Dāna Dāna (nt.) [Ved. dāna,
dā as in dadāti to give & in dāti, dyāti to deal out, thus: distribution (scil. of gifts); cp. Gr.
δάνος (present), Lat. damnum (E. damages); Gr.
δῶρον, Lat. donum; also Ags. tīd (=E. tide, portion, i. e. of time), & tīma (=E. time). See further dadāti, dayati, dātta, dāpeti. Def
n at Vism 60: dānaŋ vuccati avakhaṇḍanaŋ] (
a) giving, dealing out, gift; almsgiving, liberality, munificence; esp. a charitable gift to a bhikkhu or to the community of bhikkhus, the Sangha (cp. deyyadhamma & yañña). As such it constitutes a meritorious act (puññaŋ) and heads the list of these, as enumerated in order, dānamaya puññaŋ, sīlamaya p., bhāvanāmaya p. viz. acts of merit consisting of munificence, good character & meditation (D
iii.218 e. g.; cp. cāga, puñña, sīla). Thus in formula dānâdīni puññāni katvā J
i.168; PvA 66, 105; cp. cpds. under ˚maya. — (
b) Special merit & importance is attached to the
mahādāna the great gift, i. e. the great offering (of gifts to the Sangha), in character the buddhistic equivalent of the brahmanic mahāyajña the chief sacrifice. On 16 Mahādānas see Wilson
Hindu Caste 413; on 4 Beal.
Chinese Texts 88. — A
iv.246; J
i.50, 74;
v.383 (devasikaŋ chasatasahassa -- pariccāgaŋ karonto mahādānaŋ pavattesi "he gave the great largesse, spending daily 600,000 pieces"); PvA 19, 22, 75, 127, etc. — (
c) Constituents, qualities & characteristics of a dāna: 8 objects suitable for gifts form a standard set (also enum
d as 10), viz. anna pāna vattha yāna mālā gandha -- vilepana seyyāvasatha padīpeyya (bread, water, clothes, vehicle, garlands, scented ointment, conveniences for lying down &
dwelling, lighting facility) A
iv.239; cp. Pv
ii.4
9 & see ˚vatthu & deyyadhamma.
Eight ways of giving alms at D
iii.258= A
iv.236,
five ways, called sappurisa -- dāna (& asapp˚) at A
iii.171 sq.;
eight sapp˚ at A
iv.243.
Five manners of almsgiving metaphorically for sīlas 1-5 at A
iv.246= DA
i.306.
Five characteristics of a beneficial gift at A
iii.172, viz. saddhāya dānaŋ deti, sakkaccaŋ d.d., kālena (cp. kāladāna A
iii.41), anuggahitacitto, attānañ ca parañ ca anupahacca d.d. — (
d) Various passages showing practice & value of dāna: Vin
i.236; D
i.53 (+dama & saŋyama; cp. It 15; PvA 276);
ii.356 sq. (sakkaccaŋ & a˚); A
iv.392 sq. (id.); D
iii.147 sq., 190 sq., 232; S
i.98 (dānaŋ dātabbaŋ yattha cittaŋ pasīdati); A
i.91=It 98 (āmisa˚ and dhamma˚, material & spiritual gifts); A
i.161;
iii.41 (dāne ānisaŋsā);
iv.60; 237 sq. (mahapphala), 392 sq. (˚ssa vipāka);
v.269 (petānaŋ upakappati); J
i.8 (aggaḷa˚);
ii.112 (dinna˚),
iii.52 (id.); Sn 263, 713 (appaŋ dānaŋ samaṇabrāhmaṇānaŋ) PvA 54 (āgantuka˚ gift for the newcomer); Sdhp 211-213. —
adāna withholding a gift, neglect of liberality, stinginess Pv
ii.9
45; Miln 279; PvA 25; cp. ˚sīla under cpds.:
atidāna excessive almsgiving Pv
ii.9
45 (cp. PvA 129); Miln 277.
-agga [Sk. dānāgara, cp. bhattagga, salākagga; see Trenckner,
Notes p. 56] a house where alms or donations are given, a store -- house of gifts, fig. a source or giver of gifts, a horn of plenty J
vi.487; DhA
i.152, 189; Miln 2; PvA 121, 124, 127, 141. A possible connection w. agga=āgra is suggested by comb
n dānāni mahādānāni aggaññāni A
iv.246;
-âdhikāra supervision or charge of alms -- distributing. PvA 124 (cp. Pv
ii.9
27);
-ānisaŋsa praise of generosity PvA 9; cp. A
iii.41;
-upakaraṇa means or materials for a gift PvA 105;
-upapatti (read
uppatti at D
iii.258) an object suitable for gifts, of which 8 or 10 are mentioned (see above
c) A
iv.239=D
iii.258;
-kathā talk or conversation about (the merit & demerit of) almsgiving, one of the anupubbi -- kathā Vin
i.15, 18;
-dhamma the duty or meritorious act of bestowing gifts of mercy (cp. deyyadhamma) PvA 9;
-pati "lord of alms," master in liberality, a liberal donor (def. by Bdhgh as: yaŋ dānaŋ deti tassa pati hutvā deti na dāso na sahāyo DA
i.298) D
i.137 (+saddho & dāyako, as one of the qualifications of a good king); A
iii.39;
iv.79 sq. (+saddho); Sn 487; Pv
i.11
4 (+amaccharin); J
i.199; Miln 279 sq.; Sdhp 275, 303;
-puñña the religious merit of almsgiving or liberality (see above
a) PvA 73;
-phala the fruit of munificence (as accruing to the donor) A
iii.39;
iv.79; Pv
ii.8
3 (˚ŋ hoti paramhi loke: is rewarded in the life to come, cp. It 19); PvA 8 (cp. Pv
i.1);
-maya consisting in giving alms or being liberal (see above
a) D
iii.218 (puññakiriya -- vatthu); Vbh 135 (kusala -- cetanā), 325 (pañña); PvA 8 (puñña), 60 (id.), 9 (kusala -- kamma), 51, etc.;
-vaṭṭa alms J
vi.333;
-vatthu that which constitutes a meritorious gift; almsgiving, beneficence, offering, donation D
iii.258= A
iv.236; PvA 20 (=annapānādika dasavidha dātabbavatthu PvA 7);
-veyyāvaṭika services rendered at the distribution of gifts DhA
iii.19;
-saŋvibhāga liberal spending of alms D
iii.145, 169; A
i.150, 226;
iii.53, 313;
v.331; It 19; Vism 306; freq. with
˚rata fond of giving alms S
v.351, 392; A
iv.6 (vigatamalamaccherena cetasā), 266 (id.);
-salā a hall, built for the distribution of alms & donations to the bhikkhus & wanderers J
i.231, 262;
iv.402 (six);
v.383 (id.);
-sīla liberal disposition PvA 89; usually as
adāna -- sīla (adj.) of miserly character, neglecting the duty of giving alms Sn 244; Pv
ii.8
3 (˚ā na saddahaṇti dānaphalaŋ hoti paramhi loke); PvA 45 (=adāyaka), 59 (+maccharin), 68 (id.).
