24/09/2026
The volition is called Dana because it is responsible for an act of generosity to take place. There can be no generosity without the volition to give; an act of generosity is possible only when there is the volition to give.
In this connection, by volition is meant
(i) the volition that arises at the time of donation. It is called munca cetana, 'relinquishing' volition, munca meaning relinquishing. It is only this volition, which accompanies the act of relinquishing, that forms the true element of generosity.
(ii) The volition that arises in anticipation before one makes the donation is called 'Pubba cetana'. This type of volition can also be considered as Dana, provided that the object to be given is at hand at the time the intention, "I shall make an offering of this object," occurs. Without the object to be given being actually in one's possession, cherishing the thought of giving may be called 'pubba cetana' but cannot qualify as Dana: it can only be a benevolent thought of ordinary merit.
How volition comes to be taken as synonymous with Dana is based on the grammatical definition of Diyati anenati danam, that which prompts giving is generosity, dana. (Volition, here, is definitely the determining cause of giving).
Things to be given are also called Dana from the grammatical definition of Diyatiti danam which means objects which could be offered as alms.
Following these grammatical definitions, Texts of the Canons mention two kinds of dana, namely, volitional dana and material dana. In this connection, questions have been asked why objects to be offered are called dana, since only volition is capable of producing results and material object is not. It is true that only volition is productive of results because volition is a mental action; but as explained above, volition can be called dana only if it arises when there exist suitable things to be given. Therefore, material object for giving is also an important contributory factor for an act of giving to qualify as generosity, dana.
Because things to be given away feature importantly in acts of generosity, the Canonical Texts mention different types of Dana depending on different objects to be offered. Thus in expositions on the Vinayawe find four types of dana, namely offerings of food, robes, dwelling places and medicines. Although the Vinaya is not concerned with enumeration of types of dana, since the Buddha allows four kinds of requisites to the Sangha, the offerings made to the Sangha are naturally listed under these four heads; hence this classification in the Vinaya expositions of four types of dana, which is primarily based upon different kinds of object of offering.
According to the classification in the exposition on the Abhidhamma, everything in the world comes under six heads corresponding to the six sense objects, there are six kinds of dana depending upon whether it is a gift of visible object, of sound, of smell, of taste, of touch or of mind-object or dhamma. Here also, although there is no direct mention of six kinds of dana in the Abhidhamma Teachings, if gifts were to be made of each of the sense objects, there would be six kinds of offering; hence this classification in the Abhidhamma expositions of six types of dana.
In the Suttanta classification, there are ten kinds of dana, namely, offering of various kinds of food, of drink, of transportation, of flowers, of perfumed powder, of scented unguent or ointment, of bed, of dwelling places and of facilities for lighting. Here again, the actual teaching in the Suttas relates only to the ten classes of objects which may be offered as alms. But when these ten objects are offered as alms, there would be then ten kinds of offering; hence this classification in the Suttanta expositions of ten types of dana.
Maintaining that the Buddha teaches only these ten objects for offering one should not consider that these are the only gifts to be given; and that other gifts are not allowable. One should understand that the Buddha merely mentions the ten things most commonly offered as alms in practice; or as any material thing can be classified as belonging to one or the other of the ten types of gift, one should take it that by these ten objects are covered also any object which is in daily use by the noble recipient.
From what has been said above, it should be well noted how a material object is an important contributory factor (for the arising) of volitional generosity. It will be seen that the various types of generosity which will be described hence forth include many that relate to objects of offering.
