Unskillful Rush

Now take a moment... Just like you are meditating .... You should dive into yourself and be honest and see if you have these conditions in yourself! Let's start with the same factors related to the generosity like we discussed last time!

Now look deep inside and see...

How generous you are to an animal... Hold on!  Please don't count only your pets ok... Don't cheat, please!  Ok. then a beggar... any ordinary person you meet... an ascetic or priest of any religion... a Buddhist monk or a nun whom you feel like not behaving well... OK! Good! Now, can you be generous towards these beings freely without any issues in your heart? Being generous means in each possible way...  Be it food...clothes...be it accommodation or things related to accommodation... medicine or medical support etc.  Can you give any of these to them "without thinking twice"?

Or do you feel it's useless to be generous?  Do you feel like there is no use of giving?  Or do you focus on the return gift for your giving?  Or do you feel like analyzing about the best option and what will you gain more in return?

Dig deep and identify your real nature!

So, to put it in simple word "Giving... Generosity" means the quality of letting go... quality of nonattachment.  If you are good at being generous in these given situations, that means my friend you are good at developing nonattachment quality... you have no string attached with these situations.  This quality is the skill you develop through all these rounds.  So, be honest to identify your true nature!

So now, if you have no conditioned in these situations and you could give anything at any time what is the frequency of your giving?  Do you take each and every possible situation as a valued opportunity for you to develop your nonattached quality... generosity?

The blessed one explained this beautiful story about Velāma Brahmin in Velāma Sutta.

It was one of the Gautama Samma Sambuddha's previous births where he used to be a Bodhisattva.  In that life Velāma Brahmin was a teacher to every king in the region.  So, every king respected him a lot and willing to help him in any manner.  So, Velāma brahmin decided to give alms giving for anyone every day.  So, every king was so happy to provide him everything.  So, huge hut was arranged... He kept there everything possible, which he believed anyone could need anytime.

So, before starts the alms giving, he filled a golden pot with water. And then he made this strong wish.  "May the water in this pot spilled and drained in to the earth and show me the sign of, if there is any noble ones who deserve my alms giving and visit here to accept it.  If there is no noble one to visit and accept my alms giving may the water in this pot NOT spilled and drained in to the earth"   After making the wish he turned the pot upside down in the ground.  But for his amazed, water did not spill and drained.  not even a single drop!  So, he realized there are no noble ones in the world whom deserve his alms giving. 

BUT he DID NOT dishearten with the fact.  Instead, he made another wish.  "No matter who accepts the alms, if my contribution as a donor is pure in every means, let the water in this golden pot spilled and drained in to the ground! If not let water be in the pot without spilling or drained!"  Once he turned the golden pot upside down all the water in the pot spilled and drained in to the ground by giving him the sign that no matter who accepts his alms giving, he as the donor is pure and generous in heart!

And then Velāma brahmin begin the biggest alms giving given on that era by giving every possible thing to anyone who visit that place.  Whether it is food, cloths, accommodation, medicine or gold or silver or anything...

When wealthy Anatha Pindika hesitate about giving and worrying about the conditions, our Gauthama Samma Sambuddha said to him; "Anatha Pindika, there was no noble one in the world worthy of receiving such a glorious donation from Velāma Brahmin... But even by knowing the fact he gave with a pure heart... with an unconditional heart... But now Anatha Pindika, you have me as a Samma Sambuddha and noble disciples in this world, what are you thinking about giving when you have such an opportunity?" likewise the blessed one guided the wealthy Anatha Pindika for his liberation through generosity!

Now see whether your heart is also like the generous heart of Velāma Brahmin?  Can you offer anything... can you give anything with an unconditional generous heart to any animal... a beggar... any ordinary person you meet... an ascetic or a priest of any religion... a Buddhist monk or a nun whom you feel not well disciplined?

Can you give anything with an unconditional generous heart at any time without any condition... whether it is the only thing you own? Even if it's the only meal you have left to eat? Can you give?  If you are practicing the "Aimlessness Samadhi, also call as Apraṇihita Samadhi with a Compassionate heart which you believe as highest achievement which is more fruitful above all according to the list you learn there can't be any conditions for your generosity right? If your mind is practicing the sign of Anicca, the Sign lessness samadhi also named Animitta Samādhi there can't be any conditions for your generosity, right?

If your so-called deceitful mind tells you that you practicing the noble states of mind and you are indeed a noble person, any of these things should happen easily & unconditionally without any difficulty at all! Coz, this mindset of a noble person means, they have no desire even for their own lives! It is a meditative state where you are truly liberated from this existence!  The more you develop that deep state you will be able to complete it soon by becoming a fully enlightened Arhanth.

So, my dear dhamma friends... Samma Sambuddha's teachings can't be found just through words.  You have to developed certain skillset to tune to that noble mindset.  Like how the blessed one explained us how to develop the narrow mindset of focusing on personal giving in to broad mindset by giving to noble ones without any limitation...

Like how the blessed one explained us how to develop our skills to detach from the existence and seeing through the ignorant mind which clinging to everything and anything....

Words are just words if you are not tuned well enough to identify the depth of noble ones.  If you do not develop the skills you need to develop, you will find bunch of lists in Pali Canon about what is the best to achieve the final results instead of the noble path.  Your conditioned agitated deluded mind will develop ego instead of detachments! It will guide you to be well memorized disciple instead of being a noble disciple.  You will feel like you have mastered the greatest meditation methods when you are still filled with defilements.

So, do not take the wrong turn when there is still the right direction to right destination available! 

It's just depended on your decision!  If your decision is hasty, you will keep continue the wrong path... if you are diligence you will stop for a moment and will look deep into yourself to identify your true nature! 

May the noble triple gem’s blessings be with you and all beings!!!