ABSTRACT

                        This research was entitled “A Study of Attitudes Toward Dana (Giving) of Bandonklang Villagers, That Sub-District, Wanrinchamrab District,  Ubonratchathani  Province and the Praitice of Dana as Depicted in Theravada Buddhist Literatue”  aimed at two objectives: (1) to study the principles and concept for giving in Theravada Buddhism, (2) to study the attitude toward giving of villagers in Bandornklang, That Sub-district, Warinchamrap district, Ubonratchathani province, and (3) to do a comparative study of the attitude toward  giving of villagers in Bandornklang, That sub-district, Warinchamrap district, Ubonratchathani province and the principles of giving as depicted in Buddhist Canon. However, this thesis was a qualitative research methodology, with the documentary research, field work approaches, and critical analysis.

                        This study found that the definition of Dana or giving in Buddhism could be interpreted as following: donating, offering requisites to others, including generating happiness toward other as well as social services. There were mainly two kinds of giving: Amisadana or material gift and Dhammadana or gift of truth. Another remarkable type of giving was forgivingness or Abhayadana. However, the practice of giving of each person might be different depended on his or her attitude and understanding toward giving. Some people, before giving, might consider about a thing, place, and a person to offer to; while some just offered as what they had been trained on the  practice of giving according to Buddhism.     

        Nevertheless, the study found that the villagers in Bandornklang had attitude toward giving very similar to the practice of giving depicted in the Buddhist Canon. They stated that Dana mean giving, offering help, and sharing what one had to the other. But, this attitude was only regarding to the material gift, not for the gift of truth and forgivingness. Gift of truth, to them, was listening to the dhamma talk, offering book, and guiding a lost-way person to walk on the right path.,Forgivingness was a practice of giving chance to a misguided person in bettering his or her behavior to have a desirable characteristic in the society. Although the villagers in Bandornklang might understand the principle of giving dana in Buddhism, they still did not  have depth and clear understanding about the practice of giving. They offered dana to a Savgha only, by presenting that a ordained Savgha was a faithful refuse and truly field of merit making (pubbakheta). Therefore, offering dana to a Savgha, would bright them and great merit in this very life and the life after; their deceased also could obtain merit; and eventually it would lead them to realize liberation (nibbana). 

For the result of a comparative study of the attitude toward giving of villagers in Bandornklang and the principle of giving as depicted in Buddhist Canon, this study found that the villagers in Bandornklang had very similar attitude toward the practice of giving, including the advantage of giving (anisavsa),  like what was depicted in the Buddhist Canon. They agreed that the right practice of giving were: to offer dana to help a poor and an disable person with sincerely, to reduce greediness of oneself, and to make merit to the deceased. On one hand, they opinioned that those who offered dana would get advantage of happiness in three periods: at the time before offering, during offering, and after offering. However, there were also some villagers who had negative attitude toward the practice of offering dana. With insincere mind and right understanding about the right practice of offering dana, they offered dana by expect something in return like getting rich and better flame, not giving for spiritual cultivation.