1At Sāvatthī. Sitting to one side, King Pasenadi of Kosala said to the Blessed One:

"Venerable sir, where should a gift be given?" [n.253] Kattha nu kho bhante danaṁ databbaṁ. I have translated in accordance with the Pali idiom, though in English we would normally say, "To whom should a gift be given?" Spk relates the background story: When the Buddha began his ministry, great gains and honour accrued to him and the Bhikkhu Saṅgha, and thus the fortunes of the rival sects declined. The rival teachers, intent on besmirching his reputation, told the householders that the ascetic Gotama was proclaiming that gifts should be given only to him and his disciples, not to other teachers and their disciples. When the king heard this he realized it was a malicious falsehood, and to convince the multitude of this he assembled the entire populace on a festival day and questioned the Buddha about the matter before the whole assembly.

"Wherever one's mind has confidence, great king." [n.254] Spk paraphrases: "One should give to whichever person one's mind has confidence in." When the Buddha spoke thus, the king announced to the crowd: "With one statement the sectarian teachers have been crushed." To clear up the ambiguity he next asked: "Lord, the mind may have confidence in anyone—in the Jains, the naked ascetics, the wanderers, etc.—but where does a gift produce great fruit?" What underlies the question is a basic premise of Indian ascetic spirituality, namely, that gifts given to renunciants generate "merit" (puñña), which in turn yields fruits (phala)—mundane and spiritual benefits—in proportion to the spiritual purity of the recipients. The mechanism that governs the relationship between giving and its fruits is the law of kamma. For a full discussion on giving and its rewards, see MN142.

"But, venerable sir, where does what is given become of great fruit?"

"This is one question, great king, ‘Where should a gift be given?’ and this another, ‘Where does what is given become of great fruit?’ What is given to one who is virtuous, great king, is of great fruit, not so what is given to an immoral person. Now then, great king, I will question you about this same point. Answer as you see fit. What do you think, great king? Suppose you are at war and a battle is about to take place. Then a khattiya youth would arrive, one who is untrained, unskilful, unpractised, sn.i.99 inexperienced, timid, petrified, frightened, quick to flee. Would you employ that man, and would you have any use for such a man?"

"Surely not, venerable sir."

"Then a brahmin youth would arrive … a vessa youth … a sudda youth … who is untrained … quick to flee. Would you employ that man, and would you have any use for such a man?"

"Surely not, venerable sir."

2"What do you think, great king? Suppose you are at war and a battle is about to take place. Then a khattiya youth would arrive, one who is trained, skilful, practised, experienced, brave, courageous, bold, ready to stand his place. Would you employ that man, and would you have any use for such a man?"

"Surely I would, venerable sir."

"Then a brahmin youth would arrive … a vessa youth … a sudda youth … who is trained … ready to stand his place. Would you employ that man, and would you have any use for such a man?"

"Surely I would, venerable sir."

3"So too, great king, when a person has gone forth from the household life into homelessness, no matter from what clan, if he has abandoned five factors and possesses five factors, then what is given to him is of great fruit. What five factors have been abandoned? Sensual desire has been abandoned; ill will has been abandoned; sloth and torpor have been abandoned; restlessness and remorse have been abandoned; doubt has been abandoned. What five factors does he possess? He possesses the aggregate of virtue of one beyond training, the aggregate of concentration of one beyond training, the aggregate of wisdom of one beyond training, sn.i.100 the aggregate of liberation of one beyond training, the aggregate of the knowledge and vision of liberation of one beyond training. He possesses these five factors. Thus what is given to one who has abandoned five factors and who possesses five factors is of great fruit. [n.255] The five factors abandoned are the five hindrances (pañca nivaraṇa); the five factors possessed are the five aggregates of one beyond training (pañca asekhakkhandha), the asekha being the arahant.

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

"kattha nu kho, bhante, dānaṁ dātabban"ti?

"Yattha kho, mahārāja, cittaṁ pasīdatī"ti.

"Kattha pana, bhante, dinnaṁ mahapphalan"ti?

"Aññaṁ kho etaṁ, mahārāja, kattha dānaṁ dātabbaṁ, aññaṁ panetaṁ kattha dinnaṁ mahapphalanti? Sīlavato kho, mahārāja, dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ, no tathā dussīle. Tena hi, mahārāja, taññevettha paṭipucchissāmi. Yathā, te khameyya, tathā naṁ byākareyyāsi. Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, idha tyassa yuddhaṁ paccupaṭṭhitaṁ saṅgāmo samupabyūḷho. Atha āgaccheyya khattiyakumāro asikkhito akatahattho akatayoggo akatūpāsano bhīru chambhī utrāsī palāyī. Bhareyyāsi taṁ purisaṁ, attho ca te tādisena purisenā"ti?

"Nāhaṁ, bhante, bhareyyaṁ taṁ purisaṁ, na ca me attho tādisena purisenā"ti.

"Atha āgaccheyya brāhmaṇakumāro asikkhito … pe … atha āgaccheyya vessakumāro asikkhito … pe … atha āgaccheyya suddakumāro asikkhito … pe … na ca me attho tādisena purisenā"ti.

2"Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, mahārāja, idha tyassa yuddhaṁ paccupaṭṭhitaṁ saṅgāmo samupabyūḷho. Atha āgaccheyya khattiyakumāro susikkhito katahattho katayoggo katūpāsano abhīru acchambhī anutrāsī apalāyī. Bhareyyāsi taṁ purisaṁ, attho ca te tādisena purisenā"ti?

"Bhareyyāhaṁ, bhante, taṁ purisaṁ, attho ca me tādisena purisenā"ti.

"Atha āgaccheyya brāhmaṇakumāro … pe … atha āgaccheyya vessakumāro … pe … atha āgaccheyya suddakumāro susikkhito katahattho katayoggo katūpāsano abhīru acchambhī anutrāsī apalāyī. Bhareyyāsi taṁ purisaṁ, attho ca te tādisena purisenā"ti?

"Bhareyyāhaṁ, bhante, taṁ purisaṁ, attho ca me tādisena purisenā"ti.

3"Evameva kho, mahārāja, yasmā kasmā cepi kulā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito hoti, so ca hoti pañcaṅgavippahīno pañcaṅgasamannāgato, tasmiṁ dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ hoti. Katamāni pañcaṅgāni pahīnāni honti? Kāmacchando pahīno hoti, byāpādo pahīno hoti, thinamiddhaṁ pahīnaṁ hoti, uddhaccakukkuccaṁ pahīnaṁ hoti, vicikicchā pahīnā hoti. Imāni pañcaṅgāni pahīnāni honti. Katamehi pañcahaṅgehi samannāgato hoti? Asekkhena sīlakkhandhena samannāgato hoti, asekkhena samādhikkhandhena samannāgato hoti, asekkhena paññākkhandhena samannāgato hoti, asekkhena vimuttikkhandhena samannāgato hoti, asekkhena vimuttiñāṇadassanakkhandhena samannāgato hoti. Imehi pañcahaṅgehi samannāgato hoti. Iti pañcaṅgavippahīne pañcaṅgasamannāgate dinnaṁ mahapphalan"ti. Idamavoca bhagavā … pe … satthā: