Dana-Sila-Bhavana

Translated by Dhammacaro

Dana-Sila-Bhavana is the real treasure of humanity which all human beings should bring up to himself. Dana (share or donation) is the action of a person sharing his mind to all beings. When a person shares his things or knowledge to another man or animal without expecting anything in return, instead of just gives based on wholesomeness in mind (such as generosity), he shows his higher level of mind. One of the great dana is to forgive someone for doing something wrong. It is also said that those who always share with others are loved by others; wherever he goes or whenever he has trouble, he will always be helped. Dana is the great ornament. Everyone loves him. Dana can help the world because everyone has loving kindness on each other.

Sila (precept or discipline) is the fence against the encroachment of bad things which destroy our body and mind. Sila is a plant of wholesomeness which a person should cultivate himself. Trouble easily finds a person because he has no fence, namely Sila. Even if a person lives in a civilised world with all material advancements, he still has trouble. Sila is the only fence to unwholesomeness. The world produces what ruins the world, but it never produces what (fence) helps the world. So it is said that Sila is the medicine which heals the disease of the world.

Bhavana (human mental development or insight meditation) is how to develop our human mind. One who practice Bhavana will be wise, knows how to behave himself and how to respond himself to all situations. The Buddha said, “Bhavana is the fence of mind which protects us from wrong thinking, which is the cause of suffering.” An untrained mind is like a wild animal mind so a person will not benefit from it. If a person wants to benefit from his mind, he must train his mind. Bhavana also means how to constantly remind the mind to observe itself without forming opinion.

The Buddha said, “If the mind is trained to know itself, it will know its duties, big or small.” Those who always train the mind think before doing an action. Bhavana is the activity of present. All the works done by the trained mind will give rise to good fruit in the future. The trained mind is like a compass which shows the correct way of speech and body. It does not show the way for desire.

The method of Bhavana is not easy because it is how to observe (train) the mind which does not stand still. There are two methods of developing the mind: breathing meditation and insight meditation Breathing meditation is to make the mind to follow the in-and-out breathing (with Buddho). This is to train the mind to focus on the object, ie. the in-and-out breath. The mind will be purified gradually until it attains one-pointedness. On the other hand, insight meditation is to observe the mind only and to know its duty. The duty of the mind is to face the burden of any situation regardless whether it is good or bad, right or wrong, happy or sorrow etc. The mind not only faces any circumstance courageously but also to reflect on what can destroy the body and the mind itself. It is said that one’s body may stop working sometimes but his untrained mind works incessantly day and night, even while he is sleeping (dreaming).

The mind is a great fighter to every state arises in our body and mind, whether it is good or bad, right or wrong, happy or sorrow. It fights against everything so much so that it has no time to rest and hence not aware of its treasures. The treasure of mind is called ‘dhamma’ which benefits the mind more than any other mundane material treasures. The mind will be at a supreme state if it is trained according to dhamma. The mind is the only best thing in human life; it should be well taken cared of. The method of how to take care of it is ‘Bhavana’. When the mind is out of order, Bhavana can heal it or find the best way to heal it. So to observe the mind is to take care of the mind. When the mind knows that it is unwell, it can heal itself in time.

Practicing Bhavana does not depend on time or age, but it depends on how much effort and intention a person performs. It is said, “Do not blame the fortune or postpone the time or claim ‘I have no time’.” In fact, Bhavana provides the way to solve different problems encountered in our daily life. The mind-duty is the priority in life. When our mind is fully trained, it can protect us from suffering. These three dhamma: Dana, Sila and Bhavana, is the root of wholesomeness, our humanity and also the root of the Buddha’s teaching, called the Dhamma. This is the real human treasure.