ABHIDHAMMA IN DAILY LIFE - Abhidhamma.com

of awareness the food he offers and the Sangha he is offering to; then a continuous stream of
volition flows incessantly in his mind-continuum.
That volition arises and disappears in very rapid succession, but does not disappears totally. The
forces created by the volition just lie dormant to produce corresponding results later. .
6.1.1 a Offertories and Recipient Promote Keen Volition
Although offertories such as alms-food and recipients of offertories cannot follow the donor to
the next life and bring benevolent, they certainly help to promote a keen volition in the donors.
Example: offering of specially prepared alms-food to the Monks – (Sangha) incites a vigorous
volition whilst offering ordinary alms food incites a somewhat feeble volition. Charity given to
worthy recipients, incite a strong volition whereas charity given to nominal recipient incites a
frail volition. In this way, offertories donated and the persons receiving the charity help promote
a keen volition in the mind of the donors.
6.1.1 b The Quantity of Offertories
The efforts given to offer different amounts of offertories may differ accordingly. For the zealous
efforts in procuring, a large quantity of offertories produces a strong volition. Procuring only a
small quantity of offertories will naturally call for less efforts and the corresponding volition will
be relatively less. In preparing for a large amount of offertories, the prior volition will
accordingly be immense, and vice versa. Therefore, Charity of large and small quantity differs in
effects because of the degree of volition in each case.
6.1.1 c. Lavish Charity but Meager Volition (Cetana)
Some donors offer alms-food, building, clothes, ritually or perfunctorily. If the volition does not
match the lavish and grand scale of one’s offerings, it will then result in less appreciative joy
because the good deed done with little volition. Therefore, quantity or quality alone cannot
determine the generosity of a donor.
Example - When King Dutthagamani Abaya was on his deathbed, he did not feel much joy in
his merit of building the great Maha Cedi Pagoda, but he felt great joy in recalling his small
merit of offering one meal to a monk in the forest. Due to this great volition, he was reborn in the
celestial abode of heavenly Tusita Devas. Therefore, only volition will determine your destiny,
not the quantity or value of gifts you have offered. Volition is the driving force to receive good
result and not the lavishness of your charity.
Charity is Analogous to Sowing Seeds
• Recipients are the fields
• Donors are the farmers,
• Offertories are the seeds sown
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