AN 7.57

Sīhasenāpatisutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ viharati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ. Atha kho sīho senāpati yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho sīho senāpati bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “sakkā nu kho, bhante, sandiṭṭhikaṁ dānaphalaṁ paññāpetun”ti?

General Sīha

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof. Then General Sīha went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him: “Sir, can you point out a fruit of giving that’s apparent in the present life?”

“Tena hi, sīha, taññevettha paṭipucchissāmi, yathā te khameyya tathā naṁ byākareyyāsi. Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sīha, idha dve purisā— eko puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, eko puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato. Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sīha, kaṁ nu kho arahanto paṭhamaṁ anukampantā anukampeyyuṁ: ‘yo vā so puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, yo vā so puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato’”ti?

“Well then, Sīha, I’ll ask you about this in return, and you can answer as you like. What do you think, Sīha? Consider two people. One is faithless, stingy, miserly, and abusive. One is a faithful donor who loves charity. Which do you think the perfected ones will show sympathy for first?”

“Yo so, bhante, puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, kintaṁ arahanto paṭhamaṁ anukampantā anukampissanti. Yo ca kho so, bhante, puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato taṁyeva arahanto paṭhamaṁ anukampantā anukampeyyuṁ”.

“Why would the perfected ones first show sympathy for the person who is faithless, stingy, miserly, and abusive? They’d show sympathy first for the faithful donor who loves charity.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sīha, kaṁ nu kho arahanto paṭhamaṁ upasaṅkamantā upasaṅkameyyuṁ: ‘yo vā so puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, yo vā so puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato’”ti? “Yo so, bhante, puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, kintaṁ arahanto paṭhamaṁ upasaṅkamantā upasaṅkamissanti. Yo ca kho so, bhante, puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato taṁyeva arahanto paṭhamaṁ upasaṅkamantā upasaṅkameyyuṁ”.

“Which do you think the perfected ones will first approach?” “They’d first approach the faithful donor who loves charity.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sīha, kassa nu kho arahanto paṭhamaṁ paṭiggaṇhantā paṭiggaṇheyyuṁ: ‘yo vā so puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, yo vā so puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato’”ti? “Yo so, bhante, puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, kintaṁ tassa arahanto paṭhamaṁ paṭiggaṇhantā paṭiggaṇhissanti. Yo ca kho so, bhante, puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato tasseva arahanto paṭhamaṁ paṭiggaṇhantā paṭiggaṇheyyuṁ”.

“Which do you think the perfected ones will receive alms from first?” “They’d receive alms first from the faithful donor who loves charity.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sīha, kassa nu kho arahanto paṭhamaṁ dhammaṁ desentā deseyyuṁ: ‘yo vā so puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, yo vā so puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato’”ti? “Yo so, bhante, puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, kintaṁ tassa arahanto paṭhamaṁ dhammaṁ desentā desessanti. Yo ca kho so, bhante, puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato tasseva arahanto paṭhamaṁ dhammaṁ desentā deseyyuṁ”.

“Which do you think the perfected ones will teach the Dhamma to first?” “They’d first teach the Dhamma to the faithful donor who loves charity.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sīha, kassa nu kho kalyāṇo kittisaddo abbhuggaccheyya: ‘yo vā so puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, yo vā so puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato’”ti? “Yo so, bhante, puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, kintaṁ tassa kalyāṇo kittisaddo abbhuggacchissati. Yo ca kho so, bhante, puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato tasseva kalyāṇo kittisaddo abbhuggaccheyya”.

“Which do you think would get a good reputation?” “The faithful donor who loves charity would get a good reputation.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sīha, ko nu kho yaṁyadeva parisaṁ upasaṅkameyya, yadi khattiyaparisaṁ yadi brāhmaṇaparisaṁ yadi gahapatiparisaṁ yadi samaṇaparisaṁ visārado upasaṅkameyya amaṅkubhūto: ‘yo vā so puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, yo vā so puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato’”ti? “Yo so, bhante, puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, kiṁ so yaṁyadeva parisaṁ upasaṅkamissati, yadi khattiyaparisaṁ yadi brāhmaṇaparisaṁ yadi gahapatiparisaṁ yadi samaṇaparisaṁ visārado upasaṅkamissati amaṅkubhūto. Yo ca kho so, bhante, puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato so yaṁyadeva parisaṁ upasaṅkameyya, yadi khattiyaparisaṁ yadi brāhmaṇaparisaṁ yadi gahapatiparisaṁ yadi samaṇaparisaṁ visārado upasaṅkameyya amaṅkubhūto”.

