This is the joy of true happiness,

1. This is the joy of true happiness, The true joy of the Buddha.

2. MEDITATION – 3 things to be regulated and focused: 1. BODY: - to regulate a) Sit steady, upright, comfortable, calm w/o moving unintentionally, w/o stress and tension. b) Eyes closed, mouth shuts, tongue touching upper palate of mouth effortlessly, arm pits ventilated. Page 95 TWTB BREATH – object of concentration Regulate your breathing until the inhalations & exhalations gradually become gentler, slower w/o noise & in a consistent pattern, as if there were no breathing at all. 3. THE MIND – the master focusing on the breath Fix the mind on an object i.e. the breath. Keep it from being scattered, from becoming sleepy or restless. When the mind is concentrated & in equanimity, it naturally becomes secure & steady. When the mind is the master, the body is in a state of quiet stillness, the mind and breath, mutually dependent, then reach the state of concentration.

3. Rigid thinking is a human trait that can be hard to discern in oneself. Rather than worrying about other people's rigid thinking, it makes more sense--in line with what the Buddha discovered and shared with us--to look at our own thinking.

4. Wi-Fi SDIO Happiness is not so much in having as in sharing. We make a living by what we get but we make a life out of what we give.

5. 3 WHOLESOME ACTS The 3 Wholesome Acts start with Giving (dana), followed by precepts (sila) and meditation. However both giving and keeping precepts per se will not lead us to attain Nirvana. The Buddha said: “O monks, if a person wishes to realise through the cessation of defilements, a state of mental emancipation, namely the attainment of Arhatship which is free from all defilements during this birth itself, he should first perfect precepts and then proceed to meditation.”

6. Then, is it fruitless to perform meritorious deeds? • A person who wishes to attain Nirvana, he needs to be born in a state suitable for attaining the Path and the Fruits. This state can only come about by performing meritorious deeds of giving and percepts observance. • Thus, meritorious deeds indirectly help the attainment of Nirvana.

7. DANA • DANA - The first topic for discussion before Buddha starts with other graduated teachings • Buddha starts with emphasizing the virtue of giving • Dana not primary factor of enlightenment. • Fulfills the basic necessities of life (food, clothing, lodging & medication) and the preparation to free the mind from defilements.

8. The Importance of Practicing Dana: • the 1st of the 3 wholesome acts • the 1st of the 6 perfections of a Bodhisattva (giving, morality, patience, effort, meditation & wisdom) • the 1st of the 4 skillful means or embracing virtues (giving, loving speech, beneficial action and team spirit)

9. WHERE DO MATERIAL NECESSITIES COME FROM? • Through hard work and technological development - which is a superficial understanding of the present condition. • The underlying primary condition – is the karma of previous existence. • Buddha said: “All material necessities of this life come from the good karma of being charitable with our possessions.”

10. WHERE DO MATERIAL NECESSITIES COME FROM? The 4 Uses of Possessions: • Unused possessions mean nothing to us when we die • Enjoy or waste them -- depleted and gone • For charity -- become the basis for material happiness in future lives (future CPF). Like sowing grains in a field that yield 10 to 100 times in return. • All Natural Resources come from shared karma, who in turn gather and process them according to individual past karma e) Although present effort is necessary to excavate and manufacture things, but if not for past cause of giving, these material resources would not exist.

11. 2 MAIN REQUIREMENTS IN DANA “One should give willingly and in ways that are beneficial to others. Having compassion or respect in different circumstances. There are differences in attitudes, in the fields of good fortune, And in substance given And accordingly there are differences in the levels of merit.” Verse 46 … Page 80 TWTB Two Main Requirements In Giving: 1) being willing & 2) being beneficial

12. BEING WILLING & BENEFICIAL • Giving through lending or with reluctance and heartache – cannot be counted as charity. • What is given should be beneficial to receivers without harmful intention. • Mahayana spirit: giving to benefit others even at one own’s expenses. Such merits are immeasurable.

13. THE DON’TS OF DANA “One should give in a proper way And not from social pressure, fear or indebtedness; One should not expect rewards or merely follow family traditions; Nor should one ask for divine good fortune or for fame.” Verse 47 … Page 82 TWTB

14. IMPURE DANA – (Pg 82) 7 TYPES: • Under pressure and reluctantly with heartache • From fear – when one’s wealth, authority, position or life is threatened or in danger of losing. Giving in the hope to obtain rewards, blessings and elimination of bad luck, expectancy of longer life. • From indebtedness – to demons, spirits etc. • Expecting Rewards - in kind or otherwise. • Merely to follow family traditions, a habit or annual routine event to the 3 Treasures or charity. • To please devas in return for divine good fortune. • For the sake of fame, honour.

15. CONCLUSION The Buddha said that the practice of giving helps us to purify our mind. Generous gifts accompanied by wholesome intention help to eradicate suffering in 4 ways:- • reduces our attachment to the object, thus weakens our mental craving; • helps us develop virtue, concentration and wisdom (sila,samadhi,pañña); • leads to happy future births favorable to encountering and practicing the pure Buddha Dharma; • makes our mind pliant (not fixated) enough for the attainment of Nirvana

16. Once the Buddha said that if people only knew the value of giving as he does, they would not take a single meal without sharing their food with others. (It.p,18).

17. DIFFICULTY 1) It is difficult to exercise the virtue of giving In proportion to the intensity of one's greed/ selfishness. 2) Devata-samyutta equates dana cultivation to a battle. One has to fight the negative forces of greed/ attachment before one can make up one's mind to give away something precious and useful to oneself. 3) The Latukikopama Sutta illustrates how a man lacking in spiritual strength finds it hard to give up a thing he has been used to (M.i, 449).

18. QUALITIES OF A GIVER One keeps an open house for the needy 1. Become a wellspring for recluses, brahmans, the destitute, wayfarers, wanderers and beggars 2. Generous of his blessings with others 3. Understands the difficulties of the poor (vadannu) 4. Open-handed / ready to comply with another's request 5. Fit to be asked from (yacayogo). 6. Delighted in distributing gifts to the needy/ heart bent on giving. Such are the praises used in the suttas to describe the qualities of a giver.

19. A noble giver is one who is happy before, during and after giving (A.iii,336). 1. Before giving he is happy anticipating the opportunity to exercise his generosity. 2. While giving he is happy that he is making another being happy by fulfilling a need. 3. After giving he is satisfied that a good deed is done. • The Buddha compares the man who righteously earns his wealth and gives to the needy - as a man who has both eyes, whereas the one who only earns wealth but does no merit is like a one-eyed man (A.i,129-30). The wealthy man who enjoys his riches by himself without sharing is said to be digging his own grave (Sn. 102).).

20. Giving with faith (saddhaya deti) is praised suttas (A.iii,172), especially when offering alms to the sangha, one should do with reverence and respect, taking delight in the opportunity given to serve them. In the act of giving one should take care not to hurt oneself or another .

21. More than what is given, it is the manner of giving that makes a gift valuable. One may not be able to afford a lavish gift, but one can always make the recipient feel cared for by the manner of giving.

22. May all beings be free of suffering