Siha Sutta: To General Siha (On Generosity)

An Eternal Now SG

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Vesali, in the Great Forest, at the Gabled Pavilion. Then General Siha went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "Is it possible, lord, to point out a fruit of generosity visible in the here & now?"

"It is possible, Siha. One who gives, who is a master of giving, is dear & charming to people at large. And the fact that who is generous, a master of giving, is dear & charming to people at large: this is a fruit of generosity visible in the here & now.

"Furthermore, good people, people of integrity, admire one who gives, who is a master of giving. And the fact that good people, people of integrity, admire one who gives, who is a master of giving: this, too, is a fruit of generosity visible in the here & now.

"Furthermore, the fine reputation of one who gives, who is a master of giving, is spread far & wide. And the fact that the fine reputation of one who gives, who is a master of giving, is spread far & wide: this, too, is a fruit of generosity visible in the here & now.

"Furthermore, when one who gives, who is a master of giving, approaches any assembly of people — noble warriors, brahmans, householders, or contemplatives — he/she does so confidently & without embarrassment. And the fact that when one who gives, who is a master of giving, approaches any assembly of people — noble warriors, brahmans, householders, or contemplatives — he/she does so confidently & without embarrassment: this, too, is a fruit of generosity visible in the here & now.

"Furthermore, at the break-up of the body, after death, one who gives, who is a master of giving, reappears in a good destination, the heavenly world. And the fact that at the break-up of the body, after death, one who gives, who is a master of giving, reappears in a good destination, the heavenly world: this is a fruit of generosity in the next life."

When this was said, General Siha said to the Blessed One: "As for the four fruits of generosity visible in the here & now that have been pointed out by the Blessed One, it's not the case that I go by conviction in the Blessed One with regard to them. I know them, too. I am one who gives, a master of giving, dear & charming to people at large. I am one who gives, a master of giving; good people, people of integrity, admire me. I am one who gives, a master of giving, and my fine reputation is spread far & wide: 'Siha is generous, a doer, a supporter of the Sangha.' I am one who gives, a master of giving, and when I approach any assembly of people — noble warriors, brahmans, householders, or contemplatives — I do so confidently & without embarrassment.

"But when the Blessed One says to me, 'At the break-up of the body, after death, one who gives, who is a master of giving, reappears in a good destination, the heavenly world,' that I do not know. That is where I go by conviction in the Blessed One."

"So it is, Siha. So it is. At the break-up of the body, after death, one who gives, who is a master of giving, reappears in a good destination, the heavenly world."

Jacky Woo SG

when you donate money, do you hesitate to give how much, like $5 or $10 or even $50? I do, depending on how much money in the wallet and how much I want to give.

Aik TC SG

when you donate money, do you hesitate to give how much, like $5 or $10 or even $50? I do, depending on how much money in the wallet and how much I want to give.

That is an act of giving within one’s means. How much to give? I believe that when one can gives regardless of the amount tills it ‘hurts’, and still feel good about it after that, than I think it is a good measure of what charity is about as one have gone beyond oneself in the act.

Of course there are other forms of giving.

An Eternal Now SG

http://www.beyondthenet.net/misc/society.htm

The Buddha especially praises, the giving of food. He says that if people knew the benefits of giving food, they would not sit down to a single meal without sharing it with someone if there is an opportunity for them to do so. He says one who gives food gives the following five things and in return receives these five as its karmic result.

He gives :

who gives food gives the following five things and in return receives these five as its karmic result.

An Eternal Now SG

Pa Auk Sayadaw:

In the Dakkhiõàvibhaïga Sutta, mentioned in the beginning of this talk, the Buddha explains the fourteen types of personal offerings (pàñipuggalika-dakkhiõa). ‘ânanda, there are fourteen types of personal offerings:
– One makes an offering to a Buddha; this is the first type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to a Paccekabuddha; this is the second type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to an arahant, a disciple of the Buddha; this is the third type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to one who has entered upon the way to the realisation of the fruit of a arahantship; this is the fourth type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to a non-returner (anàgàmi); this is the fifth type of personal offering.

– One makes an offering to one who has entered upon the way to the realisation of the fruit of non-return; this is the sixth type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to a once-returner (sakadà-gàmi); this is the seventh type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to one who has entered upon the way to the realisation of the fruit of once-return; this is the eighth type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to a stream-enterer (sotàpanna); this is the ninth type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to one who has entered upon the way to the realisation of the fruit of stream-entry; this is the tenth type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to one outside the dispensation who is free from lust for sensual pleasures due to attainment of jhàna; this is the eleventh type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to a virtuous ordinary person (puthujjana); this is the twelfth type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to an immoral ordinary person; this is the thirteenth type of personal offering.
– One makes an offering to an animal; this is the fourteenth type of personal offering.’

