A Donor Who Gives Food Gives Life, Beauty, Peacefulness, and Strength

Monks, when a donor gives food, he gives the recipients four things.

What four?

He gives life, beauty, peacefulness, and strength.

(1) Having given life, he takes part in life, whether heavenly or human.

(2) Having given beauty, he takes part in beauty, whether heavenly or human.

(3) Having given peacefulness, he takes part in peacefulness, whether heavenly or human.

(4) Having given strength, he takes part in strength, whether heavenly or human.

Monks, a Noble Disciple who gives food gives the recipients these four things.

One who respectfully gives timely food to those mentally disciplined ones who eat what others give, provides them with four things: life, beauty, peacefulness, and strength.

The man who gives life and beauty, who gives peacefulness and strength, will obtain long life and fame wherever he is reborn.

Monks, a donor who gives food gives the recipients five things.

What five?

One gives life, beauty, peacefulness, strength, and discernment.

(1) Having given life, one takes part in life, whether heavenly or human.

(2) Having given beauty, one takes part in beauty, whether heavenly or human.

(3) Having given peacefulness, one takes part in peacefulness, whether heavenly or human.

(4) Having given strength, one takes part in strength, whether heavenly or human.

(5) Having given discernment, one takes part in discernment, whether heavenly or human.

A donor who gives food gives the recipients these five things.

The wise one is a giver of life, strength, beauty, and discernment.

The intelligent one is a donor of peacefulness and in turn acquires peacefulness.

Having given life, strength, beauty, peacefulness, and discernment, one is long-lived and famous wherever one is reborn.

(Reference: AN 4.59)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how through giving, one acquires certain benefits.

It is important that through one’s practice of generosity, there is not an expectation of anything in return. If the mind has expectations of benefits as a result of giving, then the Practitioner is not fully practicing generosity. There is still craving/desire/attachment in the mind and it will produce unwholesome results.

When one makes decisions through The Three Unwholesome Roots of craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality), this will result in unwholesome outcomes.

When one makes decisions through The Three Wholesome Roots of generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom, this will result in wholesome outcomes.

To practice pure generosity, there cannot be any craving/desire/attachment for a certain outcome or else, this was not a decision based on pure generosity.

To be pure generosity a Practitioner would need to make the decision to give and share without any expectation of anything in return.

Detailed explanation of The Three Unwholesome Roots and The Three Wholesome Roots is available in this same book series found in Chapter 8 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).