180. （一八〇）瞿昙弥经

I have heard thus:

At one time, the Buddha was wandering in the country of the Śākyas and stayed at the Nyagrodha Park in Kapilavastu.

At that time, Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī held a new golden-threaded yellow robe and went to where the Buddha was. She bowed her head at the Buddha's feet, stepped back to one side, and said, "World-Honored One! This new golden-threaded yellow robe I made myself for the World-Honored One. Out of compassion for me, please accept it."

The World-Honored One said, "Gautamī! Give this robe to the assembly of bhikṣus. Having given it to the assembly of bhikṣus, you will then make offerings to me and also make offerings to the assembly."

Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī said this a second and a third time, "World-Honored One! This new golden-threaded yellow robe I made myself for the World-Honored One. Out of compassion for me, please accept it."

The World-Honored One also said this a second and a third time, "Gautamī! Give this robe to the assembly of bhikṣus. Having given it to the assembly of bhikṣus, you will then make offerings to me and also make offerings to the assembly."

At that time, Venerable Ānanda was standing behind the World-Honored One, holding a whisk to attend to the Buddha. Then Venerable Ānanda said, "World-Honored One! This Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī has greatly benefited the World-Honored One. After the World-Honored One's mother passed away, she breastfed the World-Honored One."

The World-Honored One said, "So it is, Ānanda! So it is, Ānanda! Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī has indeed greatly benefited me. After my mother passed away, she breastfed me." "Ānanda! I have also greatly benefited Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī. Why is that? Because of me, Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī has taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, has no doubts about the Three Jewels, suffering, origination, cessation, and the path, has accomplished faith, precepts, learning, generosity, and wisdom, has abandoned killing and refrained from killing, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, false speech, and drinking alcohol. Ānanda! If someone, because of another person, takes refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, has no doubts about the Three Jewels, suffering, origination, cessation, and the path, has accomplished faith, precepts, learning, generosity, and wisdom, has abandoned killing and refrained from killing, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, false speech, and drinking alcohol, then that person should make offerings to that person for as long as they live, with food and drink, clothing and bedding, medicine and various necessities of life. They cannot repay the kindness.

Furthermore, Ānanda, there are seven groups of offerings and fourteen private offerings that bring great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards. Ānanda, what are the seven groups of offerings that bring great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards? Ānanda, when the Buddha is in the world, the Buddha is the foremost. Offering to the Buddha and the community of monks is called the first group of offerings that brings great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards. Ānanda, when the World-Honored One has passed into parinirvāṇa, offering to the two groups of monks and nuns soon after is called the second group of offerings that brings great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards. Ānanda, when the World-Honored One has passed into parinirvāṇa, offering to the two groups of monks and nuns after a long time is called the third group of offerings that brings great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards. Ānanda, when the World-Honored One has passed into parinirvāṇa, offering to the two groups of monks and nuns after a long time, entering the monastery of the monks and announcing to the assembly, 'So many monks in the assembly, please make offerings to them,' and entering the nunnery and announcing to the assembly, 'So many nuns in the assembly, please make offerings to them,' is called the fifth group of offerings that brings great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards.

Ānanda! In the future there will be monks with names, clans, and families who are not diligent. They wear the saffron robes. Because they are not diligent, their offerings depend on the assembly, are based on the assembly, are directed towards the assembly, and are caused by the assembly. I say that at that time the benefactors will attain immeasurable, incalculable, and inconceivable merit, attain goodness and happiness. How much more so for the monks who now accomplish practice, accomplish elimination, accomplish both practice and elimination, accomplish straightforwardness, accomplish gentleness, accomplish both straightforwardness and gentleness, accomplish patience, accomplish joy, accomplish both patience and joy, accomplish harmony, accomplish mediation, accomplish both harmony and mediation, accomplish dignified conduct, accomplish coming and going, accomplish both dignified conduct and coming and going, accomplish faith, accomplish precepts, accomplish learning, accomplish generosity, and accomplish wisdom, and accomplish faith, precepts, learning, generosity, and wisdom? This is called the seventh group of offerings that brings great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards. These are called the seven groups of offerings that bring great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards.

Ānanda, what are the fourteen private offerings that bring great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards? Ānanda, a faithful male or female lay follower makes offerings to the Tathāgata, to a Pratyekabuddha, to an Arhat, to one who is on the path to arahantship, to a Non-returner, to one who is on the path to Non-returning, to a Once-returner, to one who is on the path to Once-returning, to a Stream-enterer, to one who is on the path to Stream-entry, to a detached ascetic, to one who is diligent, to one who is not diligent, and to an animal. Ānanda, making offerings to an animal brings merit a hundred times, making offerings to one who is not diligent brings merit a thousand times, making offerings to one who is diligent brings merit a hundred thousand times, making offerings to a detached ascetic brings merit a hundred thousand times, making offerings to one who is on the path to Stream-entry is immeasurable, attaining Stream-entry is immeasurable, being on the path to Once-returning is immeasurable, attaining Once-returning is immeasurable, being on the path to Non-returning is immeasurable, attaining Non-returning is immeasurable, being on the path to arahantship is immeasurable, attaining arahantship is immeasurable, being a Pratyekabuddha is immeasurable, let alone the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One? These fourteen private offerings bring great merit, great fruit, great virtue, and great extensive rewards.

Furthermore, Ānanda, there are four kinds of giving, three of which are pure. What are the four? There is giving where the giver is pure, not the recipient; there is giving where the recipient is pure, not the giver; there is giving where neither the giver nor the recipient is pure; and there is giving where both the giver and the recipient are pure. Ānanda, what is giving where the giver is pure, not the recipient? The giver practices the sublime Dharma, sees the truth, and says, 'There is giving, there is the fruit of giving.' The recipient does not practice diligently, engages in evil, does not see the truth, and says, 'There is no giving, there is no fruit of giving.' This is called giving where the giver is pure, not the recipient.

Ānanda, what is giving where the recipient is pure, not the giver? The giver does not practice diligently, engages in evil, does not see the truth, and says, 'There is no giving, there is no fruit of giving.' The recipient practices the sublime Dharma, sees the truth, and says, 'There is giving, there is the fruit of giving.' This is called giving where the recipient is pure, not the giver.

Giving to
the diligent
by the
diligent, according
to the
Dharma, with
a joyful
mind, believing
in karma
and its
results, this
giving is
pure due
to the giver.

The Buddha spoke thus. Venerable Ānanda and the bhikṣus, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and received them with respect.