The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.
29 August 2024
Question: If we offer dāna of $10,000 to a charity group for a Sasana project, but we don’t really have good feeling about it, Ajahn previously said that we should try to offer higher amount. Does it mean that our target of offering will be $100,000? Does it mean that we should work harder to earn more money so that we could give more and hence, get more good feeling?
Than Ajahn: No, I don’t mean that. I mean if you have the extra money, and if you feel like giving $10,000 and it still doesn’t make you feel happy, then if you can afford to give $100,000, then do it. But you shouldn’t go work for more money for you to give away so that you can feel good because this is not the purpose of dāna. The purpose of dāna is to get rid of your extra money, it’s not to go earn more money to make dāna.
If you don’t have the extra money, then you should do something else, like keeping the precepts or do meditation which will give you a better 'good feeling' than the feeling you get from giving dāna. So, you have to understand that giving dāna means giving the extra money that you have, the money that you don’t need. It’s not for you to go work to get more money to give dāna. You work to earn money, to make a living. But sometimes, you make more than you need, then you give the extra money away, so that you won’t be attached to money and you won’t have any greed for more money.
So, the purpose of dāna is to get rid of your attachment to money and your greed for more money. And giving money away would give you more good feelings compared to if you did not give it away. But if you cannot afford to do dāna because you don’t have the extra money, then you should concentrate on keeping the precepts and do the meditation practice which will give you better 'good feeling' than the good feeling you get from dāna.
Question: If I can achieve my target, should I then target to give $1Million?
Than Ajahn: No. Like I said, the purpose of dāna is not to get more work in order to get more money to give more dāna. The purpose of dāna is to give the extra money that you have. If you only have $10, then just give $10. Finish. You don’t need to go work so that you can give $100.
Should you be lucky and earn more money than you need, then the next time you can give more if you like.
The goal is to do less work so you will have more time to do the meditation practice which will give you more good feeling, more merit. So, the goal is to eventually stop working if it’s possible. And then, practice full-time in a monastery.
Question: Is this wise to put more effort to earn more money so I can give more which mean I will have less time to learn and practice Dhamma because there are more time wasted to earn more money?
Than Ajahn: No. I think I’ve answered your question. You don’t want to do this. You want to do as little work as possible, so you will have the time to study and practice the Dhamma.
“Dhamma in English, Sep 19, 2021.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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