Dana: On the Positive Effects of Charity

by Ram

Anna Marie Dufault, Age 51, by Melina Meza

Dana (charity) is one of the ten niyamas (observances) and is discussed in the Bhavavad Gita, the Upanishads and the Yoga Yajnyavalkya Samhita. Dana is a selfless, faithful, and goodwill act of giving to any deserving person—an action that is rendered without any personal expectation. An individual rendering dana/charity gets rid of all egoistic tendencies while offering such a service and puts the well-being of the recipient as a top priority ahead of his/her personal gain or achievement. 

To perform dana/charity, you need to cultivate non-attachment and a loving attitude to do selfless service. Dana requires you to perform any charity without attachment and/or expectation and remain unaffected by the results of such service. At the same time you need to cultivate a loving attitude towards the charitable act without developing any stress from it, no matter what the outcome is. Having an attachment and expectation while doing a charitable act creates a mental conflict leading to an emotional upheaval. This approach—performing a charitable act without any expectation and letting go of all results, whether good or bad, and focusing on the selfless action alone—is dana and underlies the essence of karma yoga (see Karma Yoga Opportunities).

While dana is generally rendered to an individual or family, the highest form of dana/charity aims for the benefit of the public or community, and includes projects such as building a rest house, school, or water reservoir, planting trees, or building a care facility for orphans and aged individuals. In the Hindu culture, dana/charity is discussed in numerous ways and includes among others:

• Annadana: donating food to the needy
• Godana: donating cattle (typically a cow)
• Bhudana: donating land 
• Vidyadana: providing free teaching
• Jnanadana: sharing knowledge and skills
• Aushadhadana: providing free medical service

In all these cases, dana/charity is held as a noble deed and is considered good karma that affects your future circumstances and environment. And it is believed that those charitable deeds by the doer lead to a harmonious life because of the reciprocity principle.

Needless to say, dana/charity brings health benefits as well. Research studies show that giving selflessly is good for the giver as it boosts physical and mental health. Studies find the following health benefits associated with charity:

• Lower blood pressure
• Increased self-esteem
• Less depression
• Lower stress levels
• Longer life
• Greater happiness

It is easy to understand why dana/charity boosts healthy living; while performing the charitable act, your body releases several “feel good” chemicals, including oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin, all of which buffer out stressful thoughts, suppress pain signals, and regulate optimal blood flow, improving mind, body, and heart.

In “The Effects of Giving on Givers,” Konrath and Brown list out the health benefits associated with people who perform dana/charity. According to these authors, doers who performed acts of charity had lower blood pressure than people who didn’t perform them. Interaction with others that involved giving and supporting selflessly also helped people recover from cardiac issues. People who gave their time to help others through community and organizational involvement had greater self-esteem, less depression, and lower stress levels than those who didn’t. Furthermore, older people who gave help to friends, relatives and neighbors—or who gave emotional support to their spouses—were 44 percent less likely to die over a five-year period than those who didn’t, even after accounting for many other factors, including age, exercise, general health, and negative habits like smoking. At the cellular level, selfless giving activates regions in the brain associated with pleasure, connection with other people, and trust.

And in a 2006 study Human fronto–mesolimbic networks guide decisions about charitable donation, researchers from the National Institutes of Health observed brain patterns from MRI images of subjects who donated to various charities. The researchers concluded that acts of charity stimulated the subgenual areas and the mesolimbic pathway, which are the reward centers in the brain. Activation of these areas triggers the release of endorphins, oxytocin, and vasopressin, all of which create what is known as the “helper’s high,” a distinct physical/mental sensation associated with helping. In this state, you feel stronger and more energetic after helping others; many also report feeling calmer and less depressed with increased feeling of self-worth.

So as the holiday season approaches and you wish to end the year on a good note, why not explore the opportunities for a dana/charitable act in your community? You can follow it up by making it one of your New Year's resolutions to continue the charitable act(s) throughout the next year. Even a small charity goes a long way towards improving other people's lives, as well as your own.

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