“A mendicant with eight qualities is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of veneration with cupped palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world. What eight?
It’s when a mendicant is ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they’ve undertaken.
They’re learned, remembering and keeping what they’ve learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that’s totally full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, reciting them, mentally scrutinizing them, and penetrating them theoretically.
They live with energy roused up. They’re strong, staunchly vigorous, not slacking off when it comes to developing skillful qualities.
They live in the wilderness, in remote lodgings.
They prevail over desire and discontent, and live having mastered desire and discontent whenever they arose.
They prevail over fear and dread, and live having mastered fear and dread whenever they arose.
They get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty.
They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.
A mendicant with these eight qualities is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of veneration with cupped palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.”