neuter
- giving, dealing out, gift; almsgiving liberality, munificence; especially a charitable gift to a bhikkhu or to the community of bhikkhus, the Sangha (cp. deyyadhamma & yañña). As such it constitutes a meritorious act (puññaṁ) and heads the list of these, as enumerated in order, dānamaya puññaṁ, sīlamaya p. bhāvanāmaya p. viz. acts of merit consisting of munificence good character & meditation (DN.iii.218 e.g. cp. cāga, puñña, sīla). Thus in formula dānâdīni puññāni katvā Ja.i.168 Pv-a 66 Pv-a 105; cp. compounds under ˚maya.
- 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
■ AN.iv.246; Ja.i.50 Ja.i.74; Ja.v.383 (devasikaṃ chasatasahassa-pariccāgaṃ karonto mahādānaṃ pavattesi “he gave the great largesse spending daily 600,000 pieces”); Pv-a.19, Pv-a.22, Pv-a.75 Pv-a.127, etc - Constituents, qualities & characteristics of a dāna: 8 objects suitable for gifts form a standard set (also enumerated as 10), viz. anna pāna vattha yāna mālā gandha-vilepana seyyāvasatha padīpeyya (bread water, clothes, vehicle, garlands, scented ointment conveniences for lying down & dwelliṅg, lightiṅg facility) AN.iv.239; cp. Pv.ii.4#9 & see ˚vatthu & deyyadhamma. Eight ways of giving alms at DN.iii.258 AN.iv.236. Five ways, called sappurisa-dāna (& asapp˚) at AN.iii.171 f.. Eight sapp˚ at AN iv.243. Five manners of almsgiving metaphorically for sīlas 1–5 at AN iv.246 DN-a i.306 Five characteristics of a beneficial gift at AN iii.172 viz. saddhāya dānaṁ deti, sakkaccaṁ d.d. kālena (cp. kāladāna AN iii.41), anuggahitacitto, attānañ ca parañ ca anupahacca d.d
- Various passages showing practice & value of dāna: Vin.i.236; DN.i.53 (+ dama & saṃyama; cp. Iti.15; Pv-a.276); DN.ii.356 sq (sakkaccaṃ & a˚); AN.iv.392 sq. (id.); DN.iii.147 sq. DN.iii.190 sq., DN.iii.232; SN.i.98 (dānaṃ dātabbaṃ yattha cittaṃ pasīdati); AN.i.91 = Iti.98 (āmisa˚ and dhamma˚, material & spiritual gifts); AN.i.161; AN.iii.41 (dāne ānisaṃsā), AN.iv.60; AN.iv.237 sq. (mahapphala), AN.iii.392 sq. (˚ssa vipāka), AN.v.269 (petānaṃ upakappati); Ja.i.8 (aggaḷa˚); Ja.ii.112 (dinna˚), Ja.iii.52 (id.); Snp.263, Snp.713 (appaṃ dānaṃ samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṃ) Pv-a.54 (āgantuka˚ gift for the newcomer); Sdhp.211–Sdhp.213.
■ adāna withholding a gift neglect of lib