Generosity
- The Foundation of Mahayana Buddhism
I
was just talking with my teacher about money and generosity. To me and her, money was
always means to do something, not something to accumulate or to hoard
because there'd be no point in that for us. I give away money all the
time for good purposes, like animal shelters, and people who need it.
I am generous because that's who I am and that's who I want to be. I
am not rich though and here's the thing: Why are people who have lots
of money, so attached to it? It is always people who have lot of
money, who are the most stingy. Vice versa, people who don't have so
much money, give it away easily without reservations. There are of
course exceptions to the rule but in general wealthy people seem to
be attached to their money. From the point of view of humanity, this
is embarrassing. From the point of view of dharma, this is a major
pitfall.
Mahayana
& Generosity
The
first foundational guideline (paramita) of mahayana buddhism is
generosity or dana. Why did the masters who constructed the mahayana
buddhist doctrine, set generosity as the basis of mahayana buddhist
practice? This clearly suggests that this is something important,
though I always find it surprising how little dharma practitioners
give thought to it.
Mahayana
buddhism teaches that all beings have buddhanature and that it is
possible to attain it. In this way mahayana buddhism empowers us by
telling and giving us the tools how full enlightenment or buddhahood
can be attained and actualised. Mahayana teaches wisdom (prajna) and
compassion (karuna) as means to realise our innate wakefulness.
Simultaneosly both wisdom and compassion are the two main
characteristics of our buddhanature which means that someone who has
some or complete first hand experience, is both wise and
compassionate in terms of existencial matters. Wisdom means absence
or lessening of self-based ignorance and compassion is the lively
flowering of that wisdom that cares for others, I would say primarily
from the perspective of mind-based suffering (dukkha) but also from
the perspective of common suffering, such as poverty and illness.
The
opposite of wisdom and compassion is self-based ignorance that only
thinks for itself. In ignorant mind there is a lot of energy or power
in the "I" thought. This is samsaric mind, which repeats
the same thoughts and confusions again and again based on the deeply
ingrained belief that there is "I" or "me" and
"others". According to buddhism, this is the root of
existential confusion that makes life a confusing and unsatisfactory
experiece. Thinking in terms of me and other also creates separation
and inequality between people. That is not normal or healthy in any
way. This is duality and duality is pain.
So,
ignorant mind thinks, talks and acts in ways that are selfish and
narrow minded, and it is this deeply rooted habit of self-based
ignorance that generosity is designed to break. Imagine what happens
in a mind that begins to think, talk and act for the welfare of
others, rather than oneself. This is the medicine of dharma that
uproots our self-belief and removes the gap between me and others,
lettin the buddha within to shine through as understanding and love.
Generosity is actually a geniously designed practice because money is related to our basic safety which in turn relates to our root chakra. A wise man knows the difference between real safety and illusory safety. That is really the only difference between someone who is caught up by samsara and who is liberated. Giving money away can change your life. It literally has the power to liberate you.
Generosity is actually a geniously designed practice because money is related to our basic safety which in turn relates to our root chakra. A wise man knows the difference between real safety and illusory safety. That is really the only difference between someone who is caught up by samsara and who is liberated. Giving money away can change your life. It literally has the power to liberate you.
Vehicles
Vajrayana
is the tantric interpretation of mahayana buddhism. Tantra that
involves gurus, empowerments, deities, mantras and such, is or should
be built on solid understanding of both mahayana and hinayana
teaching. In the context of this article - generosity - this means
that one cannot reap the promise of vajrayana, which is to attain
buddhahood in this life, without the foundation of mahayana. Without
genuine care for others - bodhicitta/compassion - one cannot reap the
benefits of either mahayana or vajrayana. This downgrades vajrayana
into a hinayana practice. It is not bad but it is not how it should
be because tantra is not designed for that.
The
three vehicles of buddhism: hinayana or small vehicle, mahayana or
big vehicle and vajrayana or tantric vehicle, can be compared to
woodwork. A carpenter takes a piece of wood that has the potential to
be made into a fine work of art. In the beginning it's just a block
of wood with bark on it. First, the carpenter makes a sketch of his
sculpture on the wood, and begins to work on it with rough tools,
like axe and chainsaw. After applying some skill and effort, he
manages to make a rough outline of the design that already looks a
lot like what the design is about. It is like a Lego-man compared to
a fine work done by an Italian master sculptor. This is hinayana.
Then the carpenter takes finer tools, like big and small chisels and
continues to work with those. After some more applied effort, we
really begin to see many details. We can also see a great difference
between the former stage and present stage. This is mahayana. Then
finally, the carpenter takes out a collection of sandpapers of
various roughnesses and continues the work. He keeps working and
finally... the finished sculpture looks so beautiful that we are
amazed! This is vajrayana. We cannot expect to understand the fineness of vajrayana if we never even tried the foundational practices of mahayana, such as generosity.
The
point with this analogy is that all three stages – vehicles –
follow each other. Gross, middle and fine are all part of the same
process and if any of them is missing the sculpture cannot be
finished. This explains perfectly the progression from hinayana to
mahayana to vajrayana teaching, and their corresponding practices and
levels of insight. Not understanding this progression also explains
why practitioners of the higher vehicles sometimes have lesser
insight and understanding than those of lower vehicles. If vajrayanis
don't have a solid foundation from gross and medium level insight,
they cannot possibly understand the subtlety and fineness of
vajrayana.
 |
| Jesus by Gian Bernini |
Readiness
The sole purpose of dharma is removing our self-based views from our subtle
nervous system or mind. The meaning of dharma is not in making our
lives better, happier or more pleasurable while remaining arrogant
and selfish. Committing to a dharma practice necessarily stings a bit
but for someone who is fed up with self-created nonsense, this is
both necessary and unavoidable. To such a practitioner, the process
that gets lighter and easier with every insight and moment of
practice. For someone who doesn't understand this and is in it only
to make ones self-based life better, dharma is like ripping one's
hair off one by one, that is, highly unpleasant. Such practitioners
should look into the teachings of hinayana and mahayana because they
are not ready or prepared for vajrayana.
Beginning
to think about the welfare of those around us is a good place to
start.
May
you come in contact with the Buddha within,
-Kim
Katami, 30.7.2020
*
Pemako
Buddhism
