12.
The Discourse on the Analysis of Offerings
376.
Thus have I heard -
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in the Nigrodha Monastery.
Then Mahāpajāpati Gotamī, having taken a new suit of cloth, approached the Blessed One;
having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side.
Seated to one side, Mahāpajāpati Gotamī said this to the Blessed One -
"This new suit of cloth of mine, venerable sir, has been spun by myself and woven by myself for the Blessed One.
May the Blessed One, venerable sir, accept it from me out of compassion."
When this was said, the Blessed One said this to Mahāpajāpati Gotamī -
"Give it to the monastic community, Gotamī.
When you have given it to the monastic community, both I shall be venerated and the monastic community as well."
For the second time Mahāpajāpati Gotamī said this to the Blessed One -
"This new suit of cloth of mine, venerable sir, has been spun by myself and woven by myself for the Blessed One.
May the Blessed One, venerable sir, accept it from me out of compassion."
For the second time the Blessed One said this to Mahāpajāpati Gotamī -
"Give it to the monastic community, Gotamī.
When you have given it to the monastic community, both I shall be venerated and the monastic community as well."
For the third time Mahāpajāpati Gotamī said this to the Blessed One -
"This new suit of cloth of mine, venerable sir, has been spun by myself and woven by myself for the Blessed One.
May the Blessed One, venerable sir, accept it from me out of compassion."
For the third time the Blessed One said this to Mahāpajāpati Gotamī -
"Give it to the monastic community, Gotamī.
When you have given it to the monastic community, both I shall be venerated and the monastic community as well."
377.
When this was said, the Venerable Ānanda said this to the Blessed One -
"May the Blessed One, venerable sir, accept the new suit of cloth from Mahāpajāpati Gotamī.
Mahāpajāpati Gotamī, venerable sir, has been very helpful to the Blessed One - she is his maternal aunt, his foster-mother, his nurse, the giver of milk;
when the Blessed One's mother had died, she gave him her breast milk.
The Blessed One too, venerable sir, has been very helpful to Mahāpajāpati Gotamī.
Having come to the Blessed One, venerable sir, Mahāpajāpati Gotamī has gone for refuge to the Buddha, gone for refuge to the Teaching, gone for refuge to the Community.
Having come to the Blessed One, venerable sir, Mahāpajāpati Gotamī abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given, abstains from sexual misconduct, abstains from lying, abstains from spirits, liquor and intoxicants that cause negligence.
Having come to the Blessed One, venerable sir, Mahāpajāpati Gotamī is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Buddha, endowed with unwavering confidence in the Teaching, endowed with unwavering confidence in the Community, endowed with morality pleasing to the noble ones.
Having come to the Blessed One, venerable sir, Mahāpajāpati Gotamī is without uncertainty about suffering, without uncertainty about the origin of suffering, without uncertainty about the cessation of suffering, without uncertainty about the practice leading to the cessation of suffering.
The Blessed One too, venerable sir, has been very helpful to Mahāpajāpati Gotamī."
378.
"So it is, Ānanda.
If, Ānanda, a person, having come to another person, has gone for refuge to the Buddha, has gone for refuge to the Teaching, has gone for refuge to the Community, for this person, Ānanda, by this person I say there is no easy repayment, that is to say -
by paying respect, rising up in respect, salutation with joined palms, doing the proper duties, and providing robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick.
"If, Ānanda, a person, having come to another person, abstains from killing living beings, abstains from taking what is not given, abstains from sexual misconduct, abstains from lying, abstains from spirits, liquor and intoxicants that cause negligence, for this person, Ānanda, by this person I say there is no easy repayment, that is to say - by paying respect, rising up in respect, salutation with joined palms, doing the proper duties, and providing robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick.
"If, Ānanda, a person, having come to another person, is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Buddha, in the Teaching... Towards the Community... is endowed with morality pleasing to the noble ones, for this person, Ānanda, by this person I say there is no easy repayment, that is to say - by paying respect, rising up in respect, salutation with joined palms, doing the proper duties, and providing robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick.
"If, Ānanda, a person, having come to another person, is without uncertainty about suffering, is without uncertainty about the origin of suffering, is without uncertainty about the cessation of suffering, is without uncertainty about the practice leading to the cessation of suffering, for this person, Ānanda, by this person I say there is no easy repayment, that is to say - by paying respect, rising up in respect, salutation with joined palms, doing the proper duties, and providing robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick.
379.
"Now, Ānanda, there are fourteen personal offerings.
What are the fourteen?
One gives a gift to a Truth-finder, a Worthy One, a Perfectly Enlightened One -
this is the first personal offering.
One gives a gift to a Paccekabuddha -
this is the second personal offering.
One gives a gift to a Worthy One who is a disciple of the Truth-finder -
this is the third personal offering.
One gives a gift to one practising for the realisation of the fruition of arahantship -
this is the fourth personal offering.
One gives a gift to a non-returner -
this is the fifth personal offering.
