Giving

Iti 98 · Dānasutta

Green, bronze and dry oak leaves beside an acorn on moss.

This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.

“There are, mendicants, these two gifts. A gift of things of the flesh and a gift of the teaching. The better of these two gifts is the gift of the teaching.

There are these two kinds of sharing. Sharing things of the flesh and sharing the teaching. The better of these two kinds of sharing is sharing the teaching.

There are these two kinds of support. Support in things of the flesh and support in the teaching. The better of these two kinds of support is support in the teaching.”

The Buddha spoke this matter. On this it is said:

“It is said to be the supreme, ultimate gift, and the sharing praised by the Buddha; what wise and sensible person, confident in the best of fields, would not sow a such timely gift?
For those who are diligent in the dispensation of the Holy One, both those who speak and those who listen, confident in the dispensation of the Holy One, such a gift purifies the highest goal.”

This too is a matter that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.

Connections

Collection & context

ItivuttakaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Books

Handful of Leaves: an Anthology from the Sutta PiṭakaEarly Buddhist discourses; Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (translator and compiler) · Included in anthology

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.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.