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From: pingali@.cs.umass.edu (Sridhar Pingali)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: The dana tradition
Message-ID: <1991Jun29.164549.5324@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 29 Jun 91 16:45:49 GMT
Sender: news@nas.nasa.gov
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Lines: 68
Approved: prabhu@amelia.nas.nasa.gov




In article <1991Jun28.224658.10222@nas.nasa.gov> johnw@farside.eng.ready.com (John Wheeler) writes:
>
>>>It is funny that you place the concept
>>>of giving on the wrong side of the equation, so to speak. By the way, I am
>>>curious: what do free food and meditation huts have to do with the Dharma,
>>>anyway?  (johnw)
>>
>>Actually, a considerable amount. Since the Dhamma is priceless,
>>no price is put on it.
>
>I think you misunderstood my question, Sridhar. I was asking what free
>food and mediation huts have to do with the Dharma? You are not 
>equating rice and meditation huts with the Dharma, surely? The Dharma is
>something more than mere food and lodging? Please clarify.

I think that this is an interesting question. What *is*
the Dhamma anyway? There are as many understandings as 
there are moments. One understanding of "taking refuge
in the Dhamma" - is to take refuge in the truth of the
present moment. This is an act of radical and very clear
faith - for *whatever* is happening now is the Dhamma and
is the refuge. I think that there is a danger in placing
the Dhamma as something high and above mundane existence.
The Dhamma is to be found in relationship right here, right
now. This requires attention and this can be understood
to be the refuge of the Buddha (or the awakened mind).

So, are rice and meditation huts the Dhamma? I can't
answer that question directly - but let me take this
as an excuse to tell some stories about the Buddha :-).

The Buddha organized the original sangha (savaka sangha)
in such a way that the monks and nuns were completely
dependent on the laity for all their needs. He said that
the only possible return for such generosity was a life
of purity and careful practice. The practice of "pinda path"
(the alms round) was to help develop among the bhikkus
and bhikkunis a sense of humility and gratitude, and also
provide the laity with opportunities to be generous and to
come into contact with the teaching. There is an invitation
here to ask ourselves where the Dhamma is to be found in
the relationship between the sangha and the laity.

On some occasion, a monk approached the Buddha and asked
him, "What is happiness?" The Buddha asked, "Did you eat
breakfast?" The monk replied that he had. The Buddha then
asked, "Did you wash your bowl?" The monk said yes. The
Buddha asked, "Did you do a good job?"

Some 10 months before his maha parinibbana, the Buddha was 
approached by Ananda and was asked for some final teaching.
The Buddha then said that he had no notion that it was
he that had to lead the Sangha. He called upon all his
disciples to hold fast to the Dhamma as the refuge and
to have no other refuge. And how was a monk to abide
having the Dhamma as the refuge and none other - being
an island unto himself? The Buddha said that the way was
to practice the four establishments of mindfulness on
body, feelings, mind and mind objects. The monk was to
be "ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful - having
overcome grief and coveteousness regarding the world."


Cheers,
Sridhar