Donations Dana Or Other

Donations, Dana or Other?
K. Ken Fujimoto

Once, a colleague, a little older than I am, was telling us about an experience he had while training to become a minister. He was sitting in the section in front of the naijin, the main sanctuary area, for the early morning service chanting at the Hongwanji, along with the other ministers in training, when all of a sudden people started throwing handfuls of coins into the naijin. Since he was sitting in front of that area, many of the coins hit him in the head. This hurt so he turned around and yelled at the people. In turn he was promptly scolded by one of the instructors for yelling at the people.

Apparently, this was considered to be an act of dana, selfless giving. People would reach into their pockets and throw what they had into the naijin to express their appreciation for being able to chant and listen to the Shoshinge. They would grab what they had and toss it in as they were moved by the chanting without regard to how much or how little they may have had in their pockets. It was straight giving and not a calculated donation.

This was about forty years ago and we do not see this today, but it shows that there are many forms of donations in our tradition. Just as in the case of the tossed coins, many of the traditions that we have must seem strange as well because we may not understand the reasoning behind it and only look at the form or custom.

This may seem like an odd topic for an article, but this is Buddhist education as well. Giving is an ancient and honorable practice and tradition. How and when to give are important things to know, but we also need to ask ourselves, “Are we giving or simply making a business transaction?” Sometimes, the line may be a very fine one, but there should be a distinction.

In the past, people would make donations for virtually everything, birth, death, illness, recovery, festive events, memorial dates and for major services. This may seem odd and a lot of trouble to us today, but it can be seen as being the most equitable way to give; people would give what they can, when they can. The act of giving expressed a realization that being able to get through the ups and downs of life was only possible through so many factors coming together in just the right way. What better way could there be to express that feeling than to donate to the temple? It was not a business transaction for goods and services.

The whole concept of giving gifts in the traditional, Japanese, manner can be seen to be an extension of the practice of giving in Buddhism. Giving is an expression of gratitude for having what one has and for being able to encounter the Buddha-dharma. The Go-Horei, the honorarium to the minister, is an expression of this gratitude for being able to hear the teachings. The donations to the temple are an expression of gratitude for being able to have the temple there to observe the various rites of passage that mark the milestones in life and for being able to have a place to hear the teachings. Similarly, one makes gifts to people and groups to express ones gratitude for their role in making our lives what they are. Without friends, relatives, neighbors and groups to which we belong, how would our lives be?

The practice of Okoden or Koden, is an example of this and manifests another, practical reality of the past. It is a gift to the family of a deceased individual to whom we are somehow karmically connected. Depending on the depth and length of that connection, the amount will differ. It is also an acknowledgement of the realization that there are many expenses incurred upon the loss of a family member. When people did not have the savings to cover such costs, others were given the opportunity to assist. This practice gave people a means to express their sense of closeness and financially assist the family in their time of need. Again, it is not a transaction, but a means of expressing gratitude and appreciation for having been able to share in life. You are not paying for past friendship. The act of giving is a manifestation of your feelings towards that person and the effect having been able to share in life has on your own life.

Unfortunately, many of these methods of giving are fading away. People seem to think that they are a bother and more efficient ways of giving are explored. However, in the name of efficiency and convenience, are we losing sight of the real reasons for giving? We seemed to have gotten away from the practice of mailing out envelopes for major services, but have we also lost a good reminder for these services and a means of stressing the importance of these services? Have we taken away another opportunity to manifest one’s appreciation? The more one can express ones appreciation, the more aware one can become of the things in life for which we should be grateful.

Donations to the temple and other groups, gifts for friends and family, year end gifts and many other traditions can all be seen as expressions of appreciation and these should be maintained in some form. They should be maintained not for the sake of the recipients, but as a reminder to ourselves as to whom and what are important in our lives.

Gassho,