Persons Who Are Worthy of Gifts (Fourteenth Discourse)

So too, possessing six qualities, a Monk is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respectful salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.

What six?

Here, a Monk patiently endures forms, patiently endures sounds, patiently endures odors, patiently endures flavors, patiently endures physical objects, and patiently endures mental objects.

Possessing these six qualities, a Monk is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respectful salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.

(Reference: AN 6.7)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares six qualities a person should possess to be considered a recipient who is “worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respectful salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world”.

The Buddha explains that a Practitioner who does not have craving/desire/attachment through the sense bases of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and physical body for forms, sounds, odors, flavors, or physical objects is “worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respectful salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world”.

The Practitioner has eliminated the fetter/taint/pollution of mind described as “sensual desire”.

Detailed explanation of The Six Sense Bases is available in this same book series found in Chapter 1 of the book “The Six Sense Bases” (Volume 9).

Detailed explanation of The Ten Fetters is available in this same book series found in Chapter 3 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).