THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
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When asked for his own children, wife, slaves, etc., he first explains to them his proposed
act of giving. Only when they become satisfied and happy does he give them away, who
are happy to assist him in his fulfilment of
pÈramÊs
. But, he does not make such an offering
if he knows that those who ask for them are non-humans, such as ogres and demons, etc.
Likewise, he will not give up his kingdom to those who will bring harm or suffering to
the people and who will work against their interest, but only to those who would protect
them in a righteous manner.
This is how the practice of giving external objects is pursued.
How a Gift of Internal Objects is made
A Bodhisatta makes his offering of internal objects in two ways:
(i) Just as a person, for the sake of food and clothing, gives himself to another in
servitude and serves as a slave, even so the Bodhisatta gives away his whole body,
placing himself at the service of others, not desiring at all the pleasures of senses or a
good existence, but wishing only the supreme welfare and happiness of beings and to
bring to the highest stage his fulfilment of the Perfection of Generosity, e.g. The gift
of his whole body.
(ii) He gives, without hesitation or wavering, his limbs and organs such as the hands, the
feet, the eyes etc., to anybody who is in need of them. As in the case of external
objects, he has no attachment to or craving for these various limbs and organs of his,
nor has he one iota of reluctance in so doing e.g. The gift of his limbs and organs.
Two Objectives of Giving
In sacrificing his limbs and organs or the whole body, the Bodhisatta has two objectives:
(i) to fulfil the wish of the recipient and let him enjoy whatever he needs, and (ii) to gain
mastery over the performance of meritorious deeds of perfections by giving generously
without the slightest attachment to the objects offered. The Bodhisatta gives the internal
objects of his whole body or any parts thereof, big or small, just as he dispenses offerings
of external possessions in charity, believing: ‚I will certainly attain Omniscience through
such generosity.‛
In these acts of offering, he gives only what would be truly beneficial to the recipient. In
particular, he does not give knowing his own body or its parts to Mara or his company of
deities who wish to cause injury to him, thinking: ‚Lest this should prove fruitless to
them.‛ Likewise, he does not give his body or its parts to those possessed by Mara or his
associates or to the insane. But to all others who ask for them, he makes an immediate
offer because of the rarity of such a request or opportunity to make such a gift.
(b) The Gift of Harmlessness (Abhaya-dÈna)
The Bodhisatta makes the gift of harmlessness by giving protection to beings and saving
them, even at the sacrifice of his own life, when they are subjected to harm and danger by
kings, thieves, fire, water, enemies, wild beasts, such as lions, tigers, and nÈgas, ogres,
demons, etc.
(c) The Gift of Dhamma (Dhamma-dÈna)
The gift of the Dhamma means unequivocal teaching of truth with a pure mind
completely free from defilements of greed, hate, etc.
To future Disciples of a Buddha who have a strong wholesome desire to realize
sÈvaka
bodhi
, the Bodhisatta gives discourses on taking refuge in the Triple Gem, morality,
guarding the doors of sense faculties, moderation in eating, practice of wakefulness, the
seven good
dhammas
, practising concentration and insight meditation, the seven kinds of
purification, the Knowledge of the four Paths (
magga-ÒÈÓa
), three kinds of knowledge
(
vijjÈ
), the six Higher Knowledges (
abhiÒÒÈs
), the four Analytical Knowledge
(
paÔisambhidÈ-ÒÈÓa
) and the Enlightenment of a Disciple (
sÈvaka
bodhi
).
He gives the gift of Dhamma by elaborating on the attributes of the above mentioned
topics, establishing in the Triple Refuge, morality, etc., those who have not yet been so