Giving is one of the most powerful practices in the path of enlightenment. Samma SamBuddha always appreciate the quality of giving as one of the most necessary practice for the path of nibbana. There is another wonderful quality which is attached to the quality of giving. That is the quality of being happy by seeing others who give. Let me share a wonderful story from Samma Sambuddha’s time period.
There
is an alms-giving named unparalleled alms-giving. This happens only once in a time of a Samma
SamBuddha. When Gauthama Samma SamBuddha
alive, this unparalleled alms-giving was given by the King Pasenadi of Kosal and
his wife Queen Mallika.
The king always offered alms to the Samma Sambuddha and other enlightened bhikkhus on a
grand scale and always invited the citizens to join the alms-giving to be
pleased by seeing it. Citizens also
arranging alms-giving in a same scale and invited the king to be pleased in a
same manner. Then the king wanted to do
the alms-giving uniquely. You
know, “king’s style”! So, that no one can match his scale of giving. And when he shared the idea with Queen
Mallika, she said, she can organize such an alms-giving.
To
do this, she asked the king to have a grand pavilion built. Next, she asked for
five hundred white umbrellas and five hundred tame elephants; those five
hundred elephants were to hold the five hundred white umbrellas over the five
hundred bhikkhus. In the middle of the pavilion, they kept ten boats, which were
filled with perfumes and incense. There were also two hundred and fifty
princesses, who kept fanning the five hundred bhikkhus, and to fill the incense
& perfumes to those arranged boats.
Queen said, since princesses or white umbrellas or elephants are not
available with the citizen, they won’t be able to give such a grand scale
alms-giving ever, so king’s alms-giving will be the unique and the best one
ever.
When
all preparations were made, alms-food was offered. After the meal, the king
made an offering of all the things in the pavilion, which were worth fourteen
crores. The pavilion made for Samma
SamBuddha was unparalleled and worth crores.
King was so happy and offered
everything to the Samma SamBuddha & the Sangha. King said “Oh, Lord, please accept everything
including suitable & not suitable for monks” He just wanted to offer
everything.
At
the time, two ministers of the king named “Kala & Junha” were present. Of
those two, the minister named Junha was very pleased and praised the king for
having offered alms so generously to the Buddha and his bhikkhus. He also
reflected that such offerings could only be made by a king. He was very glad
because the king would share the merit of his good deeds with all beings. In
short, the minister Junha rejoiced with the king in his unrivalled charity. But, the minister Kala, on the other hand,
thought that the king was only squandering, by giving away fourteen crores in a
single day, and that the bhikkhus would just go back to the monastery and
sleep. He thought, what a waste!
After
the meal, the Samma Sambuddha looked over at the audience and knew how Kala the
minister was feeling. Then, the blessed one knew if the blessed one deliver a
lengthy discourse of appreciation, Kala would get more dissatisfied, and in
consequence would have to suffer more in his next existence. But in the other hand, the minister Junha can
become a stream enterer too. But, out of
compassion for Kala, the Buddha delivered only a short discourse and returned
to the monastery.
The
king had expected a lengthy discourse of appreciation, after such an
unparalleled offering, and so he was very sad because the Samma Sambuddha had
been so brief. The king wondered if he had failed to do something which should
have been done, and so he went to the monastery to inquire the reason. King asked whether he has done anything wrong
or offer something unsuitable to get such a brief appreciation at the end.
The
blessed one said, "Great King! You should rejoice that you have
succeeded in making the offering of the unparalleled alms-giving (asadisa /
asadrusha dana). Such an opportunity comes very rarely; it comes only once
during the appearance of each Samma SamBuddha.
So, you have done a wonderful dana be happy for that.
Then the King asked the reason for the hesitation.
Samma SamBuddha said your audience was not so pure to have the benefit
of such a long appreciation. Then said
about the two ministers, and how the blessed one act compassionately towards
the minister Kala who had felt that alms-giving was a waste, and was not at all
appreciative. And also said about the minister Junha and how wise his thoughts
were. Then the king inquired the
minister Kala and said, “These are the wealth of me & my family. I decide what to do with them. What is the problem with you to have such
unpleasant thought of seeing someone else’s action on their own wealth? Leave
my country right now! You have no right to stay in this kingdom” Then the king said to minister Junha how he
pleased with his thoughts and said “I’m so pleased to hear what you have felt
by seeing my unparalleled alms-giving. I
am giving you the full right to use all my wealth and my servants for seven
days, so that you can give such an alms-giving again for seven days”
And
King discussed with Samma SamBuddha “Oh lord, look at the nature of the
ignorant ones, they even criticize the nature of giving of others by looking at
them” Then the blessed one added, "Great King! Fools do not rejoice
in the giving nature of others and go to the lower worlds. The wise rejoice the
nature of giving and appreciate the other people's action of giving, they share
in the merit gained by others and go to the abode of the devas".
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
“Indeed, misers do not go to the abode of the devas; fools do not praise giving; but the wise rejoice in giving and so gain happiness in the life hereafter”
(Dhammapada)
After listening to the discourse of Samma
SamBuddha minister Junha became a stream enterer – a Sotapanna disciple.
As
you see, giving and appreciating other’s giving is a key point of path of
liberation. To become a stream-enterer,
one should equally develop the power of faith, vigor, awareness, focus &
wisdom. Giving and appreciating the nature of giving is a key to develop those,
and Minister Junha in this story is a great example for that.
So, develop the quality of giving. Giving to Samma SamBuddha & the disciples are very rare and only possible on a time of a SamBuddha Sasana. So, use the opportunity. Give as much as possible without any hesitation. And learn to appreciate when you see someone else is giving in various ways. Don’t let your opinions or your views to criticize the giving of others like the minister Kala.
Have a blessed time, my dear friends!
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