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Grammatical Analysis
Dāna: [nt.] giving; generosity; charity; almsgiving; a gift. From root dā (to give, offer, bestow).
Orthodox Definition
In the orthodox Theravāda schema, dāna is the foundational volition of generosity (cetanā) manifested in the act of giving away a blameless object to a suitable recipient. Doctrinally, it is driven by the wholesome root of non-greed (alobha-cetasika), acting as a direct remedy for stinginess (macchariya), attachment, and possessiveness.
The karmic efficacy (vipāka) of a gift is determined by three variables:
- Citta-sampadā: The purity of the giver’s intention before, during, and after the act of giving.
- Vatthu-sampadā: The purity and ethical blamelessness of the object being offered (earned righteously).
- Dakkhineyya-sampadā: The spiritual purity of the recipient. Offerings made to the Saṅgha as a collective community (saṅgha-dāna) yield vastly greater fruit than gifts directed to specific individuals.
Beyond material gifts (āmisa-dāna), the tradition values two higher forms of generosity: abhaya-dāna (the gift of fearlessness, which is the perfect keeping of the precepts) and dhamma-dāna (the sharing of the true teachings), which the Buddha declared excels all other gifts.
Quote
Evañce, bhikkhave, sattā jāneyyuṁ dānasaṁvibhāgassa vipākaṁ yathāhaṁ jānāmi, na adatvā bhuñjeyyuṁ, na ca nesaṁ maccheramalaṁ cittaṁ pariyādāya tiṭṭheyya.
Bhikkhus, If beings knew, as I know, the result of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of stinginess obsess their minds and remain.— Itivuttaka (Iti 26)
Textual References
- Sutta: Dāna Sutta (AN 7.52) – Analyzing the different motivations for giving and their corresponding karmic results.
- Canonical: Itivuttaka (v. 26) – Where the Buddha states that if beings knew the fruits of giving as he does, they would not eat without sharing.
- Commentary: Cariyāpiṭaka-Aṭṭhakathā – Elucidating dāna as the first of the ten perfection achievements (pāramī) required for supreme awakening.