33b: The 15^th Year (Sakka)

While staying at Nigrodhārāma of Kapilavatthu and observing the fifteenth Rains Retreat (Vassa), the Buddha distributed the cool water of the Dhamma, the elixir of deathlessness, to worthy beings. When the 15^th Rains Retreat came to an end, he set out from Kapilavatthu in accordance with a Buddha’s practice and arrived eventually at Jetavana in the good city of Sāvatthī.

While he was staying there, the Buddha delivered a teaching beginning with: “The gift of Dhamma, which is the teaching and learning of Dhamma, excels all other gifts,” (Dhp 354) upon being questioned by Sakka, the Lord of the Devas. The details are as follows:

Once the Devas of the Tāvatiṁsa celestial abode met and raised four questions:

Not a single Deva was able to answer these four questions. In fact, one Deva asked another, who, in turn, asked another, and so on. Asking like this among themselves, they roamed about the 10,000 world-element for twelve years without getting the answers.

Knowing nothing of the meaning of these questions, though twelve years had passed, the Devas residing in the 10,000 world-element assembled and went up to the Four Great Kings. When asked by the Four Great Kings as to why they had made a great assembly, the Devas said: “We came to you as we have four questions which we are unable to solve.” – “What are the four questions, friends?” asked the Deva kings. “Out of the innumerable [768] gifts, tastes, and delights, which is the best gift, taste and delight? Why is Awakening, the end of craving, the best?” asked the Devas, “Finding no answers to these questions, we have come to you.”

Then the Four Great Kings said: “We too do not know the meaning of these questions, friends. But our lord Sakka is capable of knowing promptly when he reflects on the significance of the questions that may be forwarded by 1,000 persons. Sakka is superior to us in intelligence, wisdom and glory. Come, we shall go to Sakka.” When the Four Great Kings took them to Sakka and when asked by him about such a great assemblage, the Devas explained the matter to him.

“Devas!” said Sakka: “The significance of these four questions cannot be known by anyone except the Buddha. In fact, these four questions are for a Buddha to solve. Where is the Buddha staying now?” Sakka added: “Come, we shall go to the exalted Buddha and ask him.” Together with all these Devas, Sakka illuminated the whole of Jetavana at night and approached the Buddha, did obeisance to him and stood at a proper place. When the Buddha enquired about their coming in such a great multitude, Sakka replied: “The Devas, Fortunate One, have these questions to ask. There is none other than you, venerable sir, who is able to answer them, who could know the true significance of the questions. Please explain the meaning clearly to us, exalted Buddha.”

“Very well, Sakka!” said the Buddha. “Having fulfilled the perfections and performed unflinchingly the fivefold generosity, I achieved omniscience just to eliminate the doubts of persons like you. The answers to your four questions are as follows:

Having spoken thus in prose the Buddha uttered the following verse (Dhp 354):

Sabba-dānaṁ Dhamma-dānaṁ jināti,
sabba-rasaṁ Dhamma-raso jināti;
sabba-ratiṁ Dhamma-rati jināti,
taṇhakkhayo sabba-dukkhaṁ jināti.

Sakka, the Lord of the Devas, the gift of Dhamma, which is the teaching and learning of Dhamma, excels all other gifts overwhelmingly. The taste of Dhamma, consisting in the 37 factors of Awakening and the nine supermundane attainments, excels all others overwhelmingly. The delight in Dhamma excels all other delights overwhelmingly. Awakening, at the end of craving, absolutely overcomes all suffering.

Explanation of the Meaning

Even if robes, as soft as layers of a banana trunk, were given to Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas and Arahats, who were seated up in the abode of Brahmas in a universe with no space between one another, a four line verse, which was delivered in that assembly in appreciation of the gift, is far superior. In fact, the value of such a gift of countless robes is not even a 256^th part of the value of the Dhamma verse which was delivered in appreciation of the gift of robes; hence, the excellence of speaking, teaching and learning the Dhamma.

