[NOTE: In the part of the sutta after this the Buddha goes on to explain that a gift to a saṅgha is always greater than a gift to an individual]
“…Now, Ānanda, gifts to the following individuals may be expected to yield the following returns.
“Giving a gift to an animal, yields a return a hundred times over.
“Giving a gift to an unvirtuous ordinary person, yields a return a thousand times over.
“Giving a gift to a virtuous ordinary person, yields a return a hundred thousand times over (100,000).
“Giving a gift to an outsider free of desire for sense pleasures, yields a return a trillion times over (1,000,000,000,000).
“But giving a gift to someone practicing to realize the fruit of stream-entry yields incalculable, immeasurable returns. How much more so giving a gift to a stream-enterer? How much more so giving a gift to someone practicing to realize the fruit of once-return? How much more so giving a gift to a once-returner? How much more so giving a gift to someone practicing to realize the fruit of non-return? How much more so giving a gift to a non-returner? How much more so giving a gift to someone practicing to realize the fruit of arahantship? How much more so giving a gift to an arahant? How much more so giving a gift to a Private Buddha?
“How much more so giving a gift to the Supreme Buddha?…”
Read the entire translation of Majjhima Nikāya 142 Dakkhiṇāvibhaṅga Sutta: The Analysis of Giving by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnananda Thero on SuttaFriends.org. Or read a different translation on SuttaCentral.net, or Ancient-Buddhist-Texts.net. Or listen on PaliAudio.com or SC-Voice.net. Or explore the Pali on DigitalPaliReader.online.
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