Dana or Giving: A Necessary Virtue for Society Involving the situation of Coronavirus Pandemic (Covid -19)

Abstract

This article has an objective to study giving alms which is a necessary virtue of Buddhism in the coronavirus epidemic situation (Covid-๑๙). Dana refers to the giving, sacrifice volition, offerings, and refraining. There are two types of alms: Amissadāna and Dhammadāna. The goal of giving is to help people who are in need and to share good things to others and the burden of others to be able to help and rely on themselves. The coronavirus (COVID-๑๙) epidemic has affected directly to people such as livelihoods, education and income, where some workers have to leave their works and lose their income, in turn, affecting to family. This is because government policy has been ordered to reduce the epidemic and increase the distance between each other in society affecting the national economy. And, at the same time, it gives people recognizing the kindness of human beings with different type of giving such as arms giving stall. All of the public sector, the private sector, and the Sangha have set up alms to share their helps to each other, mostly dried food and drinking water which in some places there is a variety of food distribution in order to share the burden for self-sufficient. And at the same time, the government still has various projects to relieve the burden of the people. In this situation, it can be seen that the world is generous and compassionate.