Dhamma Talks - Dhamma Is Free Of Charge :: Buddhapadipa Thai Temple

“How much does it cost?” this question about meditation class I am asked almost every time and I answer, “It is free of charge.” All the classes in the temple that we provide for people who want to learn or practice are free. I always say that Dhamma is free. No one can own it, even the Buddha, who discovered it. He never claimed to own it, he just said that Dhamma existed in this world and he was just a discoverer.

Dhamma is so precious that it is priceless. It is like the sunshine which is shown to all parts of the world, without exception. Whoever or whatever they are, the sunshine never discriminates, it just shines to them equally. It is the same with the Dhamma of the Buddha, it benefits regardless of the world without caste, race, sex or nationality. The Buddha said that to follow his teaching was individual. It depended on us how much we learn and put the knowledge into action, and then the consequences will follow, as the Buddha said, “The practice of Dhamma (meditation) depends on neither birth nor caste, but it depends on human effort.” When we make the right effort and put it into action, the results will follow accordingly. Right effort is explained as a prerequisite for the other principles of the noble eightfold path. Without effort, which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved, whereas misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence. Mental energy is the force behind right effort; it can occur in either wholesome or unwholesome states. The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can, on the other side, fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavours (Padhana) that rank in ascending order of perfection: 1. to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, 2. to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, 3. to cultivate or develop wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. to maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen.

Dhamma is available nowadays because it has been passed on from generation to generation freely. One important thing is that the person who conveys the Dhamma to the world is determined and dedicated. He just hands it to everyone. Some accept it and some just throw it away; it depends on you.