Even to those who put in efforts to organize and manage it so that the multitude might listen to the Dhamma, the benefit accrued is immense. To the gift of food in bowls, each and every one of them filled with a sumptuous meal; to the gift of medicine in bowls, each and every one of them filled with butter, oil and such like; to the gift of hundreds of thousands of dwellings like the Mahā Vihāra; to the gift of [769] hundreds of thousands of pinnacled mansions like the Lohapāsāda; even to the various gifts, including the Jetavana monastery given by Anāthapiṇḍika and others to Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas and Arahats who were seated and occupying the whole of the aforesaid universe with no space between one another; to all these gifts, the gift of the Dhamma taught in a four line verse, least of all in appreciation of a material gift, is far superior.

Why? Because those who perform the wholesome act of giving the aforesaid four requisites: Robes, food, dwellings and medicine, do so only after hearing the Dhamma, not otherwise. If they had not heard the Dhamma they would not have given even a ladleful of rice gruel or a spoonful of food. For this reason the gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts.

To make the facts more explicit: Leaving out Buddhas and Paccekabuddhas, even Ven. Sāriputta and other noble ones, who had intelligence that could help them count the rain drops when it rained heavily and endlessly for the whole lifespan (āyu-kappa), were unable to make such noble attainments as Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-phala) and higher stages on their own, without hearing the Dhamma. In fact, it was after hearing the teaching of Ven. Assaji and others that they attained Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-phala); it was by listening to the Buddha’s teaching of the Discourse concerning Dīghanakha (Dīgha-nakha-sutta, MN 74) and others, that they attained discipleship (sāvaka-pāramī-ñāṇa). For this reason, too, the gift of the Dhamma (Dhamma-dāna) is more admirable than the gift of requisites (paccaya-dāna). Hence the Buddha’s saying: “The gift of the Dhamma excels all other gifts overwhelmingly.”

All kinds of tastes including the taste of fruit, the taste of flowers, the taste of flavours, even that of the food of the Devas, are the cause of rebirth in Saṁsāra and of falling into suffering. The taste of the nine-fold supermundane Dhamma together with the 37 factors of Awakening, are more praiseworthy than all mundane tastes. Hence the Buddha’s saying: “The taste of Dhamma (Dhamma-rasa) excels all other tastes overwhelmingly.”

All kinds of delights in earthly things, such as sons, daughters, riches, women, dancing, singing, music, etc., are the cause of rebirth in Saṁsāra and of falling into suffering. Joy (pīti) that arises in one, through one’s attention paid to the Dhamma while speaking, teaching or hearing it, causes elation, even tears and gooseflesh. Such joy that can put an end to the suffering in Saṁsāra and bring about welfare to the extant of realization of Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-phala) is more praiseworthy than all kinds of delight in earthly things. Hence the Buddha’s teaching: “The delight in Dhamma (Dhamma-rati) excels all other delights overwhelmingly.”

All kinds of craving disappear the moment the Arahat path is attained. The Arahat path is immediately followed by its result which is the Arahat fruition. As the Arahat fruition arises at the end of craving, it is called the destruction of craving (taṇhakkhaya). As the Arahat fruition, the destruction of craving, overcomes all suffering, it is the Dhamma that is superior to and more praiseworthy than all other things. Hence the Buddha’s saying: “The Arahat fruition, the end of craving, absolutely overcomes all suffering.”

When the Buddha explained the verse in detail, 84,000 sentient beings realized the four truths and were converted. Having listened to the Buddha’s elaborate teaching, Sakka did obeisance to him and made a request: “Exalted Buddha, although the gift of the Dhamma is so great and praiseworthy, why are we not allowed to share the merit of it? From now on, please make the Saṅgha give our share of merit from the gift of the Dhamma.”

Having heard Sakka’s request, the Buddha called a meeting of the Saṅgha and said: “From now on, monks, after giving a Dhamma-speech, be it a grand one, or an ordinary one, or one given to those who visit you, or at least one given in appreciation of some alms giving, share the merit, which accrue to you from the [770] Dhamma-speech, with all beings.”