Loading translation...
As McCombs points out, “giving ‘respectfully,’ ‘from one’s own hand,’ and ‘at the right time’ are customs of South Asian gift etiquette” (McCombs 2014, p. 266).
In Mahāyāna literature, this quite common division is discussed, for example, in the Yogācārabhūmi—in particular, the Dānapaṭala chapter of Bodhisattvabhūmi. Cf. Wogihara, 132.19–22 [ tatra katamad bodhisattvasya satpuruṣasya satpuruṣadānaṃ / yad bodhisattvaḥ śraddhayā dānaṃ dadāti satkṛtya svahastena kālena parān anupahatya / idaṃ bodhisattvasya satpuruṣasya satpuruṣadānam ity ucyate /]. Cf. also the interpretation of that fragment in McCombs (2014), p. 265ff.
In addition to texts found in the Kangyur, Dharmākara and Zangkyong also translated two commentaries in the Tengyur (Toh 4015 and 4038).
See Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, pp. 157–58, no. 285. Note, however, as pointed out by Herrmann-Pfandt, that the length of the text as given in the Denkarma catalog (200 ślokas) does not match the length of this text. Herrmann-Pfandt suggests that this text may either be an excerpt from a longer version, or that the length given in the Denkarma is incorrect.
Cf. Sappurisadana Sutta: A Person of Integrity’s Gifts, trans. Thanissaro Bhikkhu, https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.148.than.html
For more on the term śraddhā (Tib. dad pa), translated here as “trust,” see Rotman (2009), pp. 29ff.
There are two alternative readings of this fragment, namely rngul zhing dri ma chags chags in most of the editions and rngul med zhing dri ma chags chags in the Stok Palace version. chags chags is probably a misspelling for chag chag (“to sprinkle”). Also, the negation med provides a better meaning in the context, referring to easy achievement of the results. Thus, we read this line as rngul med zhing dri ma chag chag and translate accordingly.
Paltsek (eighth to early ninth century), from the village of Kawa north of Lhasa, was one of Tibet’s preeminent translators. He was one of the first seven Tibetans to be ordained by Śāntarakṣita and is counted as one of Guru Rinpoché’s twenty-five close disciples. In a famous verse by Ngok Lotsawa Loden Sherab, Kawa Paltsek is named along with Chokro Lui Gyaltsen and Zhang (or Nanam) Yeshé Dé as part of a group of translators whose skills were surpassed only by Vairotsana.
He translated works from a wide variety of genres, including sūtra, śāstra, vinaya, and tantra, and was an author himself. Paltsek was also one of the most important editors of the early period, one of nine translators installed by Tri Songdetsen (r. 755–797/800) to supervise the translation of the Tripiṭaka and help catalog translated works for the first two of three imperial catalogs, the Denkarma (ldan kar ma) and the Samyé Chimpuma (bsam yas mchims phu ma). In the colophons of his works, he is often known as Paltsek Rakṣita (rak+Shi ta).
A Tibetan translator working with Dharmākara, mainly on Vinaya translations.
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
One of the translators of the Tibetan Vinayavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya. Butön includes the Kashmiri preceptor Dharmākara in his list of ninety-three paṇḍitas invited to Tibet to assist in the translation of the Buddhist scriptures. Tāranātha dates Dharmākara to the rule of *Vanapāla, son of Dharmapāla. With Paltsek, he translated two of Kalyāṇamitra’s works on Vinaya, the Vinayapraśnakārikā (’dul ba dri ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa, Toh 4134, Degé Tengyur, vol. SU, folios 70.b.3–74.b.5) and the Vinayapraśnaṭīkā (’dul ba dri ba rgya cher ’grel pa, Toh 4135, Degé Tengyur, vol. SU, folios 74.b.5–132.a.2).
The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns—like other ascetics of the time—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity.
In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).
One of the first Buddhist monasteries, located in a park outside Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. This park was originally owned by Prince Jeta, hence the name Jetavana, meaning Jeta’s grove. The wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, sought to buy it from him, but the prince, not wishing to sell, said he would only do so if Anāthapiṇḍada covered the entire property with gold coins. Anāthapiṇḍada agreed, and managed to cover all of the park except the entrance, hence the name Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ, meaning Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. The place is usually referred to in the sūtras as “Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park,” and according to the Saṃghabhedavastu the Buddha used Prince Jeta’s name in first place because that was Prince Jeta’s own unspoken wish while Anāthapiṇḍada was offering the park. Inspired by the occasion and the Buddha’s use of his name, Prince Jeta then offered the rest of the property and had an entrance gate built. The Buddha specifically instructed those who recite the sūtras to use Prince Jeta’s name in first place to commemorate the mutual effort of both benefactors.
Anāthapiṇḍada built residences for the monks, to house them during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It was one of the Buddha’s main residences, where he spent around nineteen rainy season retreats, and it was therefore the setting for many of the Buddha’s discourses and events. According to the travel accounts of Chinese monks, it was still in use as a Buddhist monastery in the early fifth century ᴄᴇ, but by the sixth century it had been reduced to ruins.
