderly manner, placing one foot after another rhythmically to match the disciple in front, signifying that they would be following the footsteps of their noble teachers towards their destination literally and metaphorically. It never fails to be a source of sublime energy and vibrance to the whole place. It consists of many different acts of piety, each with a profound meaning. I would be doing it injustice if I were to describe it in just a few lines. We will discuss the profound meaning of a Perahera in one of our future articles in this series.

To summarise, giving to the Buddha Sasana is an investment, not charity. If we can develop ourselves to give, expecting nothing in return and practise giving the foremost portion of whatever we wish to give, that is giving on a whole new level. To do this, you will have to go against your own natural tendency to expect a worldly return. This is not easy, but it starts wherever you are now. Go on, give it a go. See what you can give today expecting nothing in return. Whatever it takes, give even if you have a little. Good luck, until we meet in the next article!