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The Holy Offering of the Teaching

Brāhmaṇadhammayāgasutta

The Buddha as doctor; the monks as his heirs in Dhamma, not in material things.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Itivuttaka 100So It Was Said 100
  • 0.2CatukkanipātaThe Book of the Fours
  • 0.3BrāhmaṇadhammayāgavaggaThe Chapter on the Brahmin’s Offering of the Teaching

0.4BrāhmaṇadhammayāgasuttaThe Brahmin’s Offering of the Teaching

1.1Vuttañhetaṁ bhagavatā vuttamarahatāti me sutaṁ:This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.

2.1“Ahamasmi, bhikkhave, brāhmaṇo yācayogo sadā payatapāṇi antimadehadharo anuttaro bhisakko sallakatto.“I, mendicants, am a brahmin, committed to charity, always open-handed, bearing my final body, a healer, a surgeon.2.2Tassa me tumhe puttā orasā mukhato jātā dhammajā dhammanimmitā dhammadāyādā, no āmisadāyādā.You are my bosom sons, born from my mouth, born of the teaching, created by the teaching, heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh.1

3.1Dvemāni, bhikkhave, dānāni—There are these two gifts.3.2āmisadānañca dhammadānañca.A gift of things of the flesh and a gift of the teaching.3.3Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ dvinnaṁ dānānaṁ yadidaṁ dhammadānaṁ.The better of these two gifts is the gift of the teaching.

4.1Dveme, bhikkhave, saṁvibhāgā—There are these two kinds of sharing.4.2āmisasaṁvibhāgo ca dhammasaṁvibhāgo ca.Sharing things of the flesh and sharing the teaching.4.3Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ dvinnaṁ saṁvibhāgānaṁ yadidaṁ dhammasaṁvibhāgo.The better of these two kinds of sharing is sharing the teaching.

5.1Dveme, bhikkhave, anuggahā—There are these two kinds of support.5.2āmisānuggaho ca dhammānuggaho ca.Support in things of the flesh and support in the teaching.5.3Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ dvinnaṁ anuggahānaṁ yadidaṁ dhammānuggaho.The better of these two kinds of support is support in the teaching.

6.1Dveme, bhikkhave, yāgā—There are these two offerings.6.2āmisayāgo ca dhammayāgo ca.An offering of things of the flesh and an offering of the teaching.6.3Etadaggaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ dvinnaṁ yāgānaṁ yadidaṁ dhammayāgo”ti.The better of these two offerings is an offering of the teaching.”

6.4Etamatthaṁ bhagavā avoca.The Buddha spoke this matter.6.5Tatthetaṁ iti vuccati:On this it is said:

7.1“Yo dhammayāgaṁ ayajī amaccharī,“The Realized One, <j>compassionate for all living creatures,7.2Tathāgato sabbabhūtānukampī;unstintingly offers teaching.7.3Taṁ tādisaṁ devamanussaseṭṭhaṁ,Sentient beings revere him, <j>first among gods and humans,7.4Sattā namassanti bhavassa pāragun”ti.who has gone beyond rebirth.”

8.1Ayampi attho vutto bhagavatā, iti me sutanti.This too is a matter that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.

8.2Paṭhamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. The Buddha adapts a passage he elsewhere attributes to brahmins (MN 84:4.5).

    “Bosom” is orasa, signifying a natural heir to a legitimately married couple (Manusmṛti 9.159, Skandapurāṇa 223.5, Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra 3.7). While putta can mean “son” or “child”, in this case the gendered sense is required, since in Brahmanical context the concept is intended to explain how the male child takes precedence in inheritance (Manusmṛti 9.134). Thus the Buddha has both “bosom sons” (Thag 2.27:2.4, Thag 21.1:71.4) and “bosom daughters” (Thig 3.3:2.3, Thig 13.4:25.2.

    ↩ iti100:2.2