“Which do you think would enter any kind of assembly bold and self-assured, whether it’s an assembly of aristocrats, brahmins, householders, or ascetics?” “How could the person who is faithless, stingy, miserly, and abusive enter any kind of assembly bold and self-assured, whether it’s an assembly of aristocrats, brahmins, householders, or ascetics? The faithful donor who loves charity would enter any kind of assembly bold and self-assured, whether it’s an assembly of aristocrats, brahmins, householders, or ascetics.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sīha, ko nu kho kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjeyya: ‘yo vā so puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, yo vā so puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato’”ti? “Yo so, bhante, puriso assaddho maccharī kadariyo paribhāsako, kiṁ so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjissati. Yo ca kho so, bhante, puriso saddho dānapati anuppadānarato so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjeyya.

“When their body breaks up, after death, which do you think would be reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm?” “Why would the person who is faithless, stingy, miserly, and abusive be reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm? The faithful donor who loves charity would, when their body breaks up, after death, be reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.

Yānimāni, bhante, bhagavatā sandiṭṭhikāni dānaphalāni akkhātāni, nāhaṁ ettha bhagavato saddhāya gacchāmi. Ahampi etāni jānāmi. Ahaṁ, bhante, dāyako dānapati, maṁ arahanto paṭhamaṁ anukampantā anukampanti. Ahaṁ, bhante, dāyako dānapati, maṁ arahanto paṭhamaṁ upasaṅkamantā upasaṅkamanti. Ahaṁ, bhante, dāyako dānapati, mayhaṁ arahanto paṭhamaṁ paṭiggaṇhantā paṭiggaṇhanti. Ahaṁ, bhante, dāyako dānapati, mayhaṁ arahanto paṭhamaṁ dhammaṁ desentā desenti. Ahaṁ, bhante, dāyako dānapati, mayhaṁ kalyāṇo kittisaddo abbhuggato: ‘sīho senāpati dāyako kārako saṅghupaṭṭhāko’ti. Ahaṁ, bhante, dāyako dānapati yaṁyadeva parisaṁ upasaṅkamāmi, yadi khattiyaparisaṁ …pe… yadi samaṇaparisaṁ visārado upasaṅkamāmi amaṅkubhūto. Yānimāni, bhante, bhagavatā sandiṭṭhikāni dānaphalāni akkhātāni, nāhaṁ ettha bhagavato saddhāya gacchāmi. Ahampi etāni jānāmi. Yañca kho maṁ, bhante, bhagavā evamāha: ‘dāyako, sīha, dānapati kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjatī’ti. Etāhaṁ na jānāmi, ettha ca panāhaṁ, bhagavato saddhāya gacchāmī”ti. “Evametaṁ, sīha, evametaṁ, sīha. Dāyako, sīha, dānapati kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjatī”ti.

When it comes to these fruits of giving that are apparent in the present life, I don’t rely on faith in the Buddha, for I know them too. I’m a giver, a donor, and the perfected ones show sympathy for me first. I’m a giver, and the perfected ones approach me first. I’m a giver, and the perfected ones receive alms from me first. I’m a giver, and the perfected ones teach me Dhamma first. I’m a giver, and I have this good reputation: ‘General Sīha gives, serves, and attends on the Saṅgha.’ I’m a giver, I enter any kind of assembly bold and self-assured, whether it’s an assembly of aristocrats, brahmins, householders, or ascetics. When it comes to these fruits of giving that are apparent in the present life, I don’t rely on faith in the Buddha, for I know them too. But when the Buddha says: ‘When a giver’s body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’ I don’t know this, so I rely on faith in the Buddha.” “That’s so true, Sīha! That’s so true! When a giver’s body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.”