During the life of the Buddha, Śrāvastī was the capital city of the powerful kingdom of Kośala, ruled by King Prasenajit, who became a follower and patron of the Buddha. It was also the hometown of Anāthapiṇḍada, the wealthy patron who first invited the Buddha there, and then offered him a park known as Jetavana, Prince Jeta’s Grove, which became one of the first Buddhist monasteries. The Buddha is said to have spent about twenty-five rainy seasons with his disciples in Śrāvastī, thus it is named as the setting of numerous events and teachings. It is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh in northern India.
’phags pa skyes bu dam pa’i mdo. Toh 327, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 253.b–254.b.
’phags pa skyes bu dam pa’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma), [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 72, pp. 719–22.
’phags pa skyes bu dam pa’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (stog pho brang bris ma). Smanrtsis Shesrig Dpemzod, 1975–80, vol. 67, pp. 577–80.
pad dkar bzang po. mdo sde spyi’i rnam bzhag. Edited by Mi nyag mgon po. Par gzhi dang po, Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2006.
sgam po pa bsod nams rin chen. dam chos yid bzhin gyi nor bu thar pa rin po che’i rgyan. In bstan rim gces btus (Institute of Tibetan Classics vol. 10). Delhi: bod kyi gtsug lag zhib ’jug khang, 2009.
84000. Upholding the Roots of Virtue (Āryakuśalamūlasamparigrahanāmamahāyānasūtra, Toh 101). Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee. Online Publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.
84000. The Teaching on the Benefits of Generosity (Dānānuśaṃsā, Toh 183). Translated by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group. Online Publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
Gampopa. The Jewel Ornament of Liberation: The Wish-fulfilling Gem of the Noble Teachings. Translated by Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1998.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. Sappurisadana Sutta: A Person of Integrity’s Gifts, https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.148.than.html. Last modified 3 July 2010.
Wogihara, Unrai. Bodhisattvabhūmi: A Statement of the Whole Course of the Bodhisattva (Being the Fifteenth Section of the Yogācārabhūmi). Tokyo: Seigo Kenkyūkai, 1930–36.
bod rgya tshig mdzod chen mo. Zhang Yisun et al. Beijing: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1985.
gangs can rig brgya’i chos kyi rnam grangs mthong tshad kun las btus pa ngo mtshar ’phrul gyi lde mig chen po. Beijing: khrun go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2008.
dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo. Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House, 2002.
Ariyabuddhiphongs, V. “Buddhist Generosity: Its Conceptual Model and Empirical Tests.” Archive for the Psychology of Religion / Archiv für Religionspsychologie 38.3 (2016): 316–44.
Eck, Diana L. “The Religious Gift: Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Perspectives on Dāna.” Social Research 80.2 (2013): 359–79.
Heim Maria, Theories of the Gift in South Asia: Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Reflections on Dāna, New York: Routledge, 2004.
McCombs, Jason Matthew. “Mahāyāna and the Gift: Theories and Practices.” PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2014.
Rotman, Andy. Thus Have I Seen: Visualizing Faith in Early Indian Buddhism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Tashi Dorjey. “An Aspect of Mahāyāna Buddhist Ethics: The Culture of Generosity (dāna).” Soshum: Jurnal Sosial dan Humaniora 8.2 (2018): 176–84.
van der Kuijp, Leonard W. J. “On the Vicissitudes of Subhūticandra’s Kāmadhenu Commentary on the Amarakoṣa in Tibet.” Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies 5 (2009): 1–105.
While staying in Śrāvastī, the Buddha gives a short teaching on five ways in which gifts are given and discusses the karmic results of giving them.
This text was translated by the Kagyu Translation Project Group. Artur Przybysławski wrote the introduction.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Good Person is a concise sūtra on karma in which the Buddha explains the results of generosity. He lists five ways in which gifts are given: with trust, respectfully, with one’s own hands, at the right time, and without harming others. Since this analysis does not refer to key karmic factors such as intent, but rather to the ways in which gifts are given, the differences between the karmic results of each type of giving are relatively minor.
There are no commentaries on this sūtra, and we have not yet found discussions of it in other Buddhist texts. According to the colophon, it was translated by the Indian paṇḍita Dharmākara and the Tibetan translator Zangkyong, and was revised by Kawa Paltsek. If that attribution is correct, the translation can be dated to the late eighth or early ninth century
There is no extant Sanskrit version of this text, nor is there a Chinese translation. The text has a Pāli parallel, however, namely the Sappurisadānasutta from the Aṅguttaranikāya (5.148).
The basis for this translation was the Degé version in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the version included in the Stok Palace Kangyur.
