________________
Similarly, the giving of knowledge, education, medicine, land, labour, wealth, prosthetics to the disabled, and working for social reforms and public service as well as serving the parents, etc., are different forms of charity.
The purpose of mentioning various forms of charities here is to indicate that anyone whether rich or poor, whether educated or uneducated, whether learned or ignorant, whether young or old can give something in charity and become happy himself and make others happy too.
Underlining the importance of giving assurance of safety to someone whose life is threatened, it has been said in the Sūtrakrtānga sūtra, Dāņāṇasetthar abhayappayānam'. That is - to give assurance of safety is the best of charities. To give assurance of safety is to free someone, who is under threat, from fear pain and misery. By saving someone from some illness is to free him from the fear of death; giving medicine is to save him from the fear of illness and to give food is to free someone from the fear of hunger. Similarly, to free others from other kinds of fears is also abhayadāna. Like this assurance of safety from fears is an all-inclusive form of charity.
In the Jaina tradition the charity to the ordained ascetics has been termed as a form of renunciation or a vow (atithisamvibhāga vrat) that is a means of karmic stoppage. Therefore, it is the duty of the householder believer to set aside and give away a portion of his earnings for the purpose of meeting the monastic necessities of the ordained ascetics. This aspect of charity has been emphasised to the extent of saying that one who does not so set aside and give a part of his earnings cannot liberate (asaṁvibhāgī na hu tassa mokkho).
Jaina tradition classifies charity in many ways such as -
1. Tyāgo dānam tatrividhaṁ āhāramabhayadānam jñānadānañceti I - Sarvārthasiddhi, 6.24.
That is - To give is charity. Charity is of three types – 1. Giving food, 2. Giving freedom from fear, and 3. Giving knowledge
2. Ahāraușadhayorapyupakaraṇāvāsayośca dānena vaiyāvrtyam bruyate caturātmatvena caturasrāḥ |
Positive Non-Violence
71
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
