Reading guide
Five motivations, sharing one common result
Giving out of faith; giving carefully; giving at the right time; giving with no strings attached; and giving without damaging oneself or others — all five, this discourse says, produce wealth wherever their result manifests.
But each also earns its own distinct additional fruit
Faith-driven giving additionally brings physical beauty. Careful giving additionally brings a household — children, spouse, servants, workers — that actively wants to listen and understand. Timely giving brings one's own needs met precisely when they arise. Giving with no strings attached brings a mind inclined to enjoy the five refined kinds of sensual stimulation. Harmless giving brings protection of one's own property from fire, flood, rulers, bandits, or unloved heirs.
A structure distinct from AN 5.147's
This discourse shares its title concept, ‘true person’ (sappurisa), with AN 5.147, but names an entirely different five-item list: not the manner of giving, but the motivation behind it, each with its own matched consequence rather than a single shared verdict.
Cause matched to consequence
The mapping is worth appreciating for its specificity: no strings attached brings enjoyment of what one gives away freely; harming no one in the act of giving brings protection of what remains; care in giving is answered by attentiveness in one's own household. Each fruit echoes the particular quality of the giving that produced it.
What comes next
AN 5.149 returns to a familiar formula, applied to a specific category of mendicant: what leads to decline for someone whose liberation is temporary rather than fixed.
Key terms
The text
Five gifts of a true person
§1“There are these five gifts of a true person. What five? They give a gift out of faith. They give a gift carefully. They give a gift at the right time. They give a gift with no strings attached. They give a gift without damaging themselves or others.
Giving out of faith
§2Having given a gift out of faith, in whatever place the result of that gift manifests they become rich, affluent, and wealthy. And they’re attractive, good-looking, lovely, of surpassing beauty.
Giving carefully
§3Having given a gift carefully, in whatever place the result of that gift manifests they become rich, affluent, and wealthy. And their children, wives, bondservants, servants, and workers want to listen. They actively listen and try to understand.
Giving at the right time
§4Having given a gift at the right time, in whatever place the result of that gift manifests they become rich, affluent, and wealthy. And when the time is right, their needs are amply satisfied.
Giving with no strings attached
§5Having given a gift with no strings attached, in whatever place the result of that gift manifests they become rich, affluent, and wealthy. And their mind tends to enjoy the five refined kinds of sensual stimulation.
Giving without harming self or others
§6Having given a gift without damaging themselves or others, in whatever place the result of that gift manifests they become rich, affluent, and wealthy. And no damage comes to their property from anywhere, whether fire, flood, rulers, bandits, or unloved heirs. These are the five gifts of a true person.”
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