“In the city of Kusāvatī, when I was Lord of the Earth, my name was Sudassana the Great, a wheel-turning monarch of great power.
There, thrice a day, I declared in one place or another: ‘Who needs what? Who wants what? To whom ought riches be given?
Who needs an umbrella? Who is thirsty? Who a garland? Who some makeup? What person, being naked, and will put on colorful clothes?
Who will take an umbrella on a highway, who needs sandals, soft and pretty?’ Thus I had it proclaimed everywhere morning and night.
It was not just in ten places, or even a hundred, but in many hundreds of places riches were prepared for supplicants.
By day or by night if a supplicant comes, then having gotten all he wants, he leaves with full hands.
I gave great gifts like this for my whole life. I did not give because I disliked riches, or because I had a store set aside.
Suppose a person is sick. In order to be free of sickness having compensated the doctor with money, they become freed from sickness.
Thus I, knowingly, in order to fulfill without remainder, to fulfill what is lacking, gave gifts to supplicants without clinging or reward, for the attainment of awakening.”
Mahāsudassana’s Conduct
Cp 4 · Mahāsudassanacariya
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About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.
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