---
title: Dāna in Buddhist, Hindu and Jain traditions
summary: Giving, dāna in Sanskrit and Pali, is honored in three religions that grew up in ancient India, each with its own emphasis. Buddhism treats giving as the first step in letting go of greed, the Bhagavad Gita ranks gifts by the giver’s motive, and Jain laypeople support the monks and nuns who have given up nearly all possessions.
tradition: Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism
origin: Ancient India, in the teachings of the Buddha, Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita, and the vows of Jain laypeople
practice: Gifts of food, money and support to monks, nuns, temples and people in need, judged as much by the giver’s intention as by the gift
lens: The sources here emphasize intention, attachment and spiritual development alongside material support. The Buddhist sources describe the gift of the Dhamma, the Buddha’s teaching, as the highest gift. These are accounts of giving within the traditions, not a single test of effectiveness shared by all three.
sources:
  - title: 'Dana: The Practice of Giving'
    publisher: Bhikkhu Bodhi (ed.), Buddhist Publication Society, Wheel Publication 367/369, via Access to Insight
    year: 1990
    url: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/various/wheel367.html
  - title: Bhagavad Gita, chapter 17, verse 20
    publisher: Swami Mukundananda, Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God
    url: https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/17/verse/20
  - title: Bhagavad Gita, chapter 17, verses 21 and 22
    publisher: Swami Mukundananda, Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God
    url: https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/17/verse/21
  - title: Jainism
    publisher: Paul Dundas and the editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    year: 2026
    url: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jainism
  - title: Ritual practices and religious institutions in Jainism
    publisher: G. Ralph Strohl and the editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    year: 2026
    url: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jainism/Ritual-practices-and-religious-institutions
review: draft
---

## What it is

*Dāna* is the word for giving in Sanskrit and Pali. Buddhism and Hinduism make it a central virtue, and in Jainism, which shares their roots in ancient India, giving to ascetics and the poor is part of the vows laypeople take. Each tradition gives it a different weight, and in all three, how and why a gift is given matters as much as what is given.

## In Buddhism

In the Buddha’s teaching, giving comes first. It is the first topic in his step-by-step teaching, the first of the three bases of meritorious action and the first of the ten *pāramīs*, the perfections a seeker after awakening cultivates. Essays edited by the monk Bhikkhu Bodhi describe giving as the antidote to greed, the first of the roots of unwholesome action.

Laypeople give food and other support to the *Sangha*, the community of monks and nuns, which the texts call a “field of merit.” A gift made from respect and without expecting a return is valued above one made from fear or to win a reputation. The highest gift of all is the gift of the Dhamma, the Buddha’s teaching.

## In Hinduism

The Bhagavad Gita sorts gifts by the quality of the motive behind them. The highest kind, called *sattvic*, the quality of goodness, is given to a worthy person at the right time and place, simply because giving is right, with nothing expected in return. A gift given grudgingly, or in hope of something back, belongs to the lower quality of passion. A gift given at the wrong time or place, to the unworthy, or with contempt belongs to the lowest, the quality of ignorance.

## In Jainism

Jainism teaches a path to spiritual purity through nonviolence toward all living creatures. Among the vows Jain laypeople take is offering gifts and service to monks, the poor and fellow believers. The monks and nuns depend on that support: Digambara monks beg for their single daily meal using their cupped hands as an alms bowl. Britannica notes a stark contrast between the prosperity of the Jain lay community and the self-denial of the ascetics it supports. On Samvatsari, the last day of the Shvetambara festival of Paryushana, alms are given to the poor.

## Through the source lens

The sources in this entry discuss the giver’s intention, the recipient and spiritual development, alongside the material gift. They do not establish one view shared by every school or practitioner in these three religions. The fit with Charitology’s depth scale should not be forced. One connection is the Buddhist distinction between material support and the gift of teaching: it asks readers to consider both meeting a need and changing understanding.