Saṃyukta Ratnapiṭaka Sūtra: The Sutra of

Miscellaneous Jewels
Scroll 6:76

Seven Kinds of Giving

translated from the Chinese by
Upāsaka Dharmadūta
@ Thomas Lee Ming Zhi
© 2017

Homage to Him, the Blessed One,

the Exalted One, the Fully Enlightened One!

The Buddha said that there are seven kinds of giving, without decreasing one’s
wealth, give rise to the attainment of great karmic fruits.
The first kind of giving is named the giving of eye. One always uses a gentle eye
contact to look at one’s father, mother, teachers, elders, śramaṇas, and
brahmins, refraining from using hostile eye contact, this is named the giving of
eye. By doing so, when one’s body breaks up and reborn into another body,
one will gain pure eyes; when one attains Buddhahood in the future, one will
gain Divine Eye and Buddha Eye1. This is named the first karmic fruit.
The second kind of giving is named the giving of kind and pleasant
countenance. When one faces one’s father, mother, teachers, elders,
śramaṇas and brahmins, one does not frown and manifest an unkind
countenance. By doing so, when one’s body breaks up and reborn into
another body, one will gain a well-formed appearance; when one attains
Buddhahood in the future, one will gain complexion of pure gold. This is
named the second karmic fruit.
The third kind of giving is named the giving of words. When one talks to one’s
father, mother, teachers, elders, śramaṇas and brahmins, one speaks soft and
gentle words, refraining from harsh and unkind words. By doing so, when one’

1
five eyes (pañca-cakṣu, 五眼). These are (1) the physical eye, which a sentient being is born with; (2) the
divine eye, which can see anything anywhere; (3) the wisdom eye, which can see the emptiness of dharmas; (4)
the dharma eye, which can differentiate all dharmas; and (5) the Buddha eye of omniscience, which includes
the preceding four at the highest level.
s body breaks up and reborn into another body, one will gain eloquence in
speech. Anything said, will be rejoiced, trusted and accepted by others; when
one attains Buddhahood in the future, one will gain the four kinds of
eloquence2. This is named the third karmic fruit.
The fourth kind of giving is named the giving of body. When one meets one’s
father, mother, teachers, elders, śramaṇas and brahmins, one should rise,
welcome them and prostrate to them. This is named the giving of body. By
doing so, when one’s body breaks up and reborn into another body, one will
gain a well-formed body, tall and large body, and a body well-honoured by
men; when one attains Buddhahood in the future, one will have a body like
nigrodha tree3, with invisible uṣṇīṣa4. This is named the fourth karmic fruit.
The fifth kind of giving is named the giving of heart. One may have used
valuables to perform offering, but if one’s heart is not gentle and kind, then
this is not named giving. With a gentle and kind heart, one sincerely performs
offering, this is named the giving of heart. By doing so, when one’s body
breaks up and reborn into another body, one will gain a brilliant mind, non-
ludicrous mind. When one attains Buddhahood in the future, one will gain a
mind of sarvajña-jñāna5. This is named the giving of heart, the fifth karmic fruit.
The sixth kind of giving is named the giving of seat. When one sees one’s father,
mother, teachers, elders, śramaṇas and brahmins, one arranges seats for them,
and even offer one’s seat to them, inviting them to sit. By doing so, when one’
s body breaks up and reborn into another body, one will always gain dignified

2
Four kinds of unimpeded wisdom-knowledge (catur-pratisaṁvid, 四無礙智, 四無礙解, 四無礙辯), also called
four kinds of unimpeded understanding, and four kinds of unimpeded eloquence. A Bodhisattva has
unimpeded wisdom-knowledge of (1) all dharmas; (2) their meanings; (3) all forms of expression, e.g., sounds,
gestures, and words, in any language; (4) eloquent teaching of dharmas and their meanings, using appropriate
expressions, according to sentient beings’ capacities and preferences.
3
Nigrodha tree. A simile used to describe Buddha’s physique, one of the 32 signs of a Great Man (mahāpuruṣa
lakṣaṇa). DN14: Mahapadana Sutta, “His proportions have the symmetry of the banyan- tree (nigrodha tree) : —
The length of his body is equal to the compass of his arms, and the compass of his arms is equal to his height.”
4
Uṣṇīṣa (肉髻). Fleshy protuberance on the crown of the head of Buddha, one of the 2 signs of a Great Man
(mahāpuruṣa lakṣaṇa). DN14: Mahapadana Sutta, “His head is like a royal turban.” The top of such
protuberance is said to be invisible to all gods, humans, and even tenth stage bodhisattvas, thus named,
‘invisible’ (無見頂).
5
Three kinds of wisdom-knowledge (三智). These are (1) overall wisdom-knowledge (sarvajña, 一切智), which
is the emptiness of everything, acquired by an Arhat, a Pratyekabuddha, and a holy Bodhisattva; (2)
discriminative wisdom-knowledge (道種智), which is a holy Bodhisattva's growing wisdom-knowledge of the
differences of all things; (3) knowledge of all wisdom-knowledge (sarvajña-jñāna, 一切種智), or omniscience,
which is a Buddha’s perfect wisdom-knowledge of all beings and all things in their general and particular
aspects, and of the non-duality of emptiness and myriad displays of illusory existence.
and precious seat adorned with seven kinds of jewels6. When one attains
Buddhahood in the future, one will gain the Lion Throne7. This is named the
sixth karmic fruit.
The seventh kind of giving is named the giving of shelter. One makes one’s
home the shelter for one’s father, mother, teachers, elders, śramaṇas and
brahmins, letting them walk, sit, and lie at one’s home. This is named the
giving of shelter. By doing so, when one’s body breaks up and reborn into
another body, one will gain palace as their residence spontaneously. When one
attains Buddhahood in the future, one will gain abodes in dhyāna8. This is
named the seventh karmic fruit.
These are named the seven kinds of giving, while not decreasing one’s wealth,
give rise to the attainment of great karmic fruits.

