Teaching Dhamma

If one expounds or teaches the Dhamma from desire or honour thinking, ‘Thus they will know me to be a Dhamma- preacher’, this kind of teaching does not yield much fruit. If, however, one makes the attainment of freedom from suffering the chief motive, and so expounds or teaches to others the Dhamma in which he is proficient, this good intention is the way of making merit in expounding the Dhamma.

It is worth noting that the Buddha said that the highest gift of all is ‘the gift of the Dhamma’. In other words, if one can open the eye of the Dhamma in another, by expounding, teaching or explaining it to him, that is the greatest and the highest gift of all.

In fact, the Buddha has said that even if one would attend to his parents by carrying them all his life on his shoulders, he would still not be able to repay the debt he owes to them. The only way is to teach and establish them in the Dhamma. Even the ailing Arahant Sariputta, just before he attained Parinibbana (final Nibbana), returned home, taught his mother and helped her to attain Nibbana.

One may provide all the disciples of the Buddha with the four requisites (robes, almsfood, shelter and medicine) in the best possible way, or give people all the material things. But to enlighten them on the Dhamma with even a stanza of only four lines is said to be the best and the highest of all gifts.

Thus, the gift of Dhamma means to teach and explain the Dhamma to others, to deviate them from the wrong path and lead them on the right path, to introduce what is moral, to organize discussions on the Dhamma, to write and print books etc.