About Dāna (Generosity)

What things are called Dāna?

In brief, it should be answered that ‘the volition to give a suitable thing’ is called Dāna. The meaning will become clearer in the following passages.

Why are they called Dāna?

The volition is called Dāna because it is responsible for an act of generosity to take place. There can be no generosity without the volition to give; an act of generosity is possible only when there is the volition to give.

In this connection, by volition is meant:

• the volition that arises at the time of donation. It is called ‘muñca-cetanā’, ‘relinquishing’ volition, ‘munca’ meaning relinquishing. It is only this volition, which accompanies the act of relinquishing, that forms the true element of generosity.
• The volition that arises in anticipation before one makes the donation is called ‘pubba-cetana’. This type of volition can also be considered as Dāna, provided that the object to be given is at hand at the time the intention, “I shall make an offering of this object”, occurs.

Without the object to be given being actually in one’s possession, cherishing the thought of giving may be called ‘pubba-cetana’ but cannot qualify as Dāna: it can only be a benevolent thought of ordinary merit.

Types of Dāna

The Kāladāna Sutta in the Sumana Vagga, Pañcaka Nipāta, Aṅguttara Nikāya mentions the following five types of gifts which are to be given at an appropriate time:

• Gift made to a visitor.
• Gift made to one starting on a journey.
• Gift made to one who is ill.
• Gift made at the time of scarcity.
• Gift of newly harvested grains and crops made to those endowed with virtue.

The fifth type has direct reference to farmers and cultivators, but it should be understood that it also includes the first fruits of labour of any one who offers them as dāna before using them for oneself.

Five Kinds of Asappurisa-dāna

There are five kinds of gifts made by men of no virtue:

• Dāna made without seeing carefully that the gift to be offered is properly prepared, fresh. wholesome and clean.
• Dāna made without due reverence or considerations.
• Dāna made without offering it with one’s own hands; (For example, the dāna of King Pāyāsi[1], who instead of presenting the gifts with his own hands, had his attendant Uttara do so for him.)
• Dāna made in the manner of discarding one’s leftovers.
• Dāna made without the knowledge that the good deed done now, will surely bring good results in the future (kammassakatā-ñāṇa).

Five Kinds of Sappurisa-dāna

There are five kinds of gifts made by men of virtue:

• Dāna made after seeing carefully that the gift to be offered is properly prepared, fresh, wholesome and clean.
• Dāna made with due reverence, with the mind firmly placed on the material for offering.
• Dāna made with one’s own hands. (Throughout the beginningless cycle of existences, the beginning of which we have no knowledge, there have been many existences in which one is not equipped with hands and feet. In this existence, when one has the rare fortune of being equipped with complete limbs, one should avail oneself of this rare opportunity of offering gifts with one’s own hands, reflecting that one would work for liberation making use of the hands one is fortunate enough to be born with).
• Dāna made with due care, and not as if one is discarding one’s own leftovers.
• Dāna made with the knowledge that the good deed done now, will surely bring good results in the future.

These two groups of five kinds of gifts are described in the seventh sutta of the Tikanda Vagga, Pañcaka Nipāta, Aṅguttara Nikāya.

Another five kinds of gifts made by men of virtue (Sappurisa-dāna).

• Dāna made with faith in the law of cause and effect (saddhā-dāna).
• Dāna made after seeing carefully that the gift to be offered is properly prepared fresh, wholesome and clean (sakkacca-dāna).
• Dāna made at the right time, on the proper occasion (kāla-dāna). (When it is the mealtime, alms food is offered; when it is the Kaṭhina season, robes are offered).
• Dāna made with a view to rendering assistance to the recipient or to show kindness to him (anuggaha-dāna).
• Dāna made without affecting, in any way, one’s dignity and the dignity of others (anupaghāta-dāna).

All of these five kinds of gifts give rise to great wealth, riches and prosperity.

• In addition, saddhā-dāna results in fair, handsome appearance.
• As a result of sakkacca-dāna, one’s followers and attendants are attentive and obedient.
• Resulting from kāla-dāna are benefits that come at the right time and in abundance.
• As a result of anuggaha-dāna, one is well disposed to enjoy the fruits of one’s good deeds and is able to do so in full.
• As a result of anupaghāta-dāna, one’s property is fully protected against the five destructive elements (water, fire, king, thieves and opponents.
• This classification of five kinds of Dāna comes in the eighth sutta of the above Text).

