ABSTRACT
Anna-daan, as part of daan-dhamma, is a duty of either side of the Buddhists or laypeople, and in response, the recipient makes dhamma daana. As spiritualists, the Buddhists avoid records and accounts of anna-daan and are reluctant to reveal them because of the Vinaya rules. The first-hand account of Buddhist monks and nuns reveals the human side of the overwhelming intensity and emotions of anna-daan. Daan, specifically anna-daan, moulds the fundamental fibres of Buddhist teachings; the followers are encouraged to perform it to deserve merits and suggests that charity nourishes in overcoming sufferings. Consequently, the practice and philosophical perceptions of anna-daan are fluid and constantly emerging and reconfiguring themselves. Anna-daan helps in exchange and conceiving great merits. The chapter expounds from Buddhist scriptures and practices in multiple monasteries to decipher the Buddhist perception of anna-daan. As we explain, the constructs around anna-daan are not based on a single stem but relatively uniformly unfolding and influenced by the doctrines and multiple experiences that the followers attach to it. Further, the intrinsic emotions and external determinants of anna-daan are identified and explained.
