보시 담론의 교의적 변천과 사회사적 함의 = Doctrinal Changes and Social-Historical Implications of the Discourse on Dāna

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper examines the practice of dāna (almsgiving) recorded in the Early Buddhist Scriptures. Dāna accounts for an important part of the lay Buddhists’ religious practice and a significant social relief (社會救濟) in terms of poverty eradication. Nevertheless, discourses or academic studies on Buddhist charity donation have rarely, if ever, carried out to date. This study addresses three topics: First, Why did the Buddha emphasize donation? Second, To whom should we give alms to gain the greatest benefit? Third, Can nirvāṇa be realized through donation?
First, the reason why the Buddha emphasized almsgiving is not unrelated to the socio-political environment of his time. The Buddha lived a life in a time of great political and social upheaval. The Buddha witnessed the miserable lives of those who were unable to adapt themselves to social changes and so were marginalized, and encouraged his followers to practice widespread generous giving. Ultimately, the Buddha’s emphasis on almsgiving was motivated by compassion (憐愍) or Karuṇā for sentient beings.
Second, the question that arises along with the correct practice of almsgiving is, “To whom should we donate to receive greater benefit?” The Buddha’s answer to this question is that even almsgiving to animals has merit, it is better to make donations to preceptors or arhats. But he did not recommend any discriminatory almsgiving. Over time, however, the original meaning of giving practice gradually faded and dhamma-dāna (spiritual giving) was emphasized as superior to āmisa-dāna (material giving).
Third, in the extant Nikāyas transmitted by Theravāda Buddhism, there is no scriptural evidence that we can realize nirvāṇa through almsgiving. However, the Chinese translation of the Mahasāṃghika sect, the Ekottarāgama(增壹阿含經) asserts that one can realize nirvāṇa through almsgiving. In this way, the teachings on almsgiving were differently transmitted depending on the sects. This seems to be directly related to the ‘theory of the lay Arahant (gihissa arahāti kathā)’ raised during the sectarian Buddhism era. The idea of the perfection of giving in Mahāyāna Buddhism, which was established later, seems to have been established more systematically under the influence of the Mahāsāṃghika. As such, it can be said that the discourse on giving, or the theory of giving (dānakathā), was gradually systematized over time.