sutta » an » an6 » Aṅguttara Nikāya 6.37

Chaḷaṅgadānasutta

A Gift With Six Factors

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Tena kho pana samayena veḷukaṇḍakī nandamātā upāsikā sāriputtamoggallānappamukhe bhikkhusaṅghe chaḷaṅgasamannāgataṁ dakkhiṇaṁ patiṭṭhāpeti.
Now at that time Veḷukaṇṭakī, Nanda’s mother, was preparing a religious donation with six factors for the mendicant Saṅgha headed by Sāriputta and Moggallāna.

Addasā kho bhagavā dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena veḷukaṇḍakiṁ nandamātaraṁ upāsikaṁ sāriputtamoggallānappamukhe bhikkhusaṅghe chaḷaṅgasamannāgataṁ dakkhiṇaṁ patiṭṭhāpentiṁ.
The Buddha saw her doing this, with his clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman,

Disvā bhikkhū āmantesi:
and he addressed the mendicants:

“esā, bhikkhave, veḷukaṇḍakī nandamātā upāsikā sāriputtamoggallānappamukhe bhikkhusaṅghe chaḷaṅgasamannāgataṁ dakkhiṇaṁ patiṭṭhāpeti.
“This Veḷukaṇṭakī, Nanda’s mother, is preparing a religious donation with six factors for the mendicant Saṅgha headed by Sāriputta and Moggallāna.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, chaḷaṅgasamannāgatā dakkhiṇā hoti?
And how does a religious donation have six factors?

Idha, bhikkhave, dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni honti, paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni.
Three factors apply to the donor and three to the recipients.

Katamāni dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni?
What three factors apply to the donor?

Idha, bhikkhave, dāyako pubbeva dānā sumano hoti, dadaṁ cittaṁ pasādeti, datvā attamano hoti.
It’s when a donor is in a good mood before giving, while giving they feel confident, and after giving they’re uplifted.

Imāni dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni.
These three factors apply to the donor.

Katamāni paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni?
What three factors apply to the recipients?

Idha, bhikkhave, paṭiggāhakā vītarāgā vā honti rāgavinayāya vā paṭipannā, vītadosā vā honti dosavinayāya vā paṭipannā, vītamohā vā honti mohavinayāya vā paṭipannā.
It’s when the recipients are free of greed, hate, and delusion, or practicing to be free of them.

Imāni paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni.
These three factors apply to the recipients.

Iti dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni, paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni.
Thus three factors apply to the donor and three to the recipients.

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, chaḷaṅgasamannāgatā dakkhiṇā hoti.
That’s how a religious donation has six factors.

Evaṁ chaḷaṅgasamannāgatāya, bhikkhave, dakkhiṇāya na sukaraṁ puññassa pamāṇaṁ gahetuṁ:
It’s not easy to grasp the merit of such a six-factored donation by saying that

‘ettako puññābhisando kusalābhisando sukhassāhāro sovaggiko sukhavipāko saggasaṁvattaniko iṭṭhāya kantāya manāpāya hitāya sukhāya saṁvattatī’ti.
this is the extent of their overflowing merit, overflowing goodness that nurtures happiness and is conducive to heaven, ripening in happiness and leading to heaven. And it leads to what is likable, desirable, agreeable, to welfare and happiness.

Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāpuññakkhandhotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.
It’s simply reckoned as an incalculable, immeasurable, great mass of merit.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahāsamudde na sukaraṁ udakassa pamāṇaṁ gahetuṁ:
It’s like trying to grasp how much water is in the ocean. It’s not easy to say

‘ettakāni udakāḷhakānīti vā ettakāni udakāḷhakasatānīti vā ettakāni udakāḷhakasahassānīti vā ettakāni udakāḷhakasatasahassānī’ti vā.
how many gallons, how many hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands of gallons there are.

Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāudakakkhandhotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.
It’s simply reckoned as an incalculable, immeasurable, great mass of water.

Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, evaṁ chaḷaṅgasamannāgatāya dakkhiṇāya na sukaraṁ puññassa pamāṇaṁ gahetuṁ:
In the same way, it’s not easy to grasp the merit of such a six-factored donation …

‘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,
A good mood before giving,

dadaṁ cittaṁ pasādaye;
confidence while giving,

Datvā attamano hoti,
feeling uplifted after giving:

esā yaññassa sampadā.
this is the perfect sacrifice.

Vītarāgā vītadosā,
Free of greed, free of hate,

vītamohā anāsavā;
free of delusion, undefiled;

Khettaṁ yaññassa sampannaṁ,
this is the field for the perfect sacrifice,

saññatā brahmacārayo.
the disciplined spiritual practitioners.

Sayaṁ ācamayitvāna,
After rinsing,

datvā sakehi pāṇibhi;
you give with your own hands.

Attano parato ceso,
This sacrifice is very fruitful

yañño hoti mahapphalo.
for both yourself and others.

Evaṁ yajitvā medhāvī,
When an intelligent, faithful person,

saddho muttena cetasā;
sacrifices like this, with a mind of letting go,

Abyāpajjaṁ sukhaṁ lokaṁ,
that astute one is reborn

paṇḍito upapajjatī”ti.
in a happy, pleasing world.”

Sattamaṁ.