Velāma Sutta
Once,
The Awakened one lived in Sāvatthi, in Prince Jeta’s grove at Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
At that time, the follower Anāthapiṇḍika went to the Buddha, paid loving respects and seated himself before him.
Then the Teacher asked:
“Are alms given in your family, Anāthapiṇḍika? [i]
“My family offers alms, Bhante,
but it is made of low quality crushed rice
mixed with bran and sour gruel.” [ii]
Carelessly Offered #
Anāthapiṇḍika, whether the offering is crude or refined, [iii]
Those who offer carelessly,
without respect,
not from their own hand,
what is to be thrown away,
not realizing that
something good will come from their action; [iv]
when the result of their offering circles back to them,
when they in turn receive
the best of foods, [v]
the best of clothes,
the best of vehicles,
or the best of the five senses and their objects;
their minds do not appreciate them.
Their sons and daughters,
wives [or husbands],
helpers, attendants and workers
will not pay attention,
they will not listen to what they say,
and they will not attend with a caring mind.
Why?
Because this is the result of actions done carelessly.
Thoughtfully offered #
Whether the offering is crude or refined,
those who offer thoughtfully,
respectfully,
from their own hand,
what is not to be thrown away,
realizing that something good
will come out of their action;
when the result of their offering circles back to them,
when they in turn receive
the best of food,
the best of clothes,
the best of transports,
the best of the five senses and their objects,
their minds appreciate them.
Their sons and daughters,
wives [or husbands],
helpers, attendants and workers
will pay proper attention,
they will listen to what they say,
and they will attend with a caring mind.
Why?
Because this is the result of actions done thoughtfully.
Velāma’s Story #
In the past, lived a Brahmin named Velāma.
And on one occasion, he carried out an offering,
an extraordinary act of generosity.
1. He offered eighty-four [vi] thousand golden bowls
filled with silver coins;
2. eighty-four thousand silver bowls,
filled with golden coins;
3. eighty-four thousand bronze bowls
filled with gold nuggets;
4. eighty-four thousand elephants
with golden adornments,
golden flags,
covered over with golden nettings;
5. eighty-four thousand carriages
covered in lion’s skin,
tiger’s skin,
leopard’s skin,
delicate saffron fabrics,
with golden trinkets,
golden flags,
covered over with golden mesh;
6. eighty-four thousand cows
dressed in silk outfit
and bronze milking pails;
7. eighty-four thousand maidens
adorned with jeweled earrings; [vii]
8. eighty-four thousand couches
covered with deep-hair fur carpets,
white wool coverings,
woven coverlets,
Kadali deer spreads,
with sunshade canopies
and crimson cushions on either sides;
9. eighty-four thousand measures of
the finest fabrics,
the finest linen,
the finest silk,
the finest wool
and the finest cotton;
And what to mention of food and drinks,
chewables,
eatables,
lickables
and drinkables,
they seemed to flow like rivers.
One might think that Velāma was a myth,
or someone unrelated.
But this is not how it should be understood.
At that time, I was the brahmin Velāma and it was me who made this extraordinary offering.
But there was nobody developed in mind and in virtue to receive the offering,
nobody to elevate the gift spiritually. [i]
(1) Even if the Brahmin Velāma had only fed
a single person graced with wise perspective,
it would have been much more beneficial. [ix]
(2) Much more beneficial than feeding
a hundred people attained to the vision of Dhamma
it would be to feed a single once-returner. [x]
(3) Much more beneficial than feeding
a hundred once-returner
it would it be to feed a single non-returner. [xi]
(4) Much more beneficial than feeding
a hundred non-returner
it would be to feed a single arahant. [xii]
(5) Much more beneficial than feeding
a hundred arahants
it would be to feed a single solitary Buddha. [xiii]
(6) Much more beneficial than feeding
a hundred solitary Buddhas
it would be to feed the Truth-Finder,
the Arahant,
Perfectly All awakened Buddha. [xiv]
(7) Much more beneficial than feeding
A Perfectly All-Awakened Buddha
it would be to feed the saṅgha of monks
headed by the Buddha. [xv]
(8) Much more beneficial than feeding
the saṅgha of monks headed by the Buddha
it would be to build a monastery
dedicated to the saṅgha of the four directions. [xvi]
(9) Much more beneficial than
to build a vihāra dedicated to the saṅgha
it would be to go for refuge
to the Buddha
the Dhamma
and the saṅgha
with a confident mind. [xvii]
(10) Much more beneficial than
to go for refuge to the Buddha
the Dhamma and the saṅgha
with a confident mind
it would be to undertake the training in virtue
with a confident mind, that is: [xviii]
- Refraining from hurting living beings,
- Refraining from taking what is not given,
- Refraining from sexual misbehavior,
- Refraining from speaking lies,
- Refraining from mind-altering substances.
