Nyanatiloka Buddhist Dictionary

Home | Library | Dictionary indexBUDDHIST DICTIONARY-Ddána:'almsgiving', liberality, offering. "He who gives alms, bestows a fourfold blessing: he helps to longlife, good appearance, happiness and strength. Therefore long life, good appearance, happiness and strengthwill be his share, whether amongst heavenly beings or amongst men" (A. IV, 57)."Five blessings accrue to the giver of alms: the affection of many, noble association, good reputation,self-confidence, and heavenly rebirth" (see A. V, 34). Seven further blessings are given in A. VII, 54.Liberality, especially the offering of robes, food, etc., to the monks, is highly praised in all Buddhist countriesof Southern Asia as a fundamental virtue and as a means to suppress man's inborn greed and egoism. But, asin any other good or bad action, so also in offering gifts, it is the noble intention and volition that reallycounts as the action, not the mere outward deed.Almsgiving or liberality (dána), constitutes the first. kind of meritorious activity, the two others beingmorality (síla, q.v.) and mental development (bhávaná); s. puñña-kiriya-vatthu. Liberality (cága) forms oneof the 10 recollections (anussati, q.v.) and almsgiving one of the 10 perfections (s. páramí).dasa-(tathágata-) bala: 'the ten powers (of a Perfect One); or, he who Possesses the 10 P.', i.e. the Buddha.About him it is said (e.g., M. 12.; A. X, 21):There, o monks, the Perfect One understands according to reality the possible as possible, and the impossibleas impossible ... the result of past, present and future actions ... the path leading to the welfare of all ... theworld with its many different elements ... the different inclinations in beings ... the lower and higher facultiesin beings ... the defilement, purity and rising with regard to the absorptions, deliverances, concentration andattainments ... remembering many former rebirths ... perceiving with the divine eye how beings vanish andreappear again according to their actions (karma) ... gaining, through extinction of all taints, possession of'deliverance of mind' and 'deliverance through wisdom' ...."dasaka-kalápa: s. rúpa-kalápa.dasa-páramí: s. páramí.dasa-puñña-kiriya-vatthu: s. puñña-kiriya-vatthu.death: marana (q.v.) - Contemplation of °: maranánussati (q.v.) - As divine messenger: deva-dúta (q.v.).death-consciousness: cuti-citta, is one of the 14 functions of consciousness (viññána-kicca, q.v.).deathlessness: amata (q.v.).death-proximate karma: maranásaññá-kamma; s. karma.deciding function (of consciousness): s. viññána-kicca.decline (in morality, wisdom, etc.): s. hána-bhágiya-síla. - Liable to °, parihána-dhamma (q.v.).defilements: s. kilesa, upakkilesa. -10 d. of insight: vipassanúpakkilesa, s. visuddhi VI. - Round of d., s.vatta (1).deliverance: s. vimutti, vimokkha. - The 8 kinds of d. (or liberation), s. vimokkha. - D. of mind, d. through