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Charity: A Jain Scriptural View
by Dr. Trilok Chandra Jain Shastri
All religions extol the virtue of charity or donation. Everybody agrees that helping others by donating money and material is admirable. Many individuals, from the venerable monks and scholars to the poor and sick, depend on the generosity of society. Religious institutions run on donations.
What Is Charity?
The Sanskrit word for charity or donation is DAAN, which literally means giving. In TATTVAARTH SUTRA, Acharya Umaswati has defined-.
STEUETA Fairfarauf 21+4 (7-3)
ANUGRAHAARTHAM SWASYAATISARGO DAANAM
The prime recipients of charity are monks and religious institutions. The monks follow the path to spiritual advancement. They have no passions for enhancing their position. They have equanimity and peace of mind. Thus they exemplify the path to achieving true happiness and harmony in life. In return, the householders provide means of subsistence for them. Religious institutions, including temples, places of pilgrimage and educational institutions, provide us with an opportunity to learn the teachings of our religion. They epitomize virtues such as nonviolence, truth and nonpossessiveness. So we support them. Some people, in spite of their sincere efforts to be self-sufficient, do not have the necessary means of subsistence because of circumstances beyond their control. So they deserve our help. Four Kinds of Charity
According to Jainism, charity is of four kinds: donation of medicine (AUSHADHI), donation of books (SHAASTRA), donation of food (AHAAR) and delivering freedom from fear (ABHAYA). These four kinds of donations are meant to fulfill the needs of the body, mind and soul of
Charity entails giving one's wealth
for mutual benefits. In this aphorism, the phrase 'mutual benefit' is important. The donor does not give only for the benefit of the recipient. He/she performs charity for the benefit of the self. This implies that the donor does not have any feelings of superiority or ego or desire for recognition. The donor does not think that he/she is doing a favour.
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