What is dana?

Dana (dāna) means giving or generosity. It is traditionally the first teaching the Buddha gave to lay people, and the first of the perfections. Generosity is seen as the natural starting point of practice because it directly loosens greed, one of the three roots of suffering.

Why giving comes first

Every act of real giving involves letting go a little. When we give, we practise releasing our grip on what we think of as “mine”. This is the same letting go that, in a deeper form, leads to awakening. Giving also creates warmth and trust between people, and it makes the mind light and glad, which supports meditation.

The Buddha described many rewards of giving: the giver is dear to many people, admired by good people, gains a good reputation, is confident in any gathering, and is said to be reborn in a good destination.

How to give well

The early suttas describe the gifts of a good person. They are given with faith and respect, at the right time, with a generous heart, and without harming oneself or others. Traditionally, the giver feels glad before giving, while giving, and afterwards.

What is given matters less than the attitude. A small gift offered with a pure heart is valued highly. Teachers often list three kinds of gift:

• material gifts, such as food, clothing, shelter and medicine
• the gift of fearlessness, by keeping the precepts and not threatening anyone
• the gift of the Dharma, sharing the teaching, said by the Buddha to surpass all other gifts

Dana in Buddhist life

In many Buddhist countries, lay people offer food to monks and nuns each morning on their alms round. Monastics in these traditions own very little and depend on the generosity of the community, and in return they offer teaching and an example of a simple life. This relationship is the heart of traditions such as Kathina, the annual offering of robes.

The word dana is also used in some places for gifts that keep a temple or Buddhist organisation going, given voluntarily rather than set as a payment.

Practising generosity

You can practise dana in small ways every day: sharing a meal, giving time to someone who needs it, giving attention when you would rather not, or giving up the last word in an argument. Notice how the mind feels before, during and after giving. Over time, generosity becomes less of an effort and more a natural expression of a kind heart.