6
Seven kinds of jewels (七寶). Also, seven treasures or seven kinds of gems. Precious substances mentioned in
the sutras. The list differs among the Buddhist scriptures. According to the Lotus Sutra, the seven are: gold,
silver, lapis lazuli, seashell, agate, pearl, and carnelian.
7
Lion Throne (Siṁhāsana, 獅子座). The place where a Buddha is seated. A Buddha's preaching is likened to a
lion's roar and the Buddha to a lion because he preaches the Dharma without fear.
8
Dhyāna (禪). Meditation. Meditation above the desire-realm level is generally classified into four levels,
called the four dhyānas (四禪) of the form realm. In the first dhyāna, one’s mind is undisturbed by the
pleasures of the desire realm, but it has coarse and subtle perception. In the second dhyāna, there is bliss in
meditation. In the third dhyāna, there is subtle joy after abandoning the bliss of the second dhyāna. In the
fourth dhyāna, one’s mind is in pure meditation, free from any subtle feelings or movements. Each level of
dhyāna is also called the Root Samādhi, from which will grow virtues, such as the Four Immeasurable Minds
and the eight liberations (Through samādhi power, one successively achieves eight liberations from one’s
greed for rebirth in the form and formless realms: (1) liberation from perceptible desires for form by visualizing
the impurity of external objects; (2) liberation from imperceptible desires for form by visualizing the impurity
of external objects; (3) liberation from all desires for form by visualizing the purity of external objects; (4)
liberation from visualization of the purity of external objects through the mental state of boundless space; (5)
liberation from the state of boundless space through the mental state of boundless consciousness; (6)
liberation from the state of boundless consciousness through the mental state of nothingness; (7) liberation
from the state of nothingness through the mental state of neither with nor without perception; and (8)
liberation from the state of neither with nor without perception through the mental state of total suspension
of sensory reception and perception. Liberations 1 and 2 correspond to the first two dhyānas, and liberation 3
corresponds to the fourth dhyāna. The third dhyāna is not used because one’s mind is not vigilant in a subtle
joyful state. Liberations 4–7 correspond to the four samādhis in the formless realm, and liberation 8 is the
liberation samādhi attained by an Arhat.).
Appendix:
Original Text in Chinese
Translated from the Sanskrit by Tripiṭaka Śramaṇa Kekaya & Tanyao
during Northern Wei Dynasty

雜寶藏經卷第六
元魏西域三藏吉迦夜共曇曜譯

（七六）七種施因緣

佛說有七種施，不損財物，獲大果報。

一名眼施，常以好眼，視父母師長沙門婆羅門，不以惡眼，名為眼施。捨身受身，得
清淨眼；未來成佛，得天眼佛眼，是名第一果報。

二和顏悅色施，於父母師長沙門婆羅門，不顰蹙惡色，捨身受身，得端正色；未來成
佛，得真金色，是名第二果報。

三名言辭施，於父母師長沙門婆羅門，出柔軟語，非麤惡言。捨身受身，得言語辯了，
所可言說，為人信受；未來成佛，得四辯才，是名第三果報。

四名身施，於父母師長沙門婆羅門，起迎禮拜，是名身施。捨身受身，得端政身，長
大之身，人所敬身；未來成佛，身如尼拘陀樹，無見頂者，是名第四果報。

五名心施，雖以上事供養，心不和善，不名為施；善心和善，深生供養，是名心施。
捨身受身，得明了心，不癡狂心；未來成佛，得一切種智心，是名心施第五果報。

六名床座施，若見父母師長沙門婆羅門，為敷床座令坐，乃至自以已所自坐，請使令
坐。捨身受身，常得尊貴七寶床座；未來成佛，得師子法座，是名第六果報。

七名房舍施，前父母師長沙門婆羅門，使屋舍之中得行來坐臥，即名房舍施。捨身受
身，得自然宮殿舍宅；未來成佛，得諸禪屋宅，是名第七果報。

是名七施。雖不損財物，獲大果報。