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Since you mentioned that people might think of this event as a way to participate in the sacred thing, tell me, isn’t daan supposed to be a secret? My dad is more hindu than jain. He tells me daan karte time left haath ko bhi pata nahi chalna chahiye ki d
Answer
I understand what you’re feeling. In Jain Dharma, daan should be done with humility, purity of intention, and without ego. If daan becomes a way to show status, gain praise, or compete with others, then its spiritual value becomes weak.
But it is also important to be careful before saying that the whole Jain community has “forgotten religion.” Jain Dharma teaches us to look at the bhav — the inner intention — not only the outer action.
Explanation
Your father’s point is spiritually meaningful: true giving should not be for advertisement or pride. In Jain understanding also, daan is valuable when it is done with:
- vinay — humility
- karuna — compassion
- aparigraha bhav — non-possessiveness
- ahankar-rahit bhav — absence of ego
So yes, if someone gives daan only so people praise them, announce their name, put up banners, or show superiority, then that is not the ideal Jain spirit.
At the same time, in community settings, some public giving may happen for practical reasons:
- to inspire others to contribute
- to maintain transparency in temple or sangh work
- to support collective religious events
- to encourage participation in punya activities
So public daan is not automatically wrong. The key question is: what is the intention?
If the intention is seva, devotion, and support of Dharma, it can still be spiritually meaningful. If the intention is ego, status, and social display, then it becomes spiritually harmful.
Spiritual Understanding
In Jain Dharma, karma is bound mainly through bhav — our inner state. Two people may give the same amount, but their spiritual result may be very different.
One person may give quietly with compassion. Another may give publicly but still with sincere devotion. A third may give loudly with pride and expectation of respect.
Externally all three are “doing daan,” but internally they are very different.
So Jain Dharma does not only ask, “Did you give?” It asks, “With what inner feeling did you give?”
Takeaway
Your discomfort with show-off daan is valid. Jain Dharma also values humble, ego-free giving. But instead of condemning the whole community, it may be better to say:
“Daan should remain pure. Whether public or private, it should not become a display of ego.”
That is much closer to the Jain way of thinking.
