In short: generosity (dāna) is the first practice the Buddha usually taught lay people, before ethics and meditation. He said: "Mendicants, if sentient beings only knew, as I do, the fruit of giving and sharing, they would not eat without first giving, and the stain of stinginess would not occupy their minds." (Iti 26). Giving loosens stinginess, gladdens the heart and connects us to others.
If beings only knew
"Mendicants, if sentient beings only knew, as I do, the fruit of giving and sharing, they would not eat without first giving, and the stain of stinginess would not occupy their minds." "They would not eat without sharing even their last mouthful, their last morsel, so long as there was someone to receive it."
Iti 26
Read the full guide
The five benefits of giving
The Buddha listed five: a giver is dear to many people, good people seek their company, they gain a good reputation, they keep to their duties, and they are reborn in a good place. (The five benefits of giving, AN 5.35)
Why giving comes first
Generosity is the easiest place to start: anyone can give something today. And it trains the same muscle as meditation: letting go. Each time you give, the mind practices opening its hand. (See letting go in Buddhism.)
Seven small ways to practice generosity
- Share food: cook a little extra and give it away.
- Give time: listen fully to someone for five minutes.
- Give attention: put the phone away at a meal.
- Give praise: tell someone one specific thing they did well.
- Give safety: keep a precept today. The Buddha called the precepts "great gifts". (The precepts as gifts)
- Give to those who practice: offer food or support to a temple or monastery. (Making merit)
- Rejoice in others' giving. That is generosity too. (Sympathetic joy)
Try it
Give a verse: open Your teaching, choose For someone, and send a card to a friend.
Questions people ask
What is dāna in Buddhism?
Dāna means generosity or giving. It is usually the first practice the Buddha taught lay people, before ethics and meditation, because it loosens the grip of stinginess and makes the heart glad.
Why is giving important in Buddhism?
The Buddha said: 'if sentient beings only knew, as I do, the fruit of giving and sharing, they would not eat without first giving' (Iti 26).