The Buddha's teachings in MN 142 discusses the tremendous,
incalculable merits of offering to the Sangha, everyone should take
some time to read this:
1. Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living
in the Sakyan country at Kapilavatthu in Nigrodha’s Park.
2. Then Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī took a new pair of cloths and went
to the Blessed One. After paying homage to him, she sat down at one
side and said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, this new pair of
cloths has been spun by me, woven by my, especially for the Blessed
One. Venerable sir, let the Blessed One accept it from me out of
compassion.”
When this was said, the Blessed One told her: “Give it to the
Sangha, Gotamī. When you give it to the Sangha, both I and the
Sangha will be honored.”
A second time and a third time she said to the Blessed One:
“Venerable sir,…accept it from me out of compassion.”
A second time and a third time the Blessed One told her: “Give
it to the Sangha, Gotamī. When you give it to the Sangha, both I
and the Sangha will be honored.”
3. Then the venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: “Venerable
sir, let the Blessed One accept the new pair of cloths from
Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī. Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī has been very helpful to
the Blessed One, venerable sir. As his mother’s sister, she was his
nurse, his foster mother, the one who gave him milk. She suckled
the Blessed One when his own mother died. The Blessed One too has
been very helpful to Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, venerable sir. It is
owing to the Blessed One that Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī abstains from
killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from
misconduct in sensual pleasures, from false speech, and from wine,
liquor, and intoxicants, which are the basis of negligence. It is
owing to the Blessed One that Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī possesses perfect
confidence in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, and that she
possesses the virtues loved by noble ones. It is owing to the
Blessed One that Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī is free from doubt about
suffering, about the origin of suffering, about the cessation of
suffering, and about the way leading to the cessation of suffering.
The Blessed One has been very helpful to Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī.
4. “That is so, Ānanda, that is so! When one person, owing to
another, has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the
Sangha, I say that it is not easy for the former to repay the
latter by paying homage to him, rising up for him, according him
reverential salutation and polite services, and by providing robes,
almsfood, resting places, and medicinal requisites.
“When one person, owing to another, has come to abstain from
killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from
misconduct in sensual pleasures, from false speech, and from wine,
liquor, and intoxicants, which are the basis of negligence, I say
that it is not easy for the former to repay the latter by paying
homage to him…and medicinal requisites.
“When one person, owing to another, has come to possess perfect
confidence in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, and possesses
the virtues loved by noble ones, I say that it is not easy for the
former to repay the latter by paying homage to him…and medicinal
requisites.
“When one person, owing to another, has become free from doubt
about suffering, about the origin of suffering, about the cessation
of suffering, and about the way leading to the cessation of
suffering, I say that it is not easy for the former to repay the
latter by paying homage to him…and medicinal requisites.
5. “There are fourteen kinds of personal offerings, Ānanda. One
gives a gift to the Tathāgata, accomplished and fully enlightened;
this is the first kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to a
paccekabuddha; this is the second kind of personal offering. One
gives a gift to an arahant disciple of the Tathāgata; this is the
third kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to one who has
entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of
arahantship; this is the fourth kind of personal offering. One
gives a gift to a non-returner; this is the fifth kind of personal
offering. One gives a gift to one who has entered upon the way to
the realization of the fruit of non-return; this is the sixth kind
of personal offering. One gives a gift to a once-returner; this is
the seventh kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to one who
has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of
once-return; this is the eighth kind of personal offering. One
gives a gift to a stream-enterer; this is the ninth kind of
personal offering. One gives a gift to one who has entered upon the
way to the realization of the fruit of stream-entry; this is the
tenth kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to one outside
[the Dispensation] who is free from lust for sensual pleasures;
this is the eleventh kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to
a virtuous ordinary person; this is the twelfth kind of personal
offering. One gives a gift to an immoral ordinary person; this is
the thirteenth kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to an
animal; this is the fourteenth kind of personal offering.
6. “Herein, Ānanda, by giving a gift to an animal, the offering
may be expected to repay a hundredfold. By giving a gift to an
immoral ordinary person, the offering may be expected to repay a
thousandfold. By giving a gift to a virtuous ordinary person, the
offering may be expected to repay a hundred-thousandfold. By giving
a gift to one outside [the Dispensation] who is free from lust for
sensual pleasures, the offering may be expected to repay a
hundred-thousand times a hundred-thousandfold.
