In ancient time, when our Lord Buddha appeared in Jambudipa, in connection with his lay disciple, Anathapindaka, he said this to him: In giving gift there is a goodness scale that we can use to measure the degree of goodness. This scale of goodness was available in those days. Base on this goodness scale, many Theravadins in Myanmar wanted to be the donor of the Monastery – Phaya Dagar, Kyaung Dagar, which rank the highest in the goodness scale.
Buddha said, when he was a Bodhisatta, Velama Brahmin, that was in the era when there was no Buddha to teach the dhamma, he was not able to give gifts even to one with the right view.
Today, we can hardly find a Sotapanna, one that has the right view; so instead many Theravadins are shooting for the highest scale – Monastery Donor – Kyaung Dagar.
Buddha said, among the goodness that one can accrue, donating a Monastery to the Sangha is the highest.
In the days of the old, many in Myanmar aspires for their lifelong goal: to become a donor of the Monastery and the word then was my ultimate goal in my lifetime – Phaya Dagar – Kyaung Dagar – donor of the Monastery.
Offering of alms with your own hands
In offering alms respectfully with one’s own hands, it is a tradition for male donor – head of the household – to offer alms respectfully with his own hands. Female donors are to avoid coming too close to the Sangha. It is a Vinaya rules for Sangha (Monks) to guard his six senses’ doorways. A true ascetic Bhikkhu by the rules must safe guard his six sense doorways:
1. sense of sight,
2. sense of smell,
3. sense of hearing,
4. sense of taste,
5. sense of touch, and
6. mind consciousness
Female should be aware of the facts that the perfumes or fragrance that she wears could trigger the sense of smell and to arouse the sensual perception on the part of some Monks. The same could be the cause with other senses. In Myanmar, in villages, it is a tradition, for male to come close to the Monks when offering alms to them in a respectful manner. The picture depicts the accepted tradition for male to respectfully offer alms to Sanghas. Female lay disciples should observe the rules not to cause the Sangha to break the Vinaya rules by being arouse through any of the six senses, by being coming too close to the Monk.
The Scale of Goodness (Velama sutta)
Once, when the Buddha was dwelling near Savatthi at the Jeta Grove, the householder Anathapindika visited him and, after greeting him politely, sat down at one side.
The Exalted One addressed Anathapindika, “Are alms given in your house, householder?”
“Yes, Lord, alms are given by my family, but they consist only of broken rice and sour gruel.”
“Householder, whether one gives coarse or choice alms, if one gives with respect, thoughtfully, by one’s own hand, gives things that are not leftovers, and with belief in the result of actions, then, wherever one is born as a result of having given with respect, the mind will experience pleasantness.”
“Long ago, householder, there lived a brahman named Velama who gave very valuable gifts. He gave thousands of bowls of gold, silver and copper, filled with jewels; thousands of horses with trappings; banners and nets of gold; carriages spread with saffron-colored blankets; thousands of milk-giving cows with fine jute ropes and silver milk pails; beds with covers of fleece, white blankets, embroidered coverlets, and with crimson cushions at the ends; lengths of cloth of the best flax, silk, wool and cotton. And how to describe all the food, sweets and syrups that he gave? They flowed like rivers.”
“Householder, who was the brahman who made those very valuable gifts? It was me.”
1.0. Gifts offer to one of worthy one:
If those gifts were given, householder, there were no worthy recipients. Although the brahman Velama gave such valuable gifts.
a. If he had fed just one person of right view (Sotapanna), the fruit of the latter deed would have been greater.”
b. “…and though he fed a hundred people of right view (Sotapanna), the fruit of feeding a Once-returner (Sekadagami) would have been greater.”
c. .“…and though he fed a hundred (Sekadagami), the fruit of feeding one Non-returner (Anagami) would have been greater.”
d. “…and though he fed a hundred (Anagami) the fruit of feeding one Arahat would have been greater.”
e. “…and though he fed a hundred Arahats, the fruit of feeding one Non-teaching Buddha (Paccekabuddha) would have been greater.”
f. “…and though he fed a hundred Paccekabuddhas, the fruit of feeding a Perfect One, a Teaching Buddha (SammaSambuddha), would have been greater.”
g. “…and though he fed a SammaSambuddha, the fruit of feeding the Order of monks with the Buddha at its head would have been greater.”
h. “…and though he fed the Sangha with the Buddha at its head, the fruit of building a monastery for the use of the Sangha would have been greater.”
i. “…and though he built a monastery for the monks, the fruit of sincerely taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha would have been greater.”
j. “…and though he sincerely took refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha, the fruit of sincerely undertaking the Five Moral Precepts would have been greater.”
As lay Buddhist, Buddha said, the fruit of observing the five-precepts – is very high in the goodness scale.
Topic: The Scale of Goodness in giving Gifts (Read 868 times)