6.37. Bố Thí

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.

Tena kho pana samayena veḷukaṇḍakī nandamātā upāsikā sāriputtamoggallānappamukhe bhikkhusaṅghe chaḷaṅgasamannāgataṁ dakkhiṇaṁ patiṭṭhāpeti.

Addasā kho bhagavā dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena veḷukaṇḍakiṁ nandamātaraṁ upāsikaṁ sāriputtamoggallānappamukhe bhikkhusaṅghe chaḷaṅgasamannāgataṁ dakkhiṇaṁ patiṭṭhāpentiṁ.

Disvā bhikkhū āmantesi:

“esā, bhikkhave, veḷukaṇḍakī nandamātā upāsikā sāriputtamoggallānappamukhe bhikkhusaṅghe chaḷaṅgasamannāgataṁ dakkhiṇaṁ patiṭṭhāpeti.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, chaḷaṅgasamannāgatā dakkhiṇā hoti?

Idha, bhikkhave, dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni honti, paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni.

Katamāni dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni?

Idha, bhikkhave, dāyako pubbeva dānā sumano hoti, dadaṁ cittaṁ pasādeti, datvā attamano hoti.

Imāni dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni.

Katamāni paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni?

Idha, bhikkhave, paṭiggāhakā vītarāgā vā honti rāgavinayāya vā paṭipannā, vītadosā vā honti dosavinayāya vā paṭipannā, vītamohā vā honti mohavinayāya vā paṭipannā.

Imāni paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni.

Iti dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni, paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni.

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, chaḷaṅgasamannāgatā dakkhiṇā hoti.

Evaṁ chaḷaṅgasamannāgatāya, bhikkhave, dakkhiṇāya na sukaraṁ puññassa pamāṇaṁ gahetuṁ:

‘ettako puññābhisando kusalābhisando sukhassāhāro sovaggiko sukhavipāko saggasaṁvattaniko iṭṭhāya kantāya manāpāya hitāya sukhāya saṁvattatī’ti.

Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāpuññakkhandhotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahāsamudde na sukaraṁ udakassa pamāṇaṁ gahetuṁ:

‘ettakāni udakāḷhakānīti vā ettakāni udakāḷhakasatānīti vā ettakāni udakāḷhakasahassānīti vā ettakāni udakāḷhakasatasahassānī’ti vā.

Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāudakakkhandhotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, evaṁ chaḷaṅgasamannāgatāya dakkhiṇāya na sukaraṁ puññassa pamāṇaṁ gahetuṁ:

‘ettako puññābhisando kusalābhisando sukhassāhāro sovaggiko sukhavipāko saggasaṁvattaniko iṭṭhāya kantāya manāpāya hitāya sukhāya saṁvattatī’ti.

Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāpuññakkhandhotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchatī”ti.

“Pubbeva dānā sumano,

dadaṁ cittaṁ pasādaye;

Datvā attamano hoti,

esā yaññassa sampadā.

Vītarāgā vītadosā,

vītamohā anāsavā;

Khettaṁ yaññassa sampannaṁ,

saññatā brahmacārayo.

Sayaṁ ācamayitvāna,

datvā sakehi pāṇibhi;

Attano parato ceso,

yañño hoti mahapphalo.

Evaṁ yajitvā medhāvī,

saddho muttena cetasā;

Abyāpajjaṁ sukhaṁ lokaṁ,

paṇḍito upapajjatī”ti.

Sattamaṁ.

On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. And on that occasion the lay woman Velukandaki, Nanda’s mother, had established a donation endowed with six factors for the community of monks headed by Sariputta & Moggallana. The Blessed One saw with his divine eye, surpassing the human, that the laywoman Velukandaki, Nanda’s mother, had established a donation endowed with six factors for the community of monks headed by Sariputta & Moggallana. On seeing this, he addressed the monks: “Monks, the lay woman Velukandaki, Nanda’s mother, has established a donation endowed with six factors for the community of monks headed by Sariputta & Moggallana.

“And how is a donation endowed with six factors? There is the case where there are the three factors of the donor, the three factors of the recipients.

“And which are the three factors of the donor? There is the case where the donor, before giving, is glad; while giving, his/her mind is bright & clear; and after giving is gratified. These are the three factors of the donor.

“And which are the three factors of the recipients? There is the case where the recipients are free of passion or are practicing for the subduing of passion; free of aversion or practicing for the subduing of aversion; and free of delusion or practicing for the subduing of delusion. These are the three factors of the recipients.

“Such are the three factors of the donor, the three factors of the recipients. And this is how a donation is endowed with six factors.

“And it is not easy to take the measure of the merit of a donation thus endowed with six factors as ‘just this much a bonanza of merit, a bonanza of what is skillful—a nutriment of bliss, heavenly, resulting in bliss, leading to heaven—that leads to what is desirable, pleasing, charming, beneficial, pleasant.’ It is simply reckoned as a great mass of merit, incalculable, immeasurable.

“Just as it is not easy to take the measure of the great ocean as ‘just this many buckets of water, just this many hundreds of buckets of water, just this many thousands of buckets of water, or just this many hundreds of thousands of buckets of water.’ It is simply reckoned as a great mass of water, incalculable, immeasurable. In the same way, it is not easy to take the measure of the merit of a donation thus endowed with six factors as ‘just this much a bonanza of merit, a bonanza of what is skillful—a nutriment of bliss, heavenly, resulting in bliss, leading to heaven—that leads to what is desirable, pleasing, charming, beneficial, pleasant.’ It is simply reckoned as a great mass of merit, incalculable, immeasurable.”

Before giving, glad;
while giving, the mind is bright & clear;
having given, one is gratified:
This is the consummation of the sacrifice.
Free of passion, free of aversion,
free of delusion, without fermentation:
the consummation of the field of the sacrifice,
one restrained, leading the holy life.
Having rinsed oneself,
having given with one’s own hands,
then—because of oneself,
because of the other—
that is a sacrifice yielding great fruit.
Having given thus
—intelligent—
a person of conviction,
with awareness released,
reappears
—wise—
in a world of bliss
unalloyed.