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The first course for the absolute beginner in this System is the practice of DANA: Giving.
The Pali is based on what we might call a "Law of Physics" called KAMMA (Sanskrit: Karma).
The Pali view of kamma is different from the various Hindu views as well as from the Golden Rule.
The Pali view holds that:
the reaction consequent upon an action
depends on the power of the actor,
the power of the deed, and
the power of the recipient of the deed.
The power of the deed is proportional to its ability to assist the recipient along the path toward detachment.
Therefore deeds of mind are the most powerful,
deeds of word and body are less powerful.
The western practitioner needs to understand the criteria for a "deed of mind."
A passing thought is not a deed of mind.
For a deed of mind to take place there must be intent attached.
(i.e., "O,O,O, If Only So and So were Such and Such".)
The power of the actor and the recipient is proportional to the clarity of their minds.
Clarity of mind is proportional to the detachment of the individual.
(The attached mind is necessarily biased and therefore unclear and of divided power.)
"The wishes of the virtuous, beggars, come to fruition because of their clarity."
The Pali view holds that
there is no doing of a deed without experiencing the consequences thereof,
but that the consequences are subjectively experienced in accordance with the intent of the deed and the mental state of the individual at the time of the experience of a deed's consequences.
This allows for the subjective escape from kamma by the alteration of one's intentions and behavior as well as by elimination of one's attachment to the things of this world.
Two similes are given:
Take the case, beggars, of a rich man who steals a poor farmer's pig,
and take the case of the poor farmer who steals a rich merchant's pig.
What is the case here?
When the poor farmer steals the rich merchant's pig and is caught, he is beaten to within an inch of his life and is made to pay for the pig as well.
When the rich man steals the poor farmer's pig and is caught, the poor farmer begs the rich man to pay him back and maybe he is compensated and maybe he is not.
And, take the case, Beggars, of a small cup of water into which is placed a large spoonful of salt,
and take the case of a large barrel of fresh rain water into which is place a large spoonful of salt.
What is the case here?
When the large spoonful of salt is placed into the small cup of water, it renders the water undrinkable, but when the large spoonful of salt is placed into the large barrel of fresh rain water it is hardly noticed if at all.
Unless it leads to giving up, giving necessarily involves activity which precludes it from being a path to detachment. The primary purpose of giving in this system is the creation of good kamma for the purposes of attaining calm.
The primary purpose of the Pali is not the creation of good kamma or calm, but the escape from kamma.
Having the idea that one has some good kamma out there instills confidence.
This is very handy for those times when one catches a glimpse of the fact that without it one is skating on thin ice and the sun is out. Fear and trembling is a hindrance in the Pali.
So practice giving.
Strive to become a Master Giver.
Do not rely on the tired old thought:
"I am already a very generous person!"
There is no act of giving which is insignificant.
"Why, Beggars, if one were to scrape the dishes into the sewers with the idea of feeding the small creatures that are living there, that would not be without fruit."
Give to one arriving
Give to one departing
Give to one in need
Give to express gratitude
Give to make friends
Give the first fruit of orchard or garden (the fruit of one's labor)
Give to the self. (This is another concept which will appear strange to the Western mind, but which is central to the Pali way of thinking — that is, that the self should be treated like any other person, or an old friend. For one thing, giving to yourself, you will learn what is and what is not good to give.)
Give to one's parents.
Give to one's mate.
Give to one's other relatives.
Give to one's friends
Give to one's servants and employees. (From time to time give treats that servants and employees could not otherwise afford.)
Give to one's teachers
Give to beggars and sorcerers of good moral habits.
Gifts
Kind words (speaking well of people)
Making one's self useful
Treating all alike according to the same standard
These two can never be repaid, beggars.
What two?
Mother and Father.
If one were to hoist Mother and Father
Up onto one's shoulders
An carry them around
Them sh'n and ap iss'n as usua,
Even for an unret years
Wun't be 'nuf ta repay them.
How come?
Because Mother and Father, beggars
Did much for their child
When he was young and helpless.
They gave him life
They gave him food
They gave him clothing
They gave him shelter
They gave him medicine
That's how come.
But, beggars, if one were to be the cause
Of Mother and Father understanding Dhamma
If even only a stanza of four lines
That would be enough to repay them.
— AN II:iv:2
Scorn not the beggar and his bowl
For in the eyes of god,
We are beggars all
Give to fellow seekers right down to the bottom of the bowl.
The PATTA MULA: The root of the bowl.
Give the essential.
Give Food,
Clothing,
Shelter and
Medicine.
These are the things you want rebounding back to you if there should ever come a time when you are down and out, fallen on hard times, hit bottom, or are reborn as what you deserve (remember AHARA? One only needs to come a little bit near the state of being a homeless beggar to know that #1 is food.)
The Food Giver
The food giver
Both gives and gets
Life, beauty, ease,
Energy and strength of wits
AN.5.iv.31
Give the Dhamma
The best of gifts.
This is the gift of every good thing a person needs to know expressed in a way that offends no one because of sex, race, color, creed (except those in every creed that say: "Our teacher's words alone are the truth, and every other teacher's words are wrong!"), state of consciousness or location in time, that is unless they are the type of fool that believes good is bad and bad is good, and then what can you do?
Be open handed,
free handed,
a master giver.
Give good things,
clean things,
with your own hand
at the right time
without regret
with a generous heart
believing in the great fruit of good deeds.
