The Five Timely Gifts

Monks, there are these five timely gifts.

What five?

(1) One gives a gift to a visitor.

(2) One gives a gift to one setting out on a journey.

(3) One gives a gift to a patient.

(4) One gives a gift during a famine.

(5) One first presents the newly harvested crops and fruits to the virtuous ones.

These are the five timely gifts.

At the proper time, those wise, charitable, and generous people give a timely

gift to The Noble Ones, who are stable and upright; given with a clear mind,

one’s offering is vast.

Those who rejoice in such deeds or who provide [other] service do not miss

out on the offering; they too take part in the merit.

Therefore, with a non-regressing mind, one should give a gift where it yields

great fruit.

Merits are the support of living beings [when they arise] in the other world.

(Reference: AN 5.36)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares times when a gift is often given.

1.) A Practitioner might choose to give a gift to a person they are visiting or when a person is visiting you.

2.) A Practitioner might choose to give a gift to a person who is leaving on a journey or departing. An individual whom you are not going to see for an extended period of time.

3.) A Practitioner might choose to give a gift to a person who is sick and receiving medical care.

4.) A Practitioner might choose to give a gift to a person who is struggling through hard times such as a famine, loss of employment, low income, or other challenging times.

5.) A Practitioner might choose to give a gift to a person who is a member of The Noble Community.

At the proper time, those wise, charitable, and generous people give a timely gift to The Noble Ones, who are stable and upright; given with a clear mind, one’s offering is vast: The Buddha is encouraging Students to provide gifts to The Noble Community.

Merit is an important Teaching to understand as it relates to The Path to Enlightenment. Merit is thought of as a unique type of Kamma. Merit is wholesome Kamma generated through generous offerings and gifts to The Community of virtuous Ordained Practitioners and anyone who has attained one of The Four Stages of Enlightenment. This community of people is referred to as the “Ariyan Sangha”. Sangha is the Pāli word for “community”. The “Ariyan Sangha” is translated as “The Noble Community”.

Merit is generated by making offerings of food, water, clothing, shelter, medical care, time, effort, energy, financial support, and resources, to support the sharing of Gotama Buddha’s Teachings. It is The Noble Community who are responsible for guiding others to attain Enlightenment. Ordained Practitioners and anyone who has attained one of The Four Stages of Enlightenment are considered deep Students and Practitioners of these Teachings who support all others in guidance towards attaining Enlightenment.

If you make offerings to these people, you are supporting the continuation of The Teachings that will help end discontentedness and the suffering it causes to all of humanity. To make offerings to The Noble Community, virtuous Ordained Practitioners and any person who has attained one of The Four Stages of Enlightenment, you are recognizing the importance of The Teachings and supporting their continued growth. This is considered a unique type of wholesome Kamma called “Merit”.

Those who rejoice in such deeds or who provide [other] service do not miss out on the offering; they too take part in the merit: If there are individuals who participate in helping to make the offering, they too benefit in the wholesome Kamma created through the offering to create merit.

Therefore, with a non-regressing mind, one should give a gift where it yields great fruit: The Buddha is explaining that when a gift is given, one should not regret that they gave too little or too much, instead, be content and joyful with the offering made “with a non-regressing mind”.

Giving “a gift where it yields great fruit” is to provide a gift to The Noble Community as sharing offerings and gifts with this Community ensure these Teachings continue forward in the world helping massive numbers of people to experience Enlightenment.

Merits are the support of living beings [when they arise] in the other world: The Buddha explains that if one is reborn into a new existence, providing gifts through practicing generosity will help you experience an improved rebirth in the next life.