The Meaning of Dana – Generosity, By Venerable Thubten Chodron
Dana is a Sanskrit and Pali word that means “generosity” or “giving.” It refers specifically to taking delight in giving — that is, getting in touch with the natural generosity and wish to share inside of us. The mind of generosity is a joyful mind; it does not suffer from regret or a feeling of poverty. Rather, the act of giving itself is pleasurable and seeing others’ using our offering is an extra bonus.
I’ve listed a couple charitable organizations on this website if you’re interested in extending a little generousity or happen to be a little curious. As one of my teachers mentioned once, if you’re not able to give anything, thats ok, there’s no need to overextend yourself. The main thing is to cultivate the wish to give, or the mind that takes delight at the idea of helping others. Just rejoicing about the charitable activity of others and reasting in that happy thought is very beneficial in itself.
FPMT Charitable Projects
FPMT’s Charitable Projects include ambitious initiatives to build 100,000 prayer wheels, stupas, and statues to providing education scholarships to stipends to all the main teachers and abbots of the Lama Tsongkhapa tradition to offering nutritious meals to thousands of monks studying at Sera Je Monastery, building a hospital in Tibet, translating Dharma texts into many languages, and many more. These projects are essential to FPMT’s objective of building a more compassionate world from the inside out and critical to our mission of transmitting Mahayana Buddhist teachings and values worldwide. The FPMT Charitable Projects are managed by FPMT International Office.
All donations made to the fund are tax-deductible within the United States in accordance with IRS Code article 501(C)(3) to the extent allowed by law.
Khangtsen is the Tibetan word for HOSTEL. As in the great monasteries of central Tibet, each hostel is linked to a province in Tibet and has to accommodate the monks that hail from this area. These houses function independently and have to find their own donators to provide the monks with the living necessities, which includes medical care, and schooling material, as well as housing.
60 % of our monks fall in the 15-30 age group and many come from underprivilaged areas/families. They are therefore in need of considerable financial support. The Ngari Khangtsen is one of the poorer Khangtsens of the Sera Jey Monastic University.
Sponsor a Monk – Universal Compassion Movement
They are mostly newcomers from Tibet who walked across the Himalayas risking their lives in search of education, while some of them are orphans or from poor families from Himalayan Region. We are asking your help by choosing one or more of the monks to sponsor. Just a fifteen US dollars a month, per monk, that goes a long way to India and helps the monks in their needs such as clothing, books, medical and dental costs and other daily necessities. We believe that this is a wonderful opportunity to practice your compassion and generosity.
A Clear and Empty Mind 
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