“By giving a gift to one who has entered upon the way to the
realization of the fruit of stream-entry, the offering may be
expected to repay incalculably, immeasurably. What, then, should be
said about giving a gift to a stream-enterer? What should be said
about giving a gift to one who has entered upon the way to the
realization of the fruit of once-return…to a once-returner…to one
who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of
non-return…to a non-returner… to one who has entered upon the way
to the realization of the fruit of arahantship…to an arahant…to a
paccekabuddha? What should be said about giving a gift to a
Tathāgata, accomplished and fully enlightened?
7. “There are seven kinds of offerings made to the Sangha,
Ānanda. One gives a gift to a Sangha of both [bhikkhus and
bhikkhunīs] headed by the Buddha; this is the first kind of
offering made to the Sangha. One gives a gift to a Sangha of both
[bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs] after the Tathāgata has attained final
Nibbāna; this is the second kind of offering made to the Sangha.
One gives a gift to a Sangha of bhikkhus; this is the third kind of
offering made to the Sangha. One gives a gift to a Sangha of
bhikkhunīs; this is the fourth kind of offering made to the Sangha.
One gives a gift, saying: ‘Appoint so many bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs
for me from the Sangha’; this is the fifth kind of offering made to
the Sangha. One gives a gift, saying: ‘Appoint so many bhikkhus for
me from the Sangha’; this is the sixth kind of offering made to the
Sangha. One gives a gift, saying: ‘Appoint so many bhikkhunīs for
me from the Sangha’; this is the seventh kind of offering made to
the Sangha.
8. “In future times, Ānanda, there will be members of the clan
who are ‘yellow-necks,’ immoral, of evil character. People will
give gifts to those immoral persons for the sake of the Sangha.
Even then, I say, an offering made to the Sangha is incalculable,
immeasurable. And I say that in no way is a gift to a person
individually ever more fruitful than an offering made to the
Sangha.
9. “There are, Ānanda, four kinds of purification of offering.
What four? There is the offering that is purified by the giver, not
by the receiver. There is the offering that is purified by the
receiver, not by the giver. There is the offering that is purified
neither by the giver nor by the receiver. There is the offering
that is purified both by the giver and the receiver.
10. “And how is the offering purified by the giver, not by the
receiver? Here the giver is virtuous, of good character, and the
receiver is immoral, of evil character. Thus the offering is
purified by the giver, not by the receiver.
11. “And how is the offering purified by the receiver, not by
the giver? Here the giver is immoral, of evil character, and the
receiver is virtuous, of good character. Thus the offering is
purified by the receiver, not by the giver.
12. “And how is the offering purified neither by the giver nor
by the receiver? Here the giver is immoral, of evil character, and
the receiver is immoral, of evil character. Thus the offering is
purified neither by the giver nor by the receiver.
13. “And how is the offering purified both by the giver and by
the receiver? Here the giver is virtuous, of good character, and
the receiver is virtuous, of good character. Thus the offering is
purified both by the giver and by the receiver. These are the four
kinds of purification of offering.”
14. That is what the Blessed One said. When the Sublime One had
said that, the Teacher said further:
“When a virtuous person to an immoral person gives
With trusting heart a gift righteously obtained,
Placing faith that the fruit of action is great,
The giver’s virtue purifies the offering.
When an immoral person to a virtuous person gives
With untrusting heart a gift unrighteously obtained,
Nor places faith that the fruit of action is great,
The receiver’s virtue purifies the offering.
When an immoral person to an immoral person gives
With untrusting heart a gift unrighteously obtained,
Nor places faith that the fruit of action is great,
Neither’s virtue purifies the offering.
When a virtuous person to a virtuous person gives
With trusting heart a gift righteously obtained,
Placing faith that the fruit of action is great,
That gift, I say, will come to full fruition.
When a passionless person to a passionless person gives
With trusting heart a gift righteously obtained,
Placing faith that the fruit of action is great,
That gift, I say, is the best of worldly gifts.”
Majjhima Nikāya 142
Part Three– The Final Fifty Discourses
(Uparipaṇṇāsapāḷi)
The Division of Expositions (Vibhangavagga)
Translated by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi
Contributed by Chris Burke