No.420 - The Teachings of Ajahn Golf
Tue, 1 st April 2025
The Difference Between Offering to Buddhist Monasteries and Non-Buddhist Centers
Devotee: What is the difference in merit between giving to Buddhist monasteries that follow the right path versus non-Buddhist centers?
Ajahn Golf: The merit from making offerings is different.
It depends on three aspects of purity: the purity of the giver’s intention, the purity of the offering itself, as well as the purity of the recipient.
As donors, our intentions should be pure. When we give, it should not be out of a desire for recognition, competition, or to show off how much we can offer. Instead, our giving should stem from a wish to purify our hearts—letting go of greed, stinginess, attachment, and selfishness. Through this, we cultivate inner purity. Our offering should also support the preservation of the Lord Buddha’s teachings and the monastic community, ensuring their continuation. When this is our mindset, our intention of giving is pure.
The second aspect of purity is the purity of the offering itself. What we give should be obtained through honest and ethical means—earned through our own effort and hard work, without harming or exploiting others. It should not come from theft or deceit. When our offering is obtained rightfully, it carries its purity.
The third aspect of purity is the purity of the recipient. Offering to animals still generates merit, but it is not as significant as offering to humans.
Among humans, the level of merit also varies. If the recipient practices the Five Precepts, offering to them brings greater merit compared to those who do not practice any precepts.
If we offer to those who practice the Eight or Ten Precepts, the merit is even greater than offering to a Five Precept practitioner. Similarly, offering to monks who follow the 227 monastic rules generates even more merit. The reason for this is that their level of discipline and spiritual practice differs, and the more virtuous and dedicated they are, the greater the merit.
Moreover, if the recipient possesses meditative concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā), the merit from giving to them continues to multiply. This is why offering to noble beings—those who have attained different stages of enlightenment, such as Stream-enterers (sotāpanna), Once-returners (sakadāgāmi), Non-returners (anāgāmi), Arahants, Silent Buddhas (paccekabuddha), and the Lord Buddha (sammāsambuddha)—brings the highest level of merit. The purer their mind, the greater the merit.
To illustrate this, we can compare the recipient to a paddy field and the donor to a farmer. The offering itself is like the seeds being planted. Even if the farmer is skilled and the seeds are of high quality, if the paddy field is barren, the harvest will be poor.
On the other hand, if the same seeds are planted in rich, fertile soil, the harvest will be abundant.
This is similar to offering food to someone who does not practice precepts versus offering to someone who does. A person without precepts might consume the food and then engage in harmful actions such as killing, stealing, or other misconduct. But if we offer food to someone who upholds precepts, they will use that nourishment to engage in wholesome actions and spiritual practice.
Though both acts are considered giving, the merit they generate differs significantly, depending on the recipient’s level of virtue and discipline.
Even within the monastic community, the merit of offering can vary.
Some monks properly uphold their precepts, engage in meditation, and use the offerings they receive in ways that benefit their spiritual practice and the community. Offering to such monks generates great merit.
However, some monks may not follow their precepts strictly. If they misuse the offerings, break their monastic discipline, and fail to engage in spiritual practice, the merit from offering to them will be significantly less.
For this reason, the Lord Buddha taught that donors should be wise—like skilled farmers who choose fertile land to sow their seeds, or like intelligent investors who carefully decide where to put their money. They understand which investments will yield greater returns and which will not. Do you see the difference now?
# Devotee: When we say “sadhu” and rejoice in others’ offerings, do we receive the same merit as they do?
Ajahn Golf: When we don’t have the opportunity to make an offering ourselves, but we witness others giving and sincerely rejoice in their merit, we also generate wholesome karma. However, the merit we gain is not as great or complete as that of the person making the offering. Nevertheless, the act of rejoicing does carry its merit.
-- Ajahn Golf
Phra Surawat Khemachitto (Ajahn Golf) was born in Bangkok and ordained as a monk in the Thai forest Tradition of Dhammayut in Udon Province at age 20. He has practised under various meditation masters in Udon, Sakon Nakhon, Khon Kaen, and Nong Bua Lamphu and has been practising diligently for many years. Ven Ajahn Golf is the Abbot of Wat Pa Anuttaro in Nong Bua Lamphu Province (near Udon Thani). He started to teach Dhamma only after he knew he had sufficient understanding and also confidence to teach the Dhamma correctly.