Homage to the noble youthful Mañjuśrī.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was residing in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park at Śrāvastī. Then the Bhagavān said to the monks, “Monks, these five are the gifts of good people. What are the five? Monks, good people give gifts with trust. They give gifts respectfully, with their own hands, at the right time, and without harming others.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts with trust? By giving gifts with trust, they become rich. They have abundant riches and great wealth. They have abundant precious materials. They have many properties. They have abundant riches, grains, jewels, gold, depositories, and reserves. They have many servants, maids, workers, and casual laborers. They have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives. Monks, they should expect such karmic results from giving gifts with trust.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts respectfully? By giving gifts respectfully, they become rich. They have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before. Children, wives, servants, maids, workers, casual laborers, friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives also pay them respect. Monks, they should expect such karmic results from giving gifts respectfully.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts with their own hands? By giving gifts with their own hands, they become rich and then have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before. They also enjoy the great wealth of householders. They enjoy an enormous wealth of food, an enormous wealth of animal-drawn carts, an enormous wealth of clothes, and an enormous wealth of bedding. They enjoy forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles. Monks, they should expect such karmic results from giving gifts with their own hands.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts at the right time? By giving gifts at the right time, they become rich and then have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before. They also receive jewels accumulated in great numbers. Monks, they should expect such karmic results from giving gifts at the right time.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts without harming others? By giving gifts without harming others, they become rich and then have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before. They obtain whatever wealth they wish for through diligence. It is achieved with power; it is achieved without sweating, and while a pleasant aroma pervades. Those things obtained by Dharma practitioners through the Dharma are not obstructed by kings, thieves, fire, water, unfriendly people, the sharing of goods, or any other activity. They should expect such karmic results from giving gifts without harming others.”
Thus spoke the Bhagavān. After the Sugata had said this, the Teacher accordingly spoke again:
When the Bhagavān spoke thus, the monks rejoiced and praised what the Bhagavān had said.
The Noble Sūtra on the Good Person is complete.
Translated by the Indian preceptor Dharmākara and the translator Bandé Zangkyong, and revised by Bandé Paltsek.
While staying in Śrāvastī, the Buddha gives a short teaching on five ways in which gifts are given and discusses the karmic results of giving them.
This text was translated by the Kagyu Translation Project Group. Artur Przybysławski wrote the introduction.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Good Person is a concise sūtra on karma in which the Buddha explains the results of generosity. He lists five ways in which gifts are given: with trust, respectfully, with one’s own hands, at the right time, and without harming others. Since this analysis does not refer to key karmic factors such as intent, but rather to the ways in which gifts are given, the differences between the karmic results of each type of giving are relatively minor.
There are no commentaries on this sūtra, and we have not yet found discussions of it in other Buddhist texts. According to the colophon, it was translated by the Indian paṇḍita Dharmākara and the Tibetan translator Zangkyong, and was revised by Kawa Paltsek. If that attribution is correct, the translation can be dated to the late eighth or early ninth century
There is no extant Sanskrit version of this text, nor is there a Chinese translation. The text has a Pāli parallel, however, namely the Sappurisadānasutta from the Aṅguttaranikāya (5.148).
The basis for this translation was the Degé version in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the version included in the Stok Palace Kangyur.
Homage to the noble youthful Mañjuśrī.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was residing in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park at Śrāvastī. Then the Bhagavān said to the monks, “Monks, these five are the gifts of good people. What are the five? Monks, good people give gifts with trust. They give gifts respectfully, with their own hands, at the right time, and without harming others.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts with trust? By giving gifts with trust, they become rich. They have abundant riches and great wealth. They have abundant precious materials. They have many properties. They have abundant riches, grains, jewels, gold, depositories, and reserves. They have many servants, maids, workers, and casual laborers. They have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives. Monks, they should expect such karmic results from giving gifts with trust.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts respectfully? By giving gifts respectfully, they become rich. They have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before. Children, wives, servants, maids, workers, casual laborers, friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives also pay them respect. Monks, they should expect such karmic results from giving gifts respectfully.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts with their own hands? By giving gifts with their own hands, they become rich and then have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before. They also enjoy the great wealth of householders. They enjoy an enormous wealth of food, an enormous wealth of animal-drawn carts, an enormous wealth of clothes, and an enormous wealth of bedding. They enjoy forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles. Monks, they should expect such karmic results from giving gifts with their own hands.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts at the right time? By giving gifts at the right time, they become rich and then have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before. They also receive jewels accumulated in great numbers. Monks, they should expect such karmic results from giving gifts at the right time.
“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving gifts without harming others? By giving gifts without harming others, they become rich and then have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before. They obtain whatever wealth they wish for through diligence. It is achieved with power; it is achieved without sweating, and while a pleasant aroma pervades. Those things obtained by Dharma practitioners through the Dharma are not obstructed by kings, thieves, fire, water, unfriendly people, the sharing of goods, or any other activity. They should expect such karmic results from giving gifts without harming others.”
Thus spoke the Bhagavān. After the Sugata had said this, the Teacher accordingly spoke again:
When the Bhagavān spoke thus, the monks rejoiced and praised what the Bhagavān had said.
The Noble Sūtra on the Good Person is complete.
Translated by the Indian preceptor Dharmākara and the translator Bandé Zangkyong, and revised by Bandé Paltsek.