Pindapata, Alms Gathering

by Chin Kee Thou

ALMS GIVING AND ITS BENEFITS 

General Siha once asked the Lord: “Is it possible to see the results of generosity?” And the Lord said: “Yes it is possible to see the result of generosity. The giver, the generous one, is liked and dear to many... Good and wise people follow the generous person… The generous person earns a good reputation... This is the result of generosity. Once again, in whatever company he enters, be it nobles,  brahmins, householders or monks, the generous enters with confidence and without trouble. And finally, the giver, the generous person,  is reborn in heaven after death. This is a result of generosity that can be seen hereafter.” (AN.III,39)

“For those people who bestow alms, for living beings in quest of merit, performing merit of the mundane types, a gift to the Sangha  bears great fruits.” (SN.11,16)

“In giving food, one gives five things. What five? One gives life, beauty, happiness, strength and intelligence. And in giving these things,  one partakes in the qualities of life, beauty, happiness, strength and intelligence, both here and thereafter.” (AN.III,42) “When they give  out of faith with a heart of confidence, food accrues to (the giver) himself both in this world and the next.” (SN 1:43)

In almsgiving, it is the thought that matters and according to one’s ability and the suitability of the gifts to the receivers, not the quantity.  “Does almsgiving become especially productive of great fruit only when it is liberality of such magnificent sort as this, or is it rather when  it is a liberality in accordance with one’s means?” The Blessed One said, “Not merely by efficiency of the gift does giving become especially productive of great fruit,  but rather through efficiency of the thought and efficiency of the field of those to whom the alms are given. Therefore even so little as a  handful of rice-bean or a piece of rag or a spread of grass or leaves or a gall-nuts in decomposing (cattle-)urine bestowed with a devout  heart upon a person who is worthy of receiving a gift of devotion will be the great fruit, of great splendour and of great pervasiveness.”  (Vv. I,1).

MEAL BEFORE NOON

For safety of the monks, Lord Buddha forbade the consumption of food and monks going for alms ground outside the proper time: “It has happened that bhikkhus wandering for alms in the thickness of darkness of the night have walked into a cesspool, fallen into a  sewer, walked into thorn bush, and walked into a sleeping cow; they met hoodlums who had already committed a crime and those planning one, and they have been sexually enticed by women. Once, Venerable Sir, I went wandering for alms in thick darkness of the night. A woman washing a pot saw me by the flash of lightning and screamed out in terror: ‘Mercy me, a devil has come for me!’ I told  her: ‘Sister, I am no devil, I am a bhikkhu waiting for alms.’ – ‘Then it’s a bhikkhu whose ma’s died and whose pa’s died!’ ‘Better, bhikkhu  that you get your belly cut open with a sharp butcher’s knife than this prowling for alms for your belly’s sake in the thick darkness of the  night.” (MN.I, 448-449)

The benefit of abstinence of food after meal time as elaborated in the Vimuttimagga: “What are the benefits of the observance of ‘no food after time’? One abandons greed, and experience the joy of self-restraint. One protects the body and avoids taking food in advance, does not hanker, does not ask others for things, does not follow his inclination. This is an observance of good men. The  observance is doubt-free.”

It is indeed a noble deed for monks to continue to propagate the Dhamma for the well-being and benefits of all beings as Lord Buddha did 2,500 years ago: “Go not in two to one place. Preach, O disciple, the law, the beginning which is noble, the middle of which is noble,  and the end of which is noble, in spirit and letter: preach the whole and full, pure of holiness. There are beings who are pure from the  dust of the earthly, but if they hear not the gospel of the law, they perish: they shall understand the law.” [(Hermann Oldenberg, Buddha  His Life, His Doctrine, His Order, 2006, page 131). (DN II, 48)]

Since the time of the Buddha, lay people have been supporting monks with food, robes, shelter and medicine. In return, monks provide guidance to the laity on Buddhist teachings, thus forging a close, respectful and symbiotic relationship between the two communities.

“Bhikkhus, brahmins and householders are very helpful to you. They provide you with the requisites of robes, alms food, lodgings and medicine in time of sickness. And you, bhikkhus are very helpful to the brahmins and householders, as you teach them the Dhamma that is good at the onset, good in the middle, and good at the end, with its correct meaning and wording, and you proclaim the holy life in its  fulfilment and complete purity. Thus, bhikkhus, this holy life is lived with mutual support for the purpose of crossing the flood and making  a complete end of suffering.” (It.8-13)

CONCLUSION 

Doing an act of generosity (dana) is beneficial to our practice. However, only when clearly comprehending the act can harvest its full benefits. Hopefully, this article sheds some light on the pindapata to give a better understanding of the practice, if not fully, so that when making the next offering, it will be more fulfilling both mentally and spiritually, so as to cultivate magnanimity and compassion towards others.

“Bhikkhus, if beings knew, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would they allow the stain of meanness to obsess them and take root in their minds. Even if it were their last morsel, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared it, if there were someone to share it with. But, bhikkhus, as beings do not know, as I know, the result of giving  and sharing, they eat without having given, and the stain of meanness obsesses them and takes root in their minds.” (It 2-13)