GENEROSITY AND RENUNCIATION

GENEROSITY AND RENUNCIATION

―If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of selfishness overcome their minds. Even if it were their last bite, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared, if there were someone to receive their gift.‖

- Iti 1.26

Another important aspect of skillful ethical conduct is what the Buddha called dana (Pali for giving or generosity). He would often recommend this as the sole practice for people just starting out on the spiritual path. The practice of being generous helps us to become less attached to our possessions and to develop a deep appreciation of those with whom we share. It also gives us an opportunity to reflect on our relationships and our interdependency. Besides material goods (food, money, etc.) we can share our time and skills with others. Many meditators practice generosity in the form of service to others. This can involve volunteer work in local or global communities, teaching meditation, sharing the dhamma, and other forms of helping and supporting others in need. Sometimes just quietly and attentively listening to someone‟s concerns and experience can be a challenging opportunity to be generous. In a rapidpaced world where many people experience loneliness, alienation, and isolation, the gift of being heard is often greatly welcomed.

A special word on renunciation (nekkhamma): The practice of generosity requires renunciation and relinquishment. Whether it is time, energy, or resources, we need to renounce ownership of that which we give away. This can be accomplished on different levels: it can be a superficial renunciation of something that we do not cherish much and therefore is not that important to us. Or it can be a profound and intentional letting go of an item we deeply value. It can be done hastily or with careful reflection. It can also be done with the skillful intentions of benefiting the recipient while helping ourselves by cultivating the practice of letting go. Or it can be done without much care for the recipient and/or with self-loathing, selfdenial, or self-punishment.

On a very deep level the core of the Buddhist path is about renunciation and letting go. The Buddha and his monks and nuns renounced their families, homes, and all possessions to pursue directly the practice that leads to liberation. They lived homeless and celibate lives and begged for their sustenance. Most of us at SIM are not monastics and have not renounced the world on that level. However, we can still practice deeply and use renunciation as a tool toward progress on the path. When we meditate, our practice is to continually let go of distraction, tension, and confusion and return to calm, clarity, and mindfulness. During practice we learn about our mental defilements (kilesa) and practice relinquishing them. The 3 root defilements are greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha), which are often operating below our level of awareness. Combinations of these are the cause of all of our unskillful thoughts, words, and behaviors. They give rise to all of our suffering. The Buddhist path is about waking up to these defilements and then investigating, uprooting, and eliminating

them. Ultimately the goal of practice is to let go of our attachment to everything.

To begin working with generosity and renunciation, investigate your relationship to your possessions (property, money, and belongings). Do you believe that you are attached or cling to your stuff? How do you feel in the body and mind when you notice clinging to your possessions? How does it feel when you let go of the clinging and/or give something away? What motivates you to give? How do you feel when you are the recipient of a gift?