Dana: The Practice of Giving

Dana (donation) is traditionally given to a teacher as a gesture of appreciation and acknowledgement of teachings received. While in Buddhist tradition a teacher may not charge for his counsel, Dana is given by students as both an offering and a practice.

‘The practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most basic human virtues, a quality that testifies to the depth of one's humanity and one's capacity for self-transcendence. In the teaching of the Buddha, too, the practice of giving claims a place of special eminence, one which singles it out as being in a sense the foundation and seed of spiritual development. Whenever the Buddha delivered a discourse to an audience of people who had not yet come to regard him as their teacher, he would start by emphasizing the value of giving’. - Bhikkhu Bodhi