The Buddha then explained the benefits of these fourteen types of offerings: ‘By making an offering to an animal, with a pure mind, the offering may be expected to repay a hundredfold.’ That means it can produce its result in a hundred lives. Here ‘pure mind’ means offering without expecting anything in return, or help from the receiver. One makes the merit to accumulate whole-some kamma only, with strong enough faith in the Law of Kamma. Suppose someone feeds a dog with the thought: ‘This is my dog’; that is not a pure mind state. But if someone gives food to the birds, such as pigeons, then the offering is pure, because he does not expect anything from the birds. This applies also to the instances mentioned later. For example, if a person offers requisites to a bhikkhu, with the thought that it will bring about success in his business, or other commercial activities, this is not offering with a pure mind. This type of offering does not produce superior benefits.
The Buddha explained further: ‘By making an offering with a pure mind to an immoral ordinary person, the offering may be expected to repay a thoufold. By making an offering to a virtuous ordinaryperson, the offering may be expected to repay a hundred-thousandfold. By making an offering to one outside the dispensation who is free from lust for sensual pleasures due to attainment of jhàna, the offering may be expected to repay a hundred-thousand times a hundred-thousandfold. By making an offering to one who has entered upon the way to the realisation of the fruit of stream-entry, the offering may be expected to repay incalculably, immeasurably. What then should be

said about making an offering to a stream-enterer, or to one who has entered upon the way to the realisation of the fruit of once-return, or to a once-returner, or to one who has entered upon the way to the realisation of the fruit of non-return, or to a non-returner, or to one who has entered upon the way to the realisation of the fruit of arahantship, or to an arahant, or to a Paccekabuddha, or to a Buddha, Fully Enlightened One?’
Here, an offering means one offers food enough for once only. If a giver offers many times, such as, over many days or many months, there are no words to describe the benefits of those offerings. These are the different types of personal offerings (pàñipuggalika-dakkhiõa).

An Eternal Now SG

Offerings to the Sangha (Saïghika-Dàna)
The Buddha then explained to the Venerable ânanda: ‘There are seven kinds of offerings made to the Sangha, ânanda.
– One makes an offering to a Saïgha of both bhikkhus and bhikkhunãs headed by the Buddha; this is the first kind of offering made to the Saïgha.
– One makes an offering to a Sangha of both bhikkhus and bhikkhunãs after the Buddha has attained Parinib-bàna; this is the second kind of offering made to the Saïgha.
– One makes an offering to a Sangha of bhikkhus; this is the third kind of offering made to the Saïgha.
– One makes an offering to a Sangha of bhikkhunãs; this is the fourth kind of offering made to the Saïgha.
– One makes an offering, saying: “Appoint so many bhikkhus and bhikkhunãs to me from the Sangha”; this is the fifth kind of offering made to the Saïgha.
– One makes an offering, saying: “Appoint so many bhikkhus to me from the Saïgha”; this is the sixth kind of offering made to the Saïgha.
– One makes an offering, saying: “Appoint so many bhikkhunãs to me from the Sangha”; this is the seventh kind of offering made to the Sangha.’

These are the seven types of offering to the Sangha. The Buddha then compared personal offerings to offerings to the Sangha:
‘In future times, ânanda, there will be members of the clan who are “yellow-necks”, immoral, of evil character. People will make offerings to those immoral persons on behalf of the Saïgha. Even then, I say, an offering made to the Saïgha is incalculable, immeasurable. And I say that in no way does an offering to a person individually, ever have greater fruit than an offering made to the Sangha.’ This means that offerings made to the Sangha (sanghika-dàna) are more beneficial than personal offerings (pàñipuggalika-dakkhiõa). If Mahàpajàpatigotamã offered the robes to the Sangha headed by the Buddha it would be far more beneficial. The result would be incalculable and immeasurable. So the Buddha urged her to offer them to the Saïgha too.

An Eternal Now SG

THE MOST SUPERIOR WORLDLY OFFERINGS OF ALL
That was the first kind of offering mentioned in the beginning of thistalk, namely, the offering with full fruition. Do you prefer this kind of offering? If you do, then please listen to the following stanza from the
‘Dakkhiā·Vibhaga’
sutta:

Yo vītarāgo vītarāgesu dadāti dāna

Ta ve dāna āmisadānānamagganti.

Bhikkhus, I say that when an Arahant, with clear and taintless mind, placing faithin that the fruit of kamma is great, offers to an Arahant what is righteously obtained,then that offering indeed is the most superior of all worldly offerings.
In this case, the four qualities present in the giver are:

1)
The giver is an Arahant,

2)
The giver’s offering has been righteously obtained,

3)
The giver’s mind is clear and taintless,

4)
The giver has strong enough faith in the Law of Kamma and its results.

But a fifth quality is necessary, namely:

5)
The receiver too must be an Arahant.

The Buddha taught that this kind of offering, one Arahant giving to an-other Arahant, is the most superior kind of worldly offering. He praised
this kind of offering as the most superior. Why? This offering has no re-sult. Why? The giver has destroyed delusion and all attachment to life.Ignorance
(avijjā)
and craving
(tahā)
are the main causes for kamma, that isvolitional-formations
(sakhāra)
. In this case, volitional-formations meansgood actions like making an offering to the receiver. But this kamma doesnot produce any result, because there are no supporting causes: there is noignorance
(avijjā)
, and no craving
(tahā)
.

