100. The Dhamma-offering

Vuttañhetaṁ bhagavatā vuttamarahatāti me sutaṁ:

“Ahamasmi, bhikkhave, brāhmaṇo yācayogo sadā payatapāṇi antimadehadharo anuttaro bhisakko sallakatto.

Tassa me tumhe puttā orasā mukhato jātā dhammajā dhammanimmitā dhammadāyādā, no āmisadāyādā.

Dvemāni, bhikkhave, dānāni—

āmisadānañca dhammadānañca.

Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ dvinnaṁ dānānaṁ yadidaṁ dhammadānaṁ.

Dveme, bhikkhave, saṁvibhāgā—

āmisasaṁvibhāgo ca dhammasaṁvibhāgo ca.

Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ dvinnaṁ saṁvibhāgānaṁ yadidaṁ dhammasaṁvibhāgo.

Dveme, bhikkhave, anuggahā—

āmisānuggaho ca dhammānuggaho ca.

Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ dvinnaṁ anuggahānaṁ yadidaṁ dhammānuggaho.

Dveme, bhikkhave, yāgā—

āmisayāgo ca dhammayāgo ca.

Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ dvinnaṁ yāgānaṁ yadidaṁ dhammayāgo”ti.

Etamatthaṁ bhagavā avoca.

Tatthetaṁ iti vuccati:

“Yo dhammayāgaṁ ayajī amaccharī,

Tathāgato sabbabhūtānukampī;

Taṁ tādisaṁ devamanussaseṭṭhaṁ,

Sattā namassanti bhavassa pāragun”ti.

Ayampi attho vutto bhagavatā, iti me sutanti.

Paṭhamaṁ.

This was said by the Lord…

“Bhikkhus, I am a brahmin, ever accessible to entreaties, open-handed, one bearing his last body, an unsurpassed physician and surgeon. You are my own legitimate sons, born from my mouth, born of Dhamma, fashioned by Dhamma, heirs of Dhamma, not heirs of material things.

“Bhikkhus, there are these two kinds of giving: the giving of material things and the giving of the Dhamma. Of these two kinds of giving, this is the foremost, namely, the giving of the Dhamma. There are these two kinds of sharing … these two kinds of help … these two kinds of offerings: the offering of material things and the offering of the Dhamma. Of these two kinds of offering, this is the foremost, namely, the offering of the Dhamma.”

The Tathāgata has made the Dhamma-offering,
Unselfish, compassionate towards all beings;
Living beings revere such a one,
Gone beyond being, as chief of devas and humans.