Page 42 - The Buddha‘s Noble Eightfold Path

(b) maitri (Pali metta), (c) karuna, that is to say, giving, love and

compassion. These are followed by mudita or sympathetic joy,
upeksa (Pali upekkha) or tranquility, and sraddha (Pali saddha),
or faith and devotion. Maitri, karuna, mudita and upeksa

collectively form the brahma viharas or 'sublime states'.

(a) Dana or Giving
In a sense this is the basic Buddhist virtue, without which you
can hardly call yourself a Buddhist. Dana consists not so much in

the act of giving — much less in the actual amount you give —
as in the feeling of wanting to give. or to share what you have

with other people. This feeling of wanting to give, or to share, is
often the first manifestation of the spiritual life — the first sign
that craving and attachment have decreased to some extent.

Däna is discussed at great length in Buddhist literature, and
many different forms are enumerated.

First, there is the giving of material things, or sharing what you
have of the good things of life: food, clothing and so on. In

ancient times this aspect of dana was very important and
although it may not now be quite so important it is still a form of

dana that should not be neglected. Some people in the East try
to give something of a material nature every day, be it food to a
beggar, a small sum of money, or just a cup of tea, so that every

day something is given, or something shared, on the material
plane. Some people in this country like to feed the birds every

day. This is another form of the same practice.

Then there is the giving of time, energy, and thought.

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