18. The Chapter about Giving (PDHP327-341)

Patna Dhammapada

18. The Chapter about Giving

The people give according to faith, according to their confidence,

herein the one who becomes depressed because of food and drink given to others,

does not, either by day or night, attain to good concentration.

For the one in whom this depression is cut off, destroyed at the root, dug up,

does, by day and night, attain to good concentration.

Like a good horse touched by the whip, living ardent and spiritually intense.

Having faith, virtue and energy, concentration and insight into the Dhamma,

well-established in patience, meekness and concentration, they have come to the essence of wisdom and learning.

He who acquires faith and wisdom unsurpassed in this very life,

has great wealth in the world, other wealth, though great, is useless.

The faithful one who is possessed of virtue, and has wealth and fame,

whatever district he resorts to, right there and then he is worshipped.

Faith is a person’s travelling companion, he would not accept travelling without faith,

from that there will be fame and renown for him, and when he abandons the body he goes to heaven.

The person who is beyond mere faith, who knows that which is unmade, who has cut off rebirth-linking,

who has destroyed the occasion, who has thrown out hope and desire, is surely the person supreme.

It is rare the arising of Buddhas, rare the teaching of the Dhamma,

it is rare to acquire faith, rare is the life of mortals.

For the one with unsettled mind, who does not know the True Dhamma,

whose confidence is wavering, wisdom is unfulfilled.

For one who has a mind lacking confidence, that is base or agitated,

and frequently impetuous, it is not possible to understand the Dhamma.

He who has removed impetuosity, displeasure from his mind,

with confident mind, happy, he can understand well-spoken words.

Acquiring birth as a human, or going to the heavens,

or having sole sovereignty over the earth—better is the fruit of stream-entry.

He whose faith in the Realised One is well-established and unmoveable,

whose virtue is beautiful, praised by the noble ones,

who has confidence in the Saṅgha, who sees uprightly,

he they say is ‘not poor’, his life is not in vain.

Therefore with faith, virtue, confidence and insight into Dhamma,

a sage should devote himself to the essence of the Buddhas’ dispensation.

The Chapter about Giving