Vipassana Meditation Master
Acharavadee Wongsakon
Greed is a human weakness and it has become one of the major causes of Buddhism’s decline. Those with unwholesome intentions take advantage of this weakness, especially the desire to gain merit, using it for personal benefit while wearing the appearance of virtue. As a result, the Buddha’s teachings become distorted. People are taught to focus only on giving, hoping to rely on the merit of others instead of cultivating their own practice. Gradually, this pulls them farther away from the true heart of the Buddha’s teachings.
In an age of rapid technological advancement, when shortcuts are sought in almost every field, the same mindset seeps into spiritual life. Those who fear poverty cling only to acts of giving. Those who fear not being wealthy enough, give even more. Those who seek heaven in the next life also turn to giving as their sole practice. They give simply because they are told that the more they give, the richer they will become. The teaching many of us learned as children “To succeed in anything, we must rely on ourselves and persevere on our own” is now something rarely heard.
In truth, the Buddha’s teachings themselves have never declined. What declines is the integrity of those who pass on the teachings. In other words, the decline of Buddhists becomes the decline of Buddhism. Even if one argues that it is people, not the religion, that deteriorate, the impact inevitably falls upon the religion itself.
Most people begin their merit-making with giving, but many forget its true purpose. They no longer ask whether their giving is motivated by sacrifice or investment, by faith or by the hope of gaining wealth.
Giving, at its core, means sacrifice. It is the willingness to share for the benefit of others to help another person escape suffering. It is not an investment for one’s personal gain.
Traditionally, giving is divided into three types:
- Material Giving: offering useful items or money. If what is given has no real benefit, it is not true giving.
- Dhamma Giving: sharing or teaching Dhamma.
- Forgiveness: sincerely forgiving others, even
those who have harmed you.
Forgiveness must arise from the heart, leaving no trace of resentment behind. How can one know if forgiveness is genuine? Look inward: do you truly wish for the person who harmed you to be free from suffering? Simply repeating words of forgiveness without goodwill is not real forgiveness. This is only ritual.
Among all forms of giving, forgiveness yields the highest merit. Letting go of resentment means loosening the grip of the ego: the root that binds beings to the cycle of rebirth. To relinquish hatred is to free oneself.
Another issue lies in how Dhamma giving is misunderstood today. Many people seek merit without effort, looking for shortcuts that promise great spiritual return. A Buddhist proverb teaches, “The gift of Dhamma surpasses all other gifts.” Misinterpreting this, some assume that printing and distributing large numbers of Dhamma books automatically brings great merit. But if the giver lacks genuine faith or understanding, it’s not true Dhamma giving. Such actions don’t bring the merit they expect.
This tendency arises from greed for merit. Passing on the Dhamma becomes superficial. People speak of “letting go” without understanding what must actually be relinquished. They imagine that simply avoiding unpleasant actions is enough as if refusing to take out the trash means the trash disappears on its own. Printing Dhamma books without understanding the teachings results in learning that is only skin-deep.
Before giving Dhamma books to others, one should study the teachings within them. After reading, understanding, and developing faith and after living morally in accordance with the precepts then sharing the books becomes true Dhamma giving. When shared with sincerity and understanding, the Dhamma truly benefits both giver and receiver.
Giving, in any form, should arise from a mind willing to sacrifice, not a mind that views merit-making as a financial investment. Investments always carry risk. The more one is driven by greed, the more one ultimately loses. But those who give without expecting anything in return will naturally receive abundant fruit, for a true giver always receives.
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