While the Buddha was
dwelling at the Jetavana monastery in Savatthi, the female lay devotee,
Nandamata, who lived in Velukantati City was offering alms-food to the Samgha
headed by the two chief disciples of the Buddha. On seeing this greatly
beneficial offering with His divine eye, the Buddha delivered the discourse on
charity which can bring great benefits.
A greatly beneficial
charity is accompanied with six factors, three factors pertaining to the donor
and three factors pertaining to the donee.
The three factors
pertaining to the donor are:
(1) The donor is
delighted before giving to charity;
(2) His consciousness
and volition are keen and clear while he is giving to charity;
(3) He is delighted
after giving to charity.
The three factors
pertaining to the donee are:
(4) The donee is free
from attachment (raga) or he is striving to be free from it;
(5) The donee is free
from hatred (dosa) or he is striving to be free from it;
(6) The donee is free
from bewilderment (moha) or he is striving to be free from it.
The Buddha proclaimed that
the charity which is endowed with the above six factors can bear infinite
benefits. If one of the factors is missing, the charity will bear less benefit,
and consequently it is called less beneficial charity.
Moreover, the charity
which is endowed with the following four factors can bring great benefits
“immediately”. So it is also called greatly beneficial charity. The four
factors are:
(1) The things to be
offered are procured or earned by righteous means;
(2) The conviction and
volitions of the donor are keen and clear before, during, and after the
offering.
(3) The donee must be
an arahant or anagami.
(4) The donee must have
just arisen from dwelling in his attainment of absorption in cessation
(Nirodhasamapatti).
The charity endowed with
these four factors is called greatly beneficial charity because it produces its
great benefits in this very life. If one of the four factors is missing, it is
not possible to bear benefits “immediately”, and the charity is denoted as the
less beneficial charity.
Moreover, the offering
endowed with the following five kinds of factors is called greatly beneficial
charity. They are:
(1) The donor must be
endowed with morality and good conduct;
(2) The donee also must
be endowed with morality and good conduct;
(3) The objects of offering
must be things acquired by honest means;
(4) The conviction and
volitions of the donor are keen and clear before, during and after the
offering;
(5) The donor must be
one who is endowed with firm belief in Kamma and its results.
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