Chaḷaṅgadānasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena veḷukaṇḍakī nandamātā upāsikā sāriputtamoggallānappamukhe bhikkhusaṅghe chaḷaṅgasamannāgataṁ dakkhiṇaṁ patiṭṭhāpeti. Addasā kho bhagavā dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena veḷukaṇḍakiṁ nandamātaraṁ upāsikaṁ sāriputtamoggallānappamukhe bhikkhusaṅghe chaḷaṅgasamannāgataṁ dakkhiṇaṁ patiṭṭhāpentiṁ. Disvā bhikkhū āmantesi: “esā, bhikkhave, veḷukaṇḍakī nandamātā upāsikā sāriputtamoggallānappamukhe bhikkhusaṅghe chaḷaṅgasamannāgataṁ dakkhiṇaṁ patiṭṭhāpeti.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time Veḷukaṇṭakī, Nanda’s mother, was preparing a religious donation with six factors for the mendicant Saṅgha headed by Sāriputta and Moggallāna. The Buddha saw her doing this, with his clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, and he addressed the mendicants: “This Veḷukaṇṭakī, Nanda’s mother, is preparing a religious donation with six factors for the mendicant Saṅgha headed by Sāriputta and Moggallāna.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, chaḷaṅgasamannāgatā dakkhiṇā hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni honti, paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni. Katamāni dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni? Idha, bhikkhave, dāyako pubbeva dānā sumano hoti, dadaṁ cittaṁ pasādeti, datvā attamano hoti. Imāni dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni.

And how does a religious donation have six factors? Three factors apply to the donor and three to the recipients. What three factors apply to the donor? It’s when a donor is in a good mood before giving, while giving they feel confident, and after giving they’re uplifted. These three factors apply to the donor.

Katamāni paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni? Idha, bhikkhave, paṭiggāhakā vītarāgā vā honti rāgavinayāya vā paṭipannā, vītadosā vā honti dosavinayāya vā paṭipannā, vītamohā vā honti mohavinayāya vā paṭipannā. Imāni paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni. Iti dāyakassa tīṇaṅgāni, paṭiggāhakānaṁ tīṇaṅgāni. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, chaḷaṅgasamannāgatā dakkhiṇā hoti.

What three factors apply to the recipients? It’s when the recipients are free of greed, hate, and delusion, or practicing to be free of them. These three factors apply to the recipients. Thus three factors apply to the donor and three to the recipients. That’s how a religious donation has six factors.

Evaṁ chaḷaṅgasamannāgatāya, bhikkhave, dakkhiṇāya na sukaraṁ puññassa pamāṇaṁ gahetuṁ: ‘ettako puññābhisando kusalābhisando sukhassāhāro sovaggiko sukhavipāko saggasaṁvattaniko iṭṭhāya kantāya manāpāya hitāya sukhāya saṁvattatī’ti. Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāpuññakkhandhotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

It’s not easy to grasp the merit of such a six-factored donation by saying that this is the extent of their overflowing merit, overflowing goodness that nurtures happiness and is conducive to heaven, ripening in happiness and leading to heaven. And it leads to what is likable, desirable, agreeable, to welfare and happiness. It’s simply reckoned as an incalculable, immeasurable, great mass of merit.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahāsamudde na sukaraṁ udakassa pamāṇaṁ gahetuṁ: ‘ettakāni udakāḷhakānīti vā ettakāni udakāḷhakasatānīti vā ettakāni udakāḷhakasahassānīti vā ettakāni udakāḷhakasatasahassānī’ti vā. Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāudakakkhandhotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati. Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, evaṁ chaḷaṅgasamannāgatāya dakkhiṇāya na sukaraṁ puññassa pamāṇaṁ gahetuṁ: ‘ettako puññābhisando kusalābhisando sukhassāhāro sovaggiko sukhavipāko saggasaṁvattaniko iṭṭhāya kantāya manāpāya hitāya sukhāya saṁvattatī’ti. Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāpuññakkhandhotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchatī”ti.

It’s like trying to grasp how much water is in the ocean. It’s not easy to say how many gallons, how many hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands of gallons there are. It’s simply reckoned as an incalculable, immeasurable, great mass of water. In the same way, it’s not easy to grasp the merit of such a six-factored donation …

“Pubbeva dānā sumano, dadaṁ cittaṁ pasādaye; Datvā attamano hoti, esā yaññassa sampadā.

A good mood before giving, confidence while giving, feeling uplifted after giving: this is the perfect sacrifice.

Vītarāgā vītadosā, vītamohā anāsavā; Khettaṁ yaññassa sampannaṁ, saññatā brahmacārayo.

Free of greed, free of hate, free of delusion, undefiled; this is the field for the perfect sacrifice, the disciplined spiritual practitioners.

Sayaṁ ācamayitvāna, datvā sakehi pāṇibhi; Attano parato ceso, yañño hoti mahapphalo.

After rinsing, you give with your own hands. This sacrifice is very fruitful for both yourself and others.

Evaṁ yajitvā medhāvī, saddho muttena cetasā; Abyāpajjaṁ sukhaṁ lokaṁ, paṇḍito upapajjatī”ti. Sattamaṁ.

When an intelligent, faithful person, sacrifices like this, with a mind of letting go, that astute one is reborn in a happy, pleasing world.”