One gives a gift to one practising for the realisation of the fruition of non-returning -
this is the sixth personal offering.
One gives a gift to a once-returner -
this is the seventh personal offering.
One gives a gift to one practising for the realisation of the fruition of once-returning -
this is the eighth personal offering.
One gives a gift to a stream-enterer -
this is the ninth personal offering.
One gives a gift to one practising for the realisation of the fruition of stream-entry -
this is the tenth personal offering.
One gives a gift to an outsider who is free from lust for sensual pleasures -
this is the eleventh personal offering.
One gives a gift to a virtuous worldling -
this is the twelfth personal offering.
One gives a gift to an immoral worldling -
this is the thirteenth personal offering.
One gives a gift to an animal -
this is the fourteenth personal offering.
"Therein, Ānanda, having given a gift to an animal, an offering of a hundredfold is to be expected; having given a gift to an immoral worldling, an offering of a thousandfold is to be expected; having given a gift to a moral worldling, an offering of a hundred thousandfold is to be expected; having given a gift to an outsider without lust for sensual pleasures, an offering of ten million hundred thousandfold is to be expected; having given a gift to one practising for the realisation of the fruition of stream-entry, an incalculable, immeasurable offering is to be expected; what then to say of a stream-enterer, what then to say of one practising for the realisation of the fruition of once-returning, what then to say of a once-returner, what then to say of one practising for the realisation of the fruition of non-returning, what then to say of a non-returner, what then to say of one practising for the realisation of the fruition of arahantship, what then to say of a Worthy One, what then to say of a Solitary Buddha, what then to say of a Truth-finder, a Worthy One, a Perfectly Enlightened One!
380.
"Now, Ānanda, there are seven offerings given to the Community.
Which are the seven?
One gives a gift to both communities headed by the Buddha -
this is the first offering given to the Community.
One gives a gift to both communities when the Truth-finder has attained final Nibbāna -
this is the second offering given to the Community.
One gives a gift to the community of monks -
this is the third offering given to the Community.
One gives a gift to the community of nuns -
this is the fourth offering given to the Community.
One gives a gift thinking 'Let this many monks and nuns be designated for me from the Community' -
this is the fifth offering given to the Community.
One gives a gift thinking 'Let this many monks be designated for me from the Community' -
this is the sixth offering given to the Community.
One gives a gift thinking 'Let this many nuns be designated for me from the Community' -
this is the seventh offering given to the Community.
"In the future period of time, Ānanda, there will be those of mere clan-name, wearing the orange robe around their necks, immoral, of bad character. They will give gifts with reference to the Community among those immoral ones. Even then, Ānanda, I say that an offering given to the Community is incalculable, immeasurable. But I do not say, Ānanda, that by any method a personal gift has more great results than an offering given to the Community.
381.
"Ānanda, there are these four purifications of offerings.
What are the four?
There is, Ānanda, an offering that becomes pure on account of the donor, not on account of the recipient.
There is, Ānanda, an offering that becomes pure on account of the recipient, not on account of the donor.
There is, Ānanda, an offering that becomes pure neither on account of the donor nor on account of the recipient.
There is, Ānanda, an offering that becomes pure both on account of the donor and on account of the recipient.
"And how, Ānanda, does an offering become pure on account of the donor, not on account of the recipient? Here, Ānanda, the donor is moral, of good character, but the recipients are immoral, of bad character - thus indeed, Ānanda, an offering becomes pure on account of the donor, not on account of the recipient.
"And how, Ānanda, does an offering become pure on account of the recipient, not on account of the donor? Here, Ānanda, the donor is immoral, of bad character, but the recipients are moral, of good character - thus indeed, Ānanda, an offering becomes pure on account of the recipient, not on account of the donor.
"And how, Ānanda, does an offering become pure neither on account of the donor nor on account of the recipient? Here, Ānanda, the donor is immoral, of bad character, and the recipients are immoral, of bad character - thus indeed, Ānanda, an offering becomes pure neither on account of the donor nor on account of the recipient.
"And how, Ānanda, does an offering become pure both on account of the donor and on account of the recipient? Here, Ānanda, the donor is moral, of good character, and the recipients are moral, of good character - thus indeed, Ānanda, an offering becomes pure both on account of the donor and on account of the recipient. These, Ānanda, are the four purifications of offerings."
This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this -
382.
Obtained by the Teaching, with a well-pleased mind;
Believing in the lofty fruit of action,
That offering becomes pure on account of the donor.
Obtained not by rule, with a displeased mind;
Not believing in the lofty fruit of action,
That offering becomes pure on account of the recipient.
Obtained not by rule, with a displeased mind;
Not believing in the lofty fruit of action,
I say that gift is not of abundant fruit.
Obtained by the Teaching, with a well-pleased mind;
Believing in the lofty fruit of action,
I say that gift indeed is of abundant fruit.
Obtained by the Teaching, with a well-pleased mind;
Believing in the lofty fruit of action,
That gift indeed is the foremost of material gifts."
The Discourse on the Analysis of Offerings is concluded as twelfth.