Orange County Buddhist Church
Orange County Buddhist Church
Dana is a practice to reduce our fear of loss.
Did I puzzle you with this title of “Dana is a practice to reduce our fear of loss”?
Well, in this month’s newsletter I want to share what I learned from Bhante Madawala Seelawimala, one of the IBS Professors. Bhante means a “teacher” or “Master”. Bhante Seelawimala wearing a yellow robe came and taught one class at the MAP (Ministers Assistant Program) in October where I attended.
Bhante Seelawimala is from Sri Lanka and originally a Theravada Buddhist. The way he conducted his class was eye opening to me, by asking many questions one after another. His first statement was “Being a Buddhist means a student of Life.” “You refine the ability to see things correctly and think straight.” “Dharma is the Ocean of knowledge.” Wow… what a logical wind is hitting me!
The human suffering and pains (Sanskrit. dukkha) comes from “fear.” “Fear” is caused by the concept of loss. We as human beings are never able to sever the notion of self-centerness, which is “ego.” Bhante said that we are always I-making, mine-making, and everything starts from “me.”
Let me give you some examples. If you have your savings invested in shares, you probably worried during the past weeks when the U. S. Market went down. The fear comes from the concept of loss. If you have a 5-carat diamond ring, would you wear it every day or lock it in the bank safety box? We are afraid of losing what we possess. How about our health? We want to stay healthy forever. As days go by, we become matured, and our memory and healthy start declining. We start to feel fear of losing our ability to remember and remaining healthy.
The Wisdom of Buddhism wakes us to the reality, to see things as they are and to think straight. At the same time, the Wisdom guides us to the world of Nirvana, which is the concept of “fearlessness.” It is the absence of “dukkha.” We, as Buddhists learn how to reduce those fears.
Let me go back to the title. The practice of “Dana (giving)” trains us to pay attention to others for their happiness, which eventually should come back to us. This is what we can call “other-centered” mind. The more we practice “Dana - Giving”, the more we become good at it. The more we become good at it, the less fear of loss we feel.
The spirit of “Dana” comes from other-centered mind that reduces our self-centerness. When we get used to “Dana” practice, we will eventually live in the world of Nirvana in the present life. We will reduce the concept of fear, and our other-centered mind will become a part of ourselves. The “Dana – Giving” practice is not to reduce what we possess, but to reduce our fear of loss and have us get closer to the state of Nirvana that is the world of “fearlessness.” That is the genuine lesson of “Dana – Giving”.
Namo Amida Butsu
Rev. Mutsumi Wondra
November 2008
