Shifting to Dâna
I began practicing vipassana meditation in 1996, and since then have grown to appreciate the practice of "dâna," the Pali word for generosity. Living from inner abundance and generosity has been an organizing principle in my life, sometimes behind the scenes, and sometimes out in the open. Even before I had any training in meditation, I was moved at one time to hitchhike from rural California to Los Angeles simply to live by the generosity of others, as opposed to living by the tradition of barter and owing.
Now, after much work in my personal and work life, I feel ready to come back to dâna and am making an effort to live with this practice at the center of my life. The following is paraphrased from the website of the Bhavana Society , a retreat center in West Virginia that operates from dâna (and of which I am a member). I use it here because it states clearly the goal I have for myself.
What is dâna? Its simplest meaning is "generosity." I intend to practice it by offering my work and services without a price tag. YOU can practice it by making a donation of money, time and/or labor. It is very simple. My well-being is maintained solely by the generosity of others. The only way it will continue is through continued support. Along with sila (virtuous behavior) dâna is considered essential to building a strong foundation in which wisdom can arise through meditation. It is through the practice of dâna that we learn to let go of our greed (be it intense or very subtle).
The main work that I am engaged in is preparing for a walk to Bogotá, Colombia leaving from Washington, DC on April 27, 2001. This past November 11 th (Veterans Day) I held a ceremony at DC's Gandhi memorial to honor non-violent conflict workers along with tradional armed military, and made the public announcement of the plans for this walk to a small group gathered there. I intend to arrive in Bogotá (along with any who choose to join me) within a year’s time, and then to serve as an international witness, hopefully with Peace Brigades International , acting as an unarmed bodyguard for human rights workers. Depending on how these experiences change me, I may come back to the States and lobby for Americans who do such work to be given official recognition as U.S. veterans. Or I may continue walking, or find further non-violent conflict work to do. Who knows...maybe I will start a family south of the border.
I believe in the power of non-violent action (see the recent documentary " A Force More Powerful "), and I believe this walk is a wholesome step on our way to a more non-violent society.
In preparing for this trip, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon and have walked 100 miles on a peace walk in Georgia . In December I walked from Philadelphia to New York , and in January I will be visiting Colombia on a delegation with Witness For Peace . You can return to my calendar to see further plans I have made in preparation for the Colombia walk.
Background courtesy of The Background Boutique.