The opposites of these five kinds of Dāna are not mentioned in the Texts; but it may be assumed that the five corresponding dāna made by men of no virtues would be as follows:

• Dāna made without believing in the law of cause and effect (asaddhiya-dāna), just to imitate others’ dāna or to escape from being censured or reviled. (Such dāna will produce wealth and riches for the donor but he will not be bestowed with fine appearance.)
• Dāna made without seeing carefully that the gift to be offered is properly prepared, fresh, wholesome and clean (asakacca-dāna). (Wealth and riches will accrue from such dānas, but the donor will not receive obedience and discipline from his sub-ordinates.)
• Dāna made at inappropriate time (akāla-dāna). (It will produce wealth but its beneficial results will not be in great abundance and will not come at the time needed.)
• Dāna made perfunctorily (ananuggaha-dāna) without intention of assisting or doing honour to the recipient. (One may reap riches and wealth out of such deeds, but he will not be disposed to enjoy his wealth or he may be denied the occasion to enjoy them.)
• Dāna made in such a way that it will affect, in some way, one’s dignity or the dignity of others (upaghāta-dāna). (Wealth and riches may accrue from such dānas but they will be subject to damage or destruction by the five enemies.)

In view of the Kala-dāna and Akāla-dāna types of offering mentioned above, i.e. offerings made at appropriate or inappropriate times, it should be well noted that it is improper to make offerings, even with the best of intentions, of light to the Buddha during the day when there is light, or of food when it is afternoon.

What are the elements that strengthen the beneficial results of Dāna? What are the elements that weaken the beneficial results of Dāna?

The Dāna Sutta, the seventh discourse of the Devatā Vagga, in the Chakka Nipāta, Aṅguttara Nikāya, explains the elements that strengthen the beneficial results of dāna and those that weaken them.

At one time, the Buddha was residing at the Jetavana Monastery in Sāvatthi. At that time, He saw, by His supernormal psychic power of divine sight, that a certain female follower of His Teaching by the name of Nandamātā, was making an offering to the two Chief Disciples and the Sangha, in the distant town of Velukandaki.

He said to the bhikkhus:

“Bhikkhus, Nandamātā of Velukandaki is right now making a great offering to the Sangha headed by the Venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna. Her offering has the distinguished feature of the donor possessing three special qualities of volitional purity, namely,

• feeling happy before the act of offering;
• having a clear, pure mind while making the offering and
• rejoicing after having made the offering,

and of the recipients possessing three special qualities of mental purity, namely,

• being free of attachment (rāga) or practising to be liberated from it;
• being free of ill will (dosa) or practising to be liberated from it,
• being free of bewilderment (moha) or practising to be liberated from it.

“Bhikkhus, just as the water in the ocean is immeasurable, the benefit that will accrue from an offering distinguished by those six features is also immeasurable.

As a matter of fact, you speak of the water in the ocean as an immeasurably huge mass of water, likewise you say of such an offering, which is unique with these six features, as one that will bring an immeasurably huge accumulation of merit.”

According to this Pāli Text, it may be seen that the three qualities possessed by the donor and the three qualities possessed by the recipients form the elements that strengthen the beneficial results of dāna. It follows from it that, to the extent that the donor and the recipients are lacking in their respective qualities, to that extent will the act of dāna fall short of the full possible beneficial results.

Again, in the ninth birth story of Mahadhammapāla, in the Dasaka Nipāta of the Jātaka, it is mentioned that King Suddhodāna was a brahmin in a past life. The great teacher of the Texila, to whom he had entrusted his son for education, asked him why members of his clan did not die young but lived to a ripe old age.

He replied in verse:

Pubbeva dānā sumanā bhavāma

dadampi ve attamanā bhavāma

datvāpi ve nānutappāma pacchā

tasmā hi amham dahara na mīyare.

We feel very happy before we ever make an offering, We are delighted and satisfied while making the offering; And we rejoice after having made the offering, never feeling remorseful. For these three reasons people never die young in our clan.

From this story one can surmise that when an offering is made with fulfilment of these three volitional conditions, the benefit that accrues from it, is enjoyment of long life in the present existence.

The Great Chronicle of Buddhas by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw ~ Miscellaneous Notes on Different Aspect of Dāna (generosity)

This page describes Miscellaneous Notes on Different Aspect of Dana (generosity) contained within the book called the Great Chronicle of Buddhas (maha-buddha-vamsa), a large compilation of stories revolving around the Buddhas and Buddhist disciples. This page is part of the series known as on Pāramitā. This great chronicle of Buddhas was compiled by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw who had a thorough understanding of the thousands and thousands of Buddhist teachings (suttas).