If the root of a tree is totally de-stroyed, the tree cannot produce any fruit. In the same way, an Arahant’soffering cannot produce any result, because he has totally destroyed thoseroots; ignorance and craving. He has no expectation of a future life. In the
‘Ratana’
sutta, The Buddha taught the following stanza:
490

Khīna purāa nava natthi sambhava

Virattacittā’yatike bhavasmi

Te khīabījā avirūhichandā

Etena saccena suvatthi hotu.

Arahants have exhausted all old wholesome and unwholesome kamma.

New wholesome and unwholesome kamma do not occur in them.They have exhausted the seeds of rebirth.
491
They have no expectation of a futurelife.All their mentality-materiality will cease like an oil lamp, when the oil and wickare exhausted.By this truth may all beings be happy and free from all dangers.
This is an assertion of truth. By the assertion of this truth all the peoplein Vesālī became free from dangers.
492

An Arahant’s offering is the most superior because it has no result inthe future. If there is no future life, there will be no rebirth, decay, diseaseand death. This is the most superior. This is the second kind of offeringmentioned at the beginning of this Dhamma talk: an offering with no frui-tion, no result.

But in the case of the first kind of offering mentioned, the offering withresult, such as happiness in the human realm, happiness in the devarealm, or happiness in the brahma realm, there is still suffering. The veryleast is that the giver is still subject to rebirth, subject to disease, subject
to decay, and subject to death. If the giver is still attached to sensual ob- jects, animate and inanimate, then when those objects are destroyed orhave died, he will experience sorrow, lamentation, physical suffering,mental suffering, and despair.

Please consider this question: Can we say that an offering is superiorwhen it produces rebirth, decay, disease, death, sorrow, lamentation,physical suffering, mental suffering, and despair? Please consider alsothis question: Can we say that an offering is superior when it produces noresult: no rebirth, no decay, no disease, no death, no sorrow, no lamenta-tion, no physical suffering, no mental suffering, and no despair? This iswhy The Buddha praised the second kind of offering as the most superior.Now you may understand the meaning of this Dhamma talk. At the be-ginning of this Dhamma talk were mentioned the two kinds of offering:

1)
The offering with full fruition, 2)
The offering with no fruition.

Which kind of offering do you prefer? Now you know the answer.

An Eternal Now SG

But if the giver is not an arahant, how can he then make the second type of offering? In the Nandamàtà Sutta mentioned before, the Buddha taught that there are two ways he can do this: when the receiver is free from attachment, anger, and delusion, or when he is trying to destroy attachment, anger, and delusion. You can say that the offering is also most superior, if the giver too is trying to destroy attachment, anger, and delusion; if he at the time of offering practises Vipassanà, that is, if:
– He discerns his own mentality-materiality, and discerns their impermanent (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatta) nature;
– He discerns the impermanent, suffering, and non-self nature of external mentality-materiality, especially the receiver’s mentality-materiality.

– He discerns the ultimate materiality (paramattha-råpa) of the offerings.
When he looks at the four elements in the offerings, he sees the kalàpas easily. Then when he analyses the kalàpas, he discerns eight types of materiality: earth-element, water-element, fire-element, air-element, colour, smell, taste and nutritive-essence. They are materiality produced by temperature (utuja-råpa). They are produced by the fire-element in each kalàpa. They are the generations of the fire-element. Furthermore, he discerns the impermanent, suffering, and non-self nature of the materiality produced by temperature (utuja-råpa). If he is able to do this type of Vipassanà, his attachment, anger and delusion are suppressed at the time of offering, and also, his offering will usually produce any result, and so we can say that this type of offering also is the most superior.
He can do this type of Vipassanà before, after, or while offering. But his Vipassanà must be strong and powerful. He must have practised up to the stage of at least Knowledge of Dissolution (bhaïga-¤àõa). Only then can he practise this type of Vipassanà. We should not miss this opportunity either. This opportunity exists only in this dispensation. But you may ask, how can we make this type of offering if we have no insight-knowledge? I would like to suggest that you then make your offering with the following thought: ‘May this offering be the supporting cause to reach Nibbàna.’ This is because the Buddha many times taught to make offerings with the wish for Nibbàna.

I would like to conclude my Dhamma talk by repeating the stanza from the Ratana Sutta:
‘Khãnaÿ puràõaÿ nava natthi sambhavaÿ
virattacittà’yatike bhavasmiÿ
te khãõabãjà aviråëhichandà
nibbanti dhãrà yathàyaÿ padãpo
idampi sanghe ratanaÿ paõãtaÿ
etena saccena suvatthi hotu.’
‘Arahants have exhausted all old wholesome and un-wholesome kamma. New wholesome and unwholesome kamma do not occur in them. They have exhausted the seeds of rebirth, that is, ignorance, craving, and force of kamma. They have no expectation of a future life. All their mentality-materiality will cease like a lighted oil lamp, when the oil and wick are exhausted. By this truth may all beings be happy and free from all dangers.’
May all beings be well and happy.

An Eternal Now SG

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Then a certain devata, in the far extreme of the night, her extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Jeta's Grove, went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, stood to one side. As she was standing there, she recited these verses in the Blessed One's presence: