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make sure 
that the mind is still joyous not 
regretting 
what you have given away. Some 
people 
go home and sit thinking, "Maybe 
I gave 
too much. Maybe I should ask the 
monk 
for some of it back!" 
3. Pure Recipient: The more pure 
the person receiving 
our gift, the more merit we will 
accrue. 
If the recipient is a layperson, they 
should be a layperson who keeps 
the Precepts. 
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If they are a monk, they should be 
a monk 
who keeps the Vinaya, not just 
someone who 
is masquerading as a monk. If the 
monk is an 
arahant (i.e. has no further 
defilements) then 
he will be a supreme field of merit. 
4. Pure Giver: Even you as the 
giver must be 
keeping the Precepts. If you think 
of yourself 
as a receptacle for merit in the 
same way as a 
bowl might contain water, then 
you mustn't 
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be like a leaking or dirty container 
(Precepts 
incomplete) or else your merit will 
leak away 
or be sullied. 
Nowadays, it is hard for us to earn 
enough money 
to both feed ourselves and to offer 
as donations —
therefore when we do come to 
have the opportunity 
to give donations, make sure that 
you possess 
all four of the factors mentioned 
above. 
D. WHO TO GIVE 
D.1 Giving to an individual: 
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The Buddha taught in the 
DakkhiAAvibhaIga Sutta 
(M.iii.253) that the amount of 
merit from a gift to 
an individual [ 
paEipuggalikadAna] is in 
proportion 
to the purity of the recipient. If you 
give food: 
1. to a humble animal it will give 
long-life [Ayu], 
good complexion [vaAAa], 
happiness [sukha], 
strength [bala] and intelligence 
[paEibhAAa] for 
no less than 100 lifetimes; 
2. to a person who does not keep 
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the Precepts your 
gift will give the same fruits for 
1,000 lifetimes; 
3. to a person who keeps the 
Precepts your gift 
will give the same fruits for 
100,000 lifetimes; 
4. to a hermit or ascetic outside 
the Buddhist monastic 
community who has attained some 
degree 
of mental powers your gift will 
give the 
same fruits for 1012 lifetimes; 
5. to a person who practices with 
the intention to 
train himself to become a 
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stream-enterer, the 
fruit is countless; 
6. to a person has actually 
attained sainthood at 
the level of stream-entry 
[sotApana] then the 
merit is even more; 
7. to a person who practices with 
the intention to 
train himself to become a 
once-returner 
[sakidAgAmi] then the merit is 
even more; 
8. to a person has attained 
sainthood at the level 
of once-returner [sakidAgAmi] 
then the merit is 
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even more; 
9. to a person who practices with 
the intention to 
train himself to become a 
non-returner 
[anAgami] then the merit is even 
more; 
10. to a person has attained 
sainthood at the level 
of non-returner [anAgami] then 
the merit is 
even more; 
11. to a person who practices with 
the intention to 
train himself to become an 
arahant then the 
merit is even more; 
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12. to a person has attained 
sainthood at the level 
Blessing Fifteen: Generosity 191 
of arahant then the merit is even 
more; 
13. to a paccekabuddha then the 
merit is even 
more; 
14. to a fully-enlightened Buddha 
then the merit is 
even more; 
If you favour a particular person 
when you are making 
your donation, then you the 
amount of merit 
gained as the result of the gift will 
be reduced. Some 
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people go to a particular temple 
and single out a 
particular monk for their attention. 
It is almost like 
something personal between the 
giver and the recipient. 
The giver feels that there must be 
something 
personal between themselves and a 
monk before 
they will give that monk any 
support. They 
will not help strangers. They might 
look down on 
monks of low rank. Their mind is 
rather narrow. 
Of course they still receive merit 
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from their good 
deed, but it is slightly reduced 
from what it could 
be — because the merit in all of 
these categories of 
recipient cannot beat the merit 
from offering a gift 
to the community of monks. 
D.2 Offering to the monastic 
community 
Offering to the monastic 
community [saIghadAna] 
means giving a gift which is not 
specific to any particular 
monk in a monastic community. 
Such a person 
does not mind who the monastic 
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community 
delegates to receive a particular 
gift from them.Even 
if the community sent a novice to 
receive their gift 
they wouldn't mind. Their mind 
would be filled 
with faith before, during and after 
their making of 
the gift.The Buddha taught that 
anyone who is sufficiently 
broad-minded to support the 
SaIgha in 
this way will receive countless 
merit. 
E. HOW MUCH TO GIVE 
E.1 Duty of a Buddhist to support 
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their religion 
The Buddha specified the duty of a 
Buddhist householder 
towards members of the monastic 
community 
in the sixth of the "six directions" 
of the 
SiIgalovAda Sutta, as follows: 
1. kindly acts towards the monastic 
community 
2. kindly words towards the 
monastic community 
3. kindly thoughts towards the 
monastic community 
4. by keeping an open house to the 
monastic 
community 
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5. supplying the monastic 
community with their 
material needs 
In other words it is the duty of 
every Buddhist 
householder to perform acts of 
generosity towards 
the SaIgha. The Buddha laid down 
the rule that 
monks must earn their livelihood 
by alms alone. 
Monks are not allowed to earn 
income by any other 
means. The Buddha's intention by 
this rule was that 
monks be able to devote their time 
to their real duties 
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of study and meditation in order to 
be: 
1. pure in body, speech and mind 
and to be a 
worthy field of merit for the 
householders 
2. worthy teachers to the 
householders 
Of course the government could 
organize things 
so that people could support 
Buddhism out of their 
taxes in the same way the State 
finances the Church 
in many western countries, but 
because Buddhism 
has (like the Protestant Church) 
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has always emphasized 
the importance of independence 
from 
"worldly" concerns such as 
political policy, the price 
of this freedom is that Buddhism 
must rely on the 
reciprocal relationship between 
monk and laity at 
a grassroots level which cannot be 
manipulated by 
any politician. 
By supporting the monastic 
community, the 
householders maintain the 
intactness of the Triple 
Gem for perpetuity — for the 
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peace and harmony 
of society and the world at large. 
It is not difficult for 
well-intentioned householders 
to understand the importance of 
the first four 
duties of the householder towards 
the monastic 
community — however, in the 
society of the present 
day where even the media find it 
profitable to sensationalize 
the laxity of a miniscule minority 
of 
members of the monastic 
community — the 
repurcussions are having a 
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negative effect on the 
whole monastic community 
throughout the world. 
No small number of formerly 
dutiful householders 
exposed to such sensationalism 
have discontinued 
their support for the monastic 
community out 
of uncertainty as to which monks 
are practising in 
earnest. 
192 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
Thus it falls upon earnestly 
practising monks to 
co-operate in trying to salvage the 
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tarnished image 
of the monastic community —
because if the faith 
of the Buddhist laity is allowed 
further to deteriorate, 
eventually the laity will lose their 
understanding 
of Buddhist principles —
becoming capable of 
heinous social crimes or of 
defecting to other religions. 
Such people will only add to the 
fragmentation 
and internal divisions which 
already exist in 
society. 
E.2 Managing your resources 
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When we talk of generosity [dAna] 
in this blessing 
we mean giving those things which 
are surplus to 
our needs. Some people might 
doubt as to how 
much they really need or might be 
unable to distinguish 
between `need' and `want' and 
hence the 
Buddha gave guidance about how 
householders 
should budget their earnings so 
that their generosity 
is neither reluctant nor a burden on 
the family 
expenditure. The Buddha taught 
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(/diya Sutta 
A.iii.45) that the family budget 
should be divided 
into five as follows: 
1. one part to support the 
immediate needs of 
yourself, your parents, your 
children, spouse, 
servants 
2. one part to extend generosity 
towards your 
friends 
3. one part which should be saved 
in case of 
emergency (for example fire, 
flood, excess 
taxation, theft or extortion by 
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