In the society of the Buddha's time, it was considered proper behavior to accept a gift (or agree to any proposition) by silence — it was only if the gift or proposition was objected to that one would speak.
This was a consequence partly of the belief in kamma, where the giver was the primary beneficiary of the act of giving, but the custom was also based on a respect for the value of few words.
On the other hand, the custom for the giver was to offer a gift this way:
"May the good sir, accept this gift from me as a favor to me."
Here today, we must respect the less sophisticated norms of the times and offer vocal thanks. There is no need to cause unnecessary discomfort to those of other views.
Beggars!
These two are hard to find
In the world:
One who offers
And
One who is grateful
— The Book of Twos: 118
There was a tradition in the Buddha's day of expressing thanks at the end of a meal, so we can assume that there was no reason not to say "Thank You." However, the beggars were cautioned not to be too effusive in their thanks lest it be interpreted as a hint that they wanted more.
While one should give without attachment as to the consequence, it is also praised that one give with the outcome clearly in mind. (It is possible to balance these two.)
There are many instances mentioning the progression of ambitions desired, beginning from the wish to be reborn in this world as a wealthy individual to being reborn in one or another of the heaven worlds to giving simply to clarify the mind and heart.
One gives without attachment because the most powerful single factor in the making of a deed of magic (and giving to attain an outcome of any sort is conjuring, or magic) is Letting Go.
On the other hand, to give without thought is likened to giving carelessly.
This is an exercise that is practiced by meditators at the beginning of their sitting practice. It produces an immense blast of good kamma, and makes entry into the higher states much easier in many ways, not the least of which is a feeling of confidence based on the idea that no matter what one encounters this wave of good kamma will see one through safely.
Sit down. Flop forward. Rise up erect. Put a look of satisfaction on the face. And take in 1, 2, 3, Deep, Deep, Deep satisfying breaths and Let It All Go.
And then: Direct the mind toward pervading the four quarters with METTA: Friendly Vibrations (most often translated "Loving Kindness" it is the deep kindly regard held between two good friends).
Think: "O, o, o, may all beings feel friendly vibrations.
May all beings in the northern direction feel friendly vibrations
may all beings in the northeastern direction feel friendly vibrations
may all beings in the eastern direction feel friendly vibrations
may all beings in the southeastern direction feel friendly vibrations
may all beings in the southern direction feel friendly vibrations
may all beings in the southwestern direction feel friendly vibrations
may all beings in the western direction feel friendly vibrations
may all beings in the northwestern direction feel friendly vibrations
may all beings in the upward direction feel friendly vibrations
may all beings on this plane feel friendly vibrations
may all beings in the downward direction feel friendly vibrations."
And then: Direct the mind toward pervading the four quarters with KARUNA: Sympathetic Vibrations (Pity, Compassion,)
Think: "O, o, o, may all beings feel sympathetic vibrations.
May all beings in the northern direction feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings in the northeastern direction feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings in the eastern direction feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings in the southeastern direction feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings in the southern direction feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings in the southwestern direction feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings in the western direction feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings in the northwestern direction feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings in the upward direction feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings on this plane feel sympathetic vibrations
may all beings in the downward direction feel sympathetic vibrations."
And then: Direct the mind toward pervading the four quarters with MUDITA: Happiness at the Happiness's of Others (Soft heartedness, Kindness, Empathetic Joy)
Think: "O, o, o, may all beings feel happiness at the happiness's of others.
May all beings in the northern direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings in the northeastern direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings in the eastern direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings in the southeastern direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings in the southern direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings in the southwestern direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings in the western direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings in the northwestern direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings in the upward direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings on this plane feel happiness at the happiness's of others
may all beings in the downward direction feel happiness at the happiness's of others."
And then: Direct the mind toward pervading the four quarters with UPEKKHA: Objective Detachment
Think: "O, o, o, may all beings experience objective detachment.
May all beings in the northern direction experience objective detachment
may all beings in the northeastern direction experience objective detachment
may all beings in the eastern direction experience objective detachment
may all beings in the southeastern direction experience objective detachment
may all beings in the southern direction experience objective detachment
may all beings in the southwestern direction experience objective detachment
may all beings in the western direction experience objective detachment
may all beings in the northwestern direction experience objective detachment
may all beings in the upward direction experience objective detachment
may all beings on this plane experience objective detachment
may all beings in the downward direction experience objective detachment."
The word "think" here is used for convenience; it is not necessary to think each thought in words. The idea is to "pervade". Conjure up the intended feeling, and project the mind outward into the direction intended.
Soak,
Permeate,
Suffuse and
Saturate
the area with the heartfelt wish that all beings in the area be affected.
As you will see with practice, this produces a kind of light in one's mind's eye-view of the area. By the time the practice is completed, one has surrounded one's self in this light. Additionally, the repetition and progression of the exercise produces a powerful sense of well being and concentration.
Some people make this exercise their entire meditation practice. One should be aware, however, that from the Pali point of view, this exercise only leads to the creation of a vast wealth of good KAMMA; it is not the Pali goal (which is the ending of pain, DUKKHA, the escape from kamma).
This is the reason for the fourth category: detachment.
It is only in combination with letting go that this practice helps one in the Pali task.
Recommended Side Trip to Expansions on the Godly Thoughts
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