All programs at Community Village are informed by the principle of “Dana“, ****or “Generosity”
Below we’ll describe where it comes from, why it matters, and how it’s relevant to you in your everyday life.
Where does it come from, and why does it matter?
The Buddha’s monastic community was set up in a way that they were very much dependent on the lay community. The monks were not allowed to own or handle money and had nothing but their robes and a few necessary items, so the lay community provided them with food and other necessities. And surprisingly enough, it worked! Over thousands of years, the Asian lay community supported the monks (and in many parts of the world, they still do it this way!). That’s how the monastics, but also the Dharma was kept alive. Because lay people understood the value of monks studying the Dharma and passing it on to them as a gift in their lives.
On retreat we learned that when the Buddha and his monks went to villages to teach lay people originally, they taught about three things first: Dana (generosity), Sila (morality) and Bhavana (meditation, cultivating the mind). Dana often being the first.
It was not only about keeping the monastics alive. A big reason was that one of the major factors for suffering is clinging, for example out of greed or fear. Generosity is the opposite of that, it’s letting go - and with a kind heart at that. In this way, in other cultures it is understood that giving is actually a way of RECEIVING. Less clinging, and with that, more peace, more joy and growing kindness in the heart.
Carol Wilson explains that people in these cultures place such immense value on generosity because they KNOW it makes them happy. It gives them 3 opportunities to feel good:
“In Asian Buddhist cultures, the quality of generosity is inculcated in young people really from the very beginning. Children are taught to give a daily offering of food to the monks, and it’s beautiful to see how it becomes embodied in their lives early on.“ - Joseph Goldstein
So how does it apply to us?
Hopefully some of this makes sense, even if it might not be natural given the environment that we were raised in. While we like to look at 1,000’s of years of cultural evidence and our own experiences having practiced Dana ourselves, we think the science is important too! On her website, Nikki Mirghaforia, PhD and Buddhist Teacher, shares several scientific articles of studies that support the links between (targeted) generosity and happiness, physical and emotional health, and reduction in anxiety.”