Forsaking & Almsgiving

发布日期:2016-09-26   字体大小:   

It is only when a practitioner has fully comprehended the importance of “forsaking” (relinquishment), the “dimensions” of “forsaking”, and the ways in which “forsaking” can be realized that he can be said to be fully in the know of the significance of almsgiving and donation. “Forsaking” and almsgivings and donation are two aspects constituting a unity, being not unlike the two sides to a coin. Neither can exist without the other. No genuine “forsaking” means no genuine almsgivings and donation. It is prescribed in Buddhist canon that the practice of almsgiving and donation be set as the constituent of topmost importance of all the constituents forming the behavioral norm of a bodhisattva. But it is quite pointless to equate a bodhisattva with a person taking a fancy to being generous and helpful. A bodhisattva is far more than generous and helpful, being full of sagacity and keenly insightful of non-reality of the worldly life and evolution in the universe. The option taken by a bodhisattva of going supramundane does not at all contradict the option taken by him (or her) of taking part in some activities of the worldly life in order to administer popular salvation. Why? As a bodhisattva, he or she has fully recognized the non-reality of the five skandhas and elements and thus completely forsaken the worldly life. His or her psyche has already attained a “spiritual purity” which is characterized by an absence of both “egocentrism” and “attachment to bhava (material or phenomenal existence)”. A bodhisattva is a being who has gained transcendence over all the bhavas appearing in all aspects of the worldly life and has spiritually embarked on a stage of religious life that is supramundane. Going supramundane is actually the highest realm of spiritual attainment—which is also called “the spiritual attainment of arhat”—sought by a practitioner of Hinayana (small vehicle) practices. After a practitioner has attained “the spiritual attainment of arhat”, he or she will—by improving on “the spiritual attainment of arhat”strive to acquire new and higher transcendence over the stage of religious life that is supramundane which he or she has previously embarked on. When a practitioner has gained new and higher transcendence, his or her wisdom will be raised to the sublime level of “being able to remain totally independent of both non-reality and material (or phenomenal) existence”. Given his or her possession of such a sublime level of wisdom, he or she would be able to master the divine art of freely and impeccably commuting between the option of going supramundane and the option of taking part in some activities of the worldly life in order to administer salvation to the multitudes. And given his or her possession of such a sublime level of wisdom, he or she would spontaneously feel great compassion and affection for and commiseration with all the sentient beings on the earth. Thus they would go to take part in some activities of the worldly life. There a bodhisattva—for he or she is now a typical bodhisattva—would do his or her utmost to administer the universal salvation. This is the behavioral pattern prescribed for a bodhisattva.

 

From the expatiation given above, it is, therefore, evident that the practice of almsgiving and donation should be duly regarded as an act befitting the behavioral norm set for a bodhisattva. It is only when viewed in such a perspective that the full dimensions of the practice of almsgiving and donation can be adequately shed light on and properly evaluated. It is incumbent upon all Buddhists to enlighten all those, who have been only recently initiated into Buddhist self-cultivation or are just recent converts, on the full dimensions of the practice of almsgiving and donation, so that the dimensions of all the functions, merits, and benefits of almsgiving and donation would not be lost on them when they set about practicing almsgiving and donation or when they are enlisted as recipients of Buddhists’ alms and donation. Otherwise it is very likely that their practice of Buddhism might get disoriented.(From My Heart My Buddha)

 





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