WHAT IS SANGHIKA DANA AND ITS BENEFITS?
Sāṅghika Dāna’ is offering to a community of Sangha. Here, ‘Sangha’ refers to the noble disciples of the Buddha, who have destroyed all the defilements in the mind and are endowed with perfect virtues, concentration and wisdom, and those who follow the Path to Enlightenment.
When one offers gifts to the community of Sangha, one is offering to the noble Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis who practiced in the past and those noble ones who are practicing in the present.
Hence, the great number of these Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis are uncountable; the great virtuous qualities they have are immeasurable.
As a result, whenever and whatever one offers to such a noble community of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis, one develops wholesome state of mind and wholesome Kamma, uncountable and immeasurable.
One day, Mahāpajāpati Gotami, the queen took a new cloth and went before the Blessed One, the Buddha. She said, “Venerable sir, the new cloth has been spun by me, woven by me, especially for the Blessed One. Venerable sir, let the Blessed One accept it from me out of compassion.”
When this was said, the Blessed One answered, “Offer it to the Sangha, Gotami.
When you offer it to the Sangha, both Sangha and me will be honoured.” Although she pleaded the Buddha to accept the offering three times, the Buddha refused and asked her to offer it to the Sangha instead.
The Buddha then gave her the following explanation; if she were to only offer to the Buddha, it would just be a personal offering. However, if she were to offer it to the Sangha, it would include both the Buddha and all the other noble Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis. Hence, offering to the Sangha led by the Buddha would produce the greatest merits.
‘Dāna’ helps to overcome greed and other related defilements. ‘Dāna’ produces wellbeing and prosperity in the present life, favourable rebirth in the future and a condition for the development of the Right View. Eradication of greed, hatred and delusion leads to Nibbāna.
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