Velama Sutta (AN 9:20) 

Once upon a time, householder, there was a brahmin named Velāma. He gave the following gift, a great offering. 84,000 gold bowls filled with silver. 84,000 silver bowls filled with gold. 84,000 bronze bowls filled with gold coins. 84,000 elephants with gold adornments and banners, covered with gold netting. 84,000 chariots upholstered with the hide of lions, tigers, and leopards, and cream rugs, with gold adornments and banners, covered with gold netting. 84,000 milk cows with silken reins and bronze pails. 84,000 maidens bedecked with jeweled earrings. 84,000 couches spread with woolen covers—shag-piled, pure white, or embroidered with flowers—and spread with a fine deer hide, with canopies above and red pillows at both ends. 8,400,000,000 fine cloths of linen, cotton, silk, and wool. And who can say how much food, drink, snacks, meals, refreshments, and beverages? It seemed like an overflowing river.

https://suttacentral.net/an9.20/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin

Continuing with this sutta, Buddha told the tale of a philanthropist named Velama. We note that the sutta is named after this character.

The passage above conveys the notion of Velama’s generosity. It’s essential to recognize that the gifts mentioned in the passage held great value in ancient India. We can interpret this passage as a metaphorical depiction of presenting the most exquisite gifts as offerings for charity.

What was once highly esteemed in ancient times may elicit shock or embarrassment from us today. This vividly illustrates how culture and preferences are subject to change. As humanity adapts to shifts in social dynamics and the environment, it is inevitable that our future definition of valuable gifts will differ significantly from our current standards.

For instance, in the past, gold and silver were the exclusive forms of valuable currency, then we had printed money and nowadays, cryptocurrency is considered a valuable asset.

It is crucial to interpret this passage in accordance with its intended meaning rather than taking it literally. Otherwise, the idea of giving furniture crafted from the hides of endangered animals or offering women as gifts would seem highly inappropriate in today’s context.

Householder, you might think: ‘Surely the brahmin Velāma must have been someone else at that time?’ But you should not see it like this. I myself was the brahmin Velāma at that time. I gave that gift, a great offering. But at that event there was no-one worthy of a religious donation, and no-one to purify the religious donation.

Buddha disclosed that Velama was one of his past lives and at that time, there was no Buddha or Sangha. This can be understood to be a period in time when no Buddha appeared and there wasn’t anyone practicing Buddha-Dharma. Therefore, those gifts were received by ordinary beings who were afflicted by greed, aversion, and ignorance. In that manner, those gifts were not purified by the recipients.

At this juncture, it’s crucial to draw a connection between Velama’s generous gifts and the understanding of the monastic guidelines during Buddha’s era. Otherwise, one might mistakenly assume that Velama’s offerings could have been considered “ideal” or “purified” had they been presented to the monastic communities.

We must bear in mind that Buddha strictly prohibited his monks and nuns from accepting gifts beyond their basic necessities for living. Therefore, Velama’s lavish items were inherently unsuitable for monks and nuns from the outset.

For instance, during the time of Buddha, the monastic community could solely receive offerings of food, medicine, clothing, and similar essential provisions. Any surplus possessions had to be shared through charitable acts. Furthermore, the monastic precepts explicitly prohibited them from using luxurious furniture, thrones, or accepting monetary gifts. With this awareness, it becomes evident that items such as furniture crafted from exotic hides, gold, or silver were never appropriate gifts for the monastic communities.

Regrettably, this knowledge might have been unintentionally or deliberately omitted during the early spread of Buddhism, leading to discrepancies in the understanding of what constituted the “finest” offerings to the monastic orders. While it was inappropriate to offer gold, silver, chariots, or costly materials during Buddha’s time, these items came to be considered “premium offerings” in certain later Buddhist traditions.

This underscores the significance of studying sutras with comprehensive insight, as it mitigates the risk of misinterpretation.

To be continued.

May all be well and hat is ippy.