Reply To: Useful Essays from DRARISWORLD and Other Websites – Part 2

#52174
Jittananto
Participant

Significance of gratitude in Theravada Buddhism

The ability to experience a positive feeling of gratitude can vary from person to person. While it can spontaneously arise in some people more frequently than in others, others may need to put some effort to help it arise and others find it difficult to feel a sense of gratitude for things done to oneself by others. When one looks around, one is likely to find out that those who have a natural tendency to feel and express gratitude are rare while the vast majority of people do not have that natural tendency in themselves. The fact that gratitude is a rare human quality has been said by the Buddha himself in the Dullabha sutta of the Anguttara Nikāya (collection of the Buddha’s numerical discourses) as follows:

“Monks, the appearance of three people is rare in the world. What three? A Realised One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha. A person who teaches the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realised One. A person who is grateful and thankful. The appearance of these three people is rare in the world.”

 

In the Pingiyānī sutta of the Anguttara Nikāya, addressing a group of five hundred Licchavi householders, the Buddha described a person who is grateful and thankful as one of the five rare treasures in the world. The Buddha said:

 

“Licchavis, the appearance of five treasures is rare in the world. What five?

 

1. A Realised One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha.

2. A person who explains the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realised One.

3. A person who understands the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realised One.

4. A person who practises in line with the teaching.

5. A person who is grateful and thankful.” 

 

It can be seen that disciples of the Buddha, both lay and monastic, make various offerings to the Buddha as a part of their religious practice. They are aware that they cannot expect to attain their liberation from suffering through these offerings because according to the Buddha’s teaching, one has to work towards one’s liberation and even the Buddha cannot liberate someone else. The main purpose of making such offerings to the Buddha is to pay homage and show gratitude to the great teacher who selflessly struggled to discover the path of liberation from suffering with no assistance from any teacher, and then taught it to the world so that others can also practise the same path and attain their liberation. Buddhist disciples are also encouraged to show gratitude to one’s teachers, monastics, spiritual friends and anyone else who has helped and supported them even in a very small manner. Another common religious practice among the Buddhist disciples is to perform various meritorious actions and transfer the merit earned from them to relatives, friends and others both living and dead. This practice can also be seen as a gesture of showing one’s appreciation and gratitude to them for whatever they may have done to help and support in one way or the other.