Toh 327The Noble Sūtra on the Good Person

Summary

While staying in Śrāvastī, the Buddha gives a short teaching on five ways
in which gifts are given and discusses the karmic results of giving them.

Acknowledgements

This text was translated by the Kagyu Translation Project Group. Artur
Przybysławski wrote the introduction.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation
and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was
in charge of the digital publication process.

Introduction

The Good Person
is a concise sūtra on karma in
which the Buddha explains the results of generosity. He lists five ways in
which gifts are given: with trust, respectfully, with one’s own hands, at
the right time, and without harming others. Since this analysis does not refer to
key karmic factors such as intent, but rather to the ways in which gifts are
given, the differences between the karmic results of each type of giving are
relatively minor.

There are no commentaries on this sūtra, and we have not yet found
discussions of it in other Buddhist texts. According to the colophon, it was
translated by the Indian paṇḍita Dharmākara and the Tibetan translator
Zangkyong, and was revised
by Kawa Paltsek. If that attribution is correct, the translation can be
dated to the late eighth or early ninth century ce. The text is also included in the Denkarma catalog, dated to
812 ce, further confirming this dating.

There is no extant Sanskrit version of this text, nor is there a
Chinese translation. The text has a Pāli parallel, however, namely the
Sappurisadānasutta from the Aṅguttaranikāya (5.148).

The basis for this translation was the Degé version in consultation
with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma)
and the version included in the Stok Palace Kangyur.

The Translation

The Noble Sūtra

The Good Person

Homage to the noble youthful Mañjuśrī.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was residing in Prince
Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park at Śrāvastī. Then the Bhagavān said to
the monks, “Monks, these five are the gifts of good people. What are the
five? Monks, good people give gifts with trust. They give gifts
respectfully, with their own hands, at the right time, and without harming
others.

“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving
gifts with trust? By giving gifts with trust, they become rich. They have
abundant riches and great wealth. They have abundant precious materials.
They have many properties. They have abundant riches, grains, jewels, gold,
depositories, and reserves. They have many servants, maids, workers, and
casual laborers. They have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives.
Monks, they should expect such karmic results from giving gifts with
trust.

“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving
gifts respectfully? By giving gifts respectfully, they become rich. They
have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before. Children,
wives, servants, maids, workers, casual laborers, friends, ministers,
kinsmen, and relatives also pay them respect. Monks, they should expect such
karmic results from giving gifts respectfully.

“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving
gifts with their own hands? By giving gifts with their own hands, they
become rich and then have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives,
as before. They also enjoy the great wealth of householders. They enjoy an
enormous wealth of food, an enormous wealth of animal-drawn carts, an
enormous wealth of clothes, and an enormous wealth of bedding. They enjoy
forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles. Monks, they should expect such
karmic results from giving gifts with their own hands.

“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving
gifts at the right time? By giving gifts at the right time, they become rich
and then have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives, as before.
They also receive jewels accumulated in great numbers. Monks, they should
expect such karmic results from giving gifts at the right time.

“Monks, what karmic results should good people expect from giving
gifts without harming others? By giving gifts without harming others, they
become rich and then have many friends, ministers, kinsmen, and relatives,
as before. They obtain whatever wealth they wish for through diligence. It
is achieved with power; it is achieved without sweating, and while a
pleasant aroma pervades. Those things
obtained by Dharma practitioners through the Dharma are not obstructed by
kings, thieves, fire, water, unfriendly people, the sharing of goods, or any
other activity. They should expect such karmic results from giving gifts
without harming others.”

Thus spoke the Bhagavān. After the Sugata had said this, the Teacher
accordingly spoke again:

“The wise ones give with trust, respectfully, with their own hands,

At the right time, and without harming others.

After giving vast and great gifts,

They who always give in this way take fortunate rebirths.”

When the Bhagavān spoke thus, the monks rejoiced and praised what
the Bhagavān had said.

The Noble Sūtra on the Good
Person is complete.

Colophon

Translated by the Indian preceptor Dharmākara and the translator
Bandé Zangkyong, and revised by Bandé Paltsek.

Notes

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

Translations

Secondary Sources

Tibetan Language

English Language