Dana and Punya Flashcards
what does Dana mean?
generous giving
what does Punya mean?
merit
what is merit?
merit is the good affects experienced by someone as the result of their good karma and good actions
how does merit affect someone?
merit affects individuals internally, making the mind happy and virtuous, and externally, bringing good circumstances, such as long life, health and wealth
what earns merit?
- dana: generous giving
- sila: right action, right speech, right livelihood
- bhavana: mental discipline (meditation)
why is Dana important?
is stems from lack of selfishness and transcends ego.
it is a rejection of greed (tanha)
it is an act of compassion (metta)
what quote does the buddha use when talking about Dana?
“conquer stinginess with a gift”
which factors affect how much merit is earned in an action?
- the intention behind an act
- the wisdom behind an act, someone who understands the act gains more wisdom than someone who doesn’t
- the recipient, the best recipient is one who has earned much merit themselves e.g a monk
what is the story of sivali?
sivali saw into his past life where he was a villager who gifted honeycomb to a monk. the exchange was the honeycomb for all the merit it would earn by giving it to him. this earned a lot of merit as the monk also had so much merit himself and was done out of wisdom
which buddhists would mainly practise Dana?
Lay Theravada buddhists
why are the monastic sangha called “the field of merit”?
the sangha follows all the pattimokka, and the dasi sila on behalf of the community in order to build up merit for everyone.
why is the belief in Dana and Punya essential to Theravada society?
the cycle of lays giving to monks and earning merit to be reborn as human, to then reach enlightenment in the next life and then teach others is essential to society as it wouldn’t function without it
how do Mahayana view Dana?
dana is the first paramita (perfection) which is attained on the bodhisattva path. it corresponds with the bhumi (stage) called joy. this is the realisation of complete selflessness and being at one with the universe. then one will automatically give generously
how does a bodhisattva transfer merit? which paramita corresponds to this ?
they may build up so much merit it can be transferred to those who pray to them
the 8th paramita is strength when they can transfer merit
what are examples of bodhisattvas transferring merit?
Kshtigarbha grants merit to those in hell so they can be reborn out of hell
the buddha amida grants devotees the merit to be reborn in the pure land
