Inward purity and act of giving

By Derbie Pandita Gunawardene

The Buddhist way of life means both a life of inward purity and a life of service to others. The Buddha himself set the example of this noble ideal which he pursued not only in the countless lives before Enlightenment, but thereafter too when each morning before dawn, he would, with his supernormal vision, survey the world to find who, each day, needed his help most for liberation from the hard fetters of the earthly existence.

The Jataka stories are replete with incidents in his previous lives as the Bodhisatva, when he gave himself up, his life his wealth and everything he held dear, for the benefit of those in whose midst he lived. We have only to refer to anyone of the five hundred and fifty Jataka stories to find instances in the previous lives of the Buddha who, born as man or animal, gave whatever he could command, even his own life to alleviate the sufferings of others. The Vyagrha Jataka, one of these, illustrates how the Bodhisatva never hesitated to sacrifice his life in order to make even the life of an animal happy.

The story according to the Jataka Mala is as follows: The Bodhisatva was passing through a forest accompanied by his disciple, when he saw a tigress and her three cubs on the verge of death due to starvation. Moved to compassion by this sight, he thought; “This body being foul and a source of suffering, he is not wise, who would not rejoice at its being spent for the benefit of another.

There are but two things that make one disregard the grief of another, the attachment to one’s own pleasure and the absence of the power of helping. But I cannot take my pleasure while another grieves, as long as I am able to help him. Why should I therefore be indifferent?

“By casting myself down this precipice, I sacrifice my miserable body which will feed the tigress, thus preventing her from killing the young ones and saving the young ones from dying by the teeth of their mother.

“Furthermore by so doing I will set an example to those whose longings are for the good of the world; I encourage the feeble; I gladden those who understand the meaning of Charity; I inspire the virtuous; and finally that opportunity I yearned for, when I may have the opportunity of benefitting others, by offering them my own limbs, I shall obtain it now and acquire before long Samma Sambuddhahood-Supreme Enlightenment”.

After these reflections, he cast himself down the precipice, so that the hungry tigress and the three little cubs could appease their hunger.

One may be prone to look at such an act as an unworthy sacrifice. But for a Bodhisatva, in the pursuit of the Perfections (Paramitas) such an act is never unworthy.

Born as King Vessantara, he distributed all his wealth and ultimately his own son and daughter, in an act of extreme self-sacrifice, which while bringing relief to another, enabled the Bodhisatva, to break the bonds of rebirth.

The act of giving - dana - is the first and foremost virtue, a Bodhisatva or the Buddha-to-be, will seek to perfect. This Dana Paramita, is the first of the ten Perfections, necessary for the attainment of Buddhahood.

The ten Perfections or transcendental Virtues, dana (giving), sila (discipline), nekkhamma (renunciation), panna (wisdom), virya kshanti (serenity), sachcha (truthfulness), aditthana (determination), metta (loving kindness), and upekkha (equanimity) bear the twin qualities of bringing joy within you and, shedding brightness around you.

Ultimate goal

When a Bodhisatva practises Dana Paramita, each act of dana or giving has its own significance, for he has always in mind his ultimate goal - Nibbana.

The act of giving has a dual blessing - blessing him that gives and him that takes. But as a true Buddhist the giver can only be blessed, if the act of giving eliminates or at least thins his desires, for by eliminating desire (thanha) you take the first and most fundamental step in the path to Nibbana.

Life, which in its essence is a stream of thought, when not contaminated by the poison of thanha (desire) which latter is the force that drives life along the channels of rebirth, ends in the realization of that pure and sublime state.

The ordinary house-holder who aims at living a life of service to others, will not find it possible to reach the breadth of service and self-sacrifice of a Bodhisatva, in his day to day activities. But that does not mean that amidst his duties and cares he cannot get the opportunity or find the time to help another. A little act of kindness moves one’s heart more than a large dole of unsympathetic charity and your life can be filled with simple gestures of tenderness towards others.

It is from acts of kindness and love that a community of people can aspire to be called refined. The noblest of mankind are those who have brought relief and solace to their fellowmen by word and deed in their day to day conduct.

Each act of helping another, however insignificant it may be, promotes the development of the highest virtue. You can find in a human being Maitriya which is also the first of the Brahma Viharas (sublime conduct).

Highest conduct

These Brahma Viharas are four in number and they are the highest conduct cultivable by a follower of the Buddha. They are metta (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy in the welfare of others), and upekkha (equanimity). An act of service to another contributes to the development of the first two sublime states directly and indirectly of the last two.

Of all the qualities of head and heart, metta or maitriya combines in its essence, love, kindness, compassion and benevolence. These are the qualities which, according to the Teaching of the Buddha, should pervade all human conduct. It is this Dharma which is characteristic of his Teaching and which he emphasised above all other world Teachers. The one great discourse in which he epitomised the doctrine of loving-kindness is the karaniya Metta Sutta. Two stanzas from this Sutta, which sums up what we must think and do each day of our life is:

“Just as a mother, her own child,
Her only son protects with all her might:
Just so one should t’wards, all that lives
Develop one’s own mind in boundless love.
Thus t’ward the whole wide world, should one
Unfold one’s mind in all embracing kindness
Above, below, on every side
Unhindered, free from hate and anger.

(Courtesy- World Buddhism, Vesak Annual 2514-1970)