Blissful giving

It was the evening hours on Esala poya in the premises of Kotte Rajamaha vihara. The dansela I attended was sponsored by a group of youths. They were giving out manioc with coconut sambol mainly to the pilgrims who had observed sil.

The pilgrims looked tired. They really looked as if they need something to drink at least, belimal or plain tea. The youths - I know them - changed from their annual routine of giving belimal on every Esala poya to maniocs. The maniocs were served in kanda leaves instead of paper plates.

They had not made any fundraising in the conventional way of going from house to house in the area. All they had was their own funds!

They bought manioc and coconuts, hired cooking utensils and borrowed necessary items from known houses. It started at 6.45 in the evening with a long line of people of varying types: upasakas and upasikas, and mothers with their little ones trying to have some maniocs. There were also well-clad women and men coming down their luxury cars.

The organizers had to make a headway with a method of helping all of them with no discrimination which normally happens in an event like this. It was not at all an easy task to serve thousands of people coming one after another in a long queue. As I went on having a light talk with some young sponsors, I came to know their objective. They had a sense of duty and commitment, serving the tired pilgrims and others in the best manner possible.

They had years of experience of serving belimal with jaggery.

“How did you manage to collect so much of money for this dansala? “ I shot my first question.

“It is a collective activity. We planned it ahead. We gathered some funds from our elders.”

“Are you not tired working all day long, erecting a hut, cleaning and cooking manioc, scraping coconuts, making sambol and serving the people for hours?”

“We are tired. But still we are happy. This is a merit-gathering event. True enough, it is time consuming, but the time spent on such a purpose is not lost,” and added they, “it is nice to see faces of the tired when they have these meals.”

“I saw how happy they look.”

Then I recalled some information I have gathered on the text on the Buddha’s time. There had been several types of giving food. Kings had the habit of giving food to the needy. The aristocrats had a same habit. Devale keepers, Kapu Mahattayas, collected the money and used them for the poor people’s benefit. The tradition was known as devala danaya. The average householder too followed the tradition as they invited the monks to their places for alms. Anepidusitano is an aristocrat who lived in the Buddha’s period. He spent his wealth lavishly on the poor. There had been misers too, like Adinnapubbaka. The Buddha’s teachings had encouraged this tradition down the centuries.

“True, we earn wealth day by day. But a time will come when we have to give away a portion to the needy as well. Otherwise our minds will not be at peace. Money comes to us because we give a portion to the needy. All of us are destined to leave the world at a particular moment.” One businessman said.

Then he explained how much he earns and how much he spends on the needy. The family lineages matter in this function. They must cultivate the habit. The offspring too take after this tradition.

How much wealth do you need to live? This is the probable question raised. Exorbitant wealth gives way to fear and disturbances both physical and mental. How much money do you need to exist? One needs money for day to day expenses. There is a share that must be invested for future use.

Anything more may tend to bring troubles.

How many vehicles do you want for your existence? We need a vehicle to travel and spending millions of money on a luxury vehicle may bring mental disturbances. How much food do you want to eat a day? Overeating may bring unseen sicknesses. One has to be moderate about eating habits.

How many houses do you want to live in? You need a house to live in. When you have too many houses they have to be looked after. The rich people had the habit of giving not only food for the needy, but also other requirements like medicine and cloths.

This is a tradition followed by all the Buddhists and non Buddhists alike around the world. Beggars come to our doorstep begging for some money or other things. The attitude towards them is the giving away to help alleviate some sort of need and gain a certain blissful mind. Those who have more things than they want should be taught to give away to the needy.

The manioc dansala was a practical lesson which pleased our minds. It is an ideal lesson set by a group of youths for their contemporaries.