The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart
11 April 2024
Question: When our parents use the allowance given by their children to do dāna, will the parents get the merits themselves?
Than Ajahn: In order for it to be your merit, when you do dāna, the money must belong to you. If someone gives you money and the person doesn’t tell you the purpose of him giving you the money, or he gives you that money as a gift, then if you want to use that money to make merit, you can get merit from it. But if someone gives you money and tells you to make merit with the money he gives you, then you won’t get any merit because it’s not your money, it’s someone else’s money who asks you to make merit for him.
In order for it to be your merit, when you do dāna, the money must belong to you and you have to be the one who decides that you want to make the merit, then it will be your merit. But if someone gives you money and asks you to make merit with the money he gives you, this is not considered to be your money, hence it is not your merit because you are not the one who decides to want to do the merit.
“Dhamma in English, May 28, 2019.”
- - - - - -
Question: How much dāna can influence our rebirth?
Than Ajahn: Well, dāna has no influence on your rebirth. The things that have influence on your rebirth are your cravings and your desire. The more cravings and desire you have, the more rebirth you will have.
Dāna will only give you the quality of your rebirth. If you do a lot of dāna (charity), you’ll have a good rebirth.
You will be reborn well. If you don’t do charity, you will be reborn as a poor person.
“Dhamma in English, Jun 19, 2018.”
- - - - - -
Question: I am happy when I help others but I dislike it when peoole take advantage of me.
So, I’m not willing to help those who take advantage of me.
I wonder if I need to practice more dāna or mettā?
Than Ajahn: No, sometimes you have to choose the people you want to help. If you think helping a person and make that person becomes selfish, then it is not worth helping that person. You want to help people who will do good things towards other people. You don’t want to help somebody who likes to steal, for instance, because it means you’re just supporting the thief to do more stealing. So, you can choose your charity work towards other people.
Normally, you’d like to support good people, or good organization. You don’t want to support people or organization that will hurt or harm other people or animals. So, you can choose. You don’t have to help everybody or be charitable to everybody.
- - - - - -
Question: I understand that in order to succeed in meditation, one must do enough dāna to accumulate merits.
How does this work?
Than Ajahn: Well, if you do charity, then you’ll stop using your money the wrong way, like buying things that you don’t need or going out and having fun. If you use your money the wrong way, you’ll become addicted to that activities. You’ll have to keep doing it.
Then, you won’t have time to go meditate. But if you give your money away instead of using it for sensual pleasures, then it will stop your mind from becoming addicted to seeking for sensual pleasures activities.
Then, it will allow you to be able to stay put, stay at home or stay in a monastery.
So, this is the benefit of dāna: to stop your mind from being restless.
“Dhamma in English, Jul 11, 2018.”
- - - - - -
Question: What do you think is the first action to take if someone wants to start walking the path?
Than Ajahn: Well, the first action is to study the teachings of the Buddha so that you can see a clear picture of what you have to do and what you’re going to get from what you do. This is quite simple.
Really! The Buddha’s teaching is quite straightforward.
He teaches us the 3 steps to peace and happiness, namely: charity, morality and meditation. So, this is what you have to do. You have to be charitable.
Instead of spending money on yourself, you spend it on other people.
What you spent on yourself, besides spending it on the basic necessities, are more harmful to you than useful to you. Spending money on your desire, such as going on a holiday or buying expensive things for yourself, will hurt you more than help you. If you use that same money giving it to other people or helping those who are in need, the feelings will be different.
The feeling of happiness that arises from helping other people is much deeper and stronger than the feeling you get from spending money on yourself, on your desire.
“Dhamma in English, Jul 13, 2018.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
No comments:
Post a Comment