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Dhamma Dana

Dhamma meditators of the world:

You have once again assembled here to see how you can help Dhamma to spread, how you can help suffering people around the world to come in contact with Dhamma so that they emerge from their misery. This is a wonderful Dhamma volition.

Anyone who has really tasted Dhamma knows that it is wonderful. Out in the world, when you taste something delicious you feel like sharing it with your friends and family; this is natural. But there is nothing more delicious than Dhamma— Dhammarasaṃ sabbarasaṃ jināti—and someone who has really tasted Dhamma will start to feel ehi-passiko—Oh, it is so wonderful! Everyone should taste this! Whether this feeling of ehi-passiko has started developing in the mind or not is one yardstick by which progress in Dhamma is measured.

Suppose the feeling has arisen, and one wants Dhamma to be tasted by more and more people, but if one is not yet properly developed in Dhamma there is every likelihood of making mistakes. One may think, "I want more people to come to the path of Dhamma, certainly, but what will my position be?" Or a really degraded person might start calculating how much money he or she should receive, "Certainly I will help people to practise Dhamma, but I must get at least this amount for it. After all, I am giving my time, my life." Or someone may not look for either position or payment, but deep inside there is a strong craving that others should appreciate one’s service, "They should thank me, bow down before me and give me great respect." These people have not understood Dhamma. They are not fit to serve others because at the deep level their only aim is to serve themselves.

I remember one of my Muslim Dhamma brothers at Sayagyi’s centre. He was an assistant professor or professor at Rangoon University. After he had taken a few courses a volition arose, "I must serve. But how should I serve so that my ego does not manifest itself? If my ego becomes inflated, the service is not service." For a number of days we didn’t know what he was doing. He came to the course in the evening—he was not participating in it—and when the students went to sleep, he also slept somewhere. Then, at about ten-thirty, when everybody was asleep, he got up, took a bucket of water and a broom, went to the lavatories, and cleaned them for an hour or two. Then he went to sleep. He didn’t want anyone to know of his service.

That is the type of job which others didn’t like to do, but Sayagyi did not allow non-meditators to come and do it. And the professor felt, "I am a fit person, I’d better do that." This is the spirit of service. He didn’t expect anything in return, he didn’t even want people to appreciate that he was serving. This is the purity of Dhamma service. Each individual has to examine oneself, "When this enthusiasm to serve comes in my mind, is it tinged with the colour of selfishness, do I want something?" When this "I want something" goes away, you may serve in whatever capacity is needed. "If I am asked to clean the toilets, I will do that. If I am asked to stand at the gate and be the gatekeeper, I will be the gatekeeper. If the next day I am asked to sit on the Dhamma seat and teach Dhamma, yes, I will do that. I am only here to serve." If that is your thought, you are fit to serve.

With my teacher, occasionally someone would very generously offer, "Sayagyi, I will put a building here that people can stay in very comfortably. This is my donation to the centre. Let others come and make use of it, but whenever I or a member of my family comes it should be reserved for us." And Sayagyi was Sayagyi, he would shout, "Mad fellow, learn Dhamma! We don’t take donations from people who have not taken Dhamma, and I don’t want donations even from people who have taken Dhamma but not understood it!"

This is a healthy, pure tradition. This purity alone will keep Dhamma powerful and this pure Dhamma will serve people properly. If Dhamma becomes degraded and a rich person tries to buy or influence Dhamma it will become a commodity of the market. How will it help anybody? So everybody, now and in the future, who has the responsibility of running such Dhamma centres, here or around the world, should keep in mind the purity of Dhamma. Make a resolution that you won’t allow the purity of Dhamma to be spoiled or defiled.

It doesn’t matter if the facilities are less extensive, if fewer people come to such Dhamma centres. Dhamma should be given in a proper way. If someone who thinks, "By my dāna others are receiving benefit," that person feels joyful to see others joyful. This is the biggest reward that one can get from donation and service. If someone does not understand Dhamma in that way, it’s better not to take any donation from this person although he might have taken a number of courses. This guideline is not only for the present management, the present Teacher, the present assistant teachers, but for generations in the future.

Out of madness someone will say, "Well, Vipassana is wonderful. But this exercise is also good, why not add it?" Or someone might say, "Oh, this is wonderful! But why not add a little of our belief? Add this, and you will find a large number of people from my community will come." No! If it becomes polluted it will stop helping people. Any addition is bound to defile the technique. Sayagyi used to say that if you start any other activity in a Dhamma centre, Māra is very clever and will start clapping, "Ah wonderful, this is very good! Look, there must also be yoga āsanas here, wonderful! There must also be a nature cure centre, oh wonderful!" Māra will draw all attention to this secondary activity, and Vipassana will fall into the background. This is bound to happen.

This country, where this wonderful technique originated, lost it within five hundred years because mad people started adding various things to it. It became polluted, defiled, and then its efficacy lessened and it slowly died away. In other countries also, in the same way, it died away.

We are fortunate that one neighbouring country kept it in its pristine purity from generation to generation; that is why we have it. We have the responsibility to ensure that it is maintained for future generations in the same purity. Everyone should feel, "I was given it in its pristine purity and I will hand it over to the next generation in its pristine purity." In this way, at least for a few centuries, it will keep on helping people to come out of their misery.

Also examine yourself: Is past conditioning still very important? You want to serve Dhamma, and still say, "I am from this particular tradition and this is the highest"; if so, you have not submitted to Dhamma. Instead the thought should be ekāyano maggo, "I am confident that this is the only way to take out the deep-rooted impurities from the mind. Unless the deep-rooted complexes and impurities are taken out of the mind, I will never be liberated. Nobody can be. This is the one and only way." Only when you have this confidence should you offer yourself to serve Dhamma, in whatever capacity.

You are your own best judge. If you really have a volition that Dhamma should spread, that more and more suffering people should benefit from Dhamma, keep this volition. But don’t accept a position where you come in the limelight when you still have attachment to your past traditions, your beliefs, your dogmas. Wait a little, don’t take any responsibility.

Quite a few amongst you have that volition, I know. May you gain the merits of serving suffering people around the world, in different capacities. Those who have such volition but are not yet strong enough, make yourselves strong in Dhamma. By making yourselves strong in Dhamma you are not doing something for your Teacher, the Buddha, or anybody else, you are doing something for yourselves. It is for your own good, for your own benefit.

My Sayagyi used to say to those of his students who could go into the nibbānic stage at will, "You give the biggest donation to this centre: the wonderful vibration associated with the experience of nibbāna." So if you serve in no other capacity but that of a meditator, just meditate. Even if you can’t reach the stage of nibbāna, it doesn’t matter; whatever purity you generate will spread and the atmosphere will be charged with the vibration of purity. That will be your greatest contribution. One person may give millions of rupees in donation but not generate good vibrations and another may generate good vibrations but give nothing materially; the donation of good vibrations is much greater.

Then you can serve in any capacity. It is not necessary to become a Teacher, an assistant teacher, a treasurer, a president, a secretary, a trustee—meditate. Meditate for your own benefit and for the benefit of others. Generate good vibrations for your own good and for the good of others.

May all of you, of whatever country, community or caste, develop in Dhamma. You have a wonderful opportunity now that you have come in contact with Dhamma. Develop in Dhamma! Come out of your misery and be a shining example for others, so that they are attracted towards Dhamma and come out of their misery, their bondages.

May you all be really happy. May all others also be really happy. May you all be really peaceful. May all others also be really peaceful. May you all be liberated. May all others also be liberated.

Bhavatu sabba maṅgalaṃ

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