(11) Much more beneficial than
to undertake the virtues with a confident mind
it would be to develop
a heart and mind of Love,
even just for the time it takes
to milk a cow. [xix]
(12) And thus Anāthapiṇḍika,
much more valuable than… [all of this]
it would be to cultivate
an unabiding mind
even just for the time of a finger snap. [xx]
[i] “Api nu te, gahapati, kule dānaṃ dīyatī”ti?
[ii] “Dīyati me kule dānaṃ; tañca kho lūkhaṃ kaṇājakaṃ biḷaṅgadutiyan”ti
[iii] “Lūkhañcepi, gahapati, dānaṃ deti paṇītaṃ vā;
[iv] tañca asakkaccaṃ deti, acittīkatvā deti, asahatthā deti, apaviddhaṃ deti, anāgamanadiṭṭhiko deti.
[v] na uḷārāya bhattabhogāya cittaṃ namati, … vatthabhogāya… yānabhogāya, pañcasu kāmaguṇesu bhogāya. Interesting that the word namati is here used in this context. Namati can mean to bend, to incline or to respect, to bow down. The second meaning strikes me as more accurate, in accordance with the earlier use of asakkaccaṃ, which means “without respect.” Following in this line of reasoning, I feel like the essence here is that someone who’s mind is careless when giving is not likely to be grateful when receiving. This kind of mind does not appreciate the value of what is offered. That is why I choose to translate “na … cittaṃ namati” as their minds do not appreciate.
[vi] caturāsīti
[vii] kaññāsahassāni adāsi āmuttamaṇikuṇḍalāyo. A provocative and distasteful idea to most educated mind of the modern era.
[viii] [i] Tasmiṃ kho pana, gahapati, dāne na koci dakkhiṇeyyo ahosi, na taṃ koci dakkhiṇaṃ visodheti. This can be a delicate topic which requires some background in basic Buddhist philosophy to understand. The classical and literal rendering of this sentence would be more like: “But there was nobody worthy of offering, nobody to purify the gift.” I choose to elaborate a little further that the literal meaning here by saying that “there was nobody developed in mind and in virtue to receive the offering” which sound less devaluing and deprecating to a general audience, as someone could easily feel “unworthy” by this explanation. But the worthiness of offering (dakkhiṇeyyo) here alludes to the fact that there was no saṅgha at that time. So there was no one to elevate the gift, or purify it by way of their virtue and mental development.
[ix] yo cekaṃ diṭṭhisampannaṃ bhojeyya, idaṃ tato mahapphalataraṃ.
[x] sakadāgāmiṃ
[xi] anāgāmiṃ
[xii] arahantaṃ
[xiii] paccekabuddhaṃ
[xiv] tathāgataṃ arahantaṃ sammāsambuddhaṃ
[xv] buddhappamukhaṃ bhikkhusaṃghaṃ
[xvi] cātuddisaṃ saṃghaṃ uddissa vihāraṃ kārāpeyya
[xvii] pasannacitto buddhañca dhammañca saṃghañca saraṇaṃ gaccheyya
[xviii] yo ca pasannacitto sikkhāpadāni samādiyeyya—
[xix] yo ca antamaso gandhohanamattampi mettacittaṃ bhāveyya,
[xx] Aniccasaññaṃ: I take my translation from a-nitya: non-abiding. Traditionally translated as the ‘perception of impermanence,’ other variations are also interesting since this is a fairly broad term, this refers mostly to the four satipaṭṭhānas, free from expectations or association, not-grasping, nor clinging not abiding, therefore, seeing that all is continually changing, passing. AN 7.16 Aniccānupassī Sutta, AN 6.102 Anavatthita Sutta, SN 22.102 Aniccasaññā Sutta (yo ca accharāsaṅghātamattampi aniccasaññaṃ bhāveyya)
