Paṭhamadānasutta — Dānavagga — the fourth chapter of the Eights
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A bare eight-item list of motives, with no evaluative ranking or commentary attached to any of them
Length
under 1 minute to read
A new chapter on giving, opening without judgment
This opens Dānavagga, the Chapter on Giving, but its own first discourse simply catalogs motives without ranking them from worst to best
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — brief and purely descriptive, though several of its eight motives are unflattering
Why this discourse
AN 8.31 opens a new chapter by naming eight different motives that lead someone to give a gift — after insulting the recipient, out of fear, out of reciprocity already received or expected, because giving is simply thought good, out of social obligation, for reputation, or as an adornment for the mind — without ranking any of the eight as better or worse than the others.
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
People give gifts for eight different reasons — after insulting the recipient, out of fear, out of reciprocity already received or hoped for, because giving is simply thought good, out of a sense of social obligation, for reputation, or to adorn and equip the mind — and this discourse simply names all eight without ranking them.
From hostile to reflective, without commentary
The list moves, roughly, from the least admirable motive (giving while insulting the recipient, or out of plain fear) through transactional motives (reciprocity given or expected) to more reflective ones (thinking giving is simply good, honoring family obligation, seeking reputation, or treating giving as equipment for the mind) — but the discourse itself offers no verdict on any of them.
A catalog opening a chapter, not a conclusion
Rather than closing this chapter's exploration of giving with a final judgment, this discourse opens it by simply mapping the range of motives that actually drive people to give, setting up the more evaluative discourses on giving that follow later in this same chapter.
The final motive: giving as equipment for the mind
The list's last item stands apart from the rest: giving “as an adornment and requisite for the mind” treats generosity itself as a form of inner cultivation, not a means to any external end — reputation, reciprocity, or obligation — that the other seven motives all still point toward.
Key terms
dānāni — “gifts” — this discourse's own title term, here distinguished by the motive behind each of the eight, not by size or recipient.
sāsaṅkena vā deti — “gives out of fear” — the second motive, giving under a sense of threat or obligation rather than free choice.
adāsi me'ti deti, dassati me'ti deti — “gives thinking, ‘they gave to me’ ... ‘they'll give to me’” — the third and fourth motives, both forms of reciprocity, past and anticipated.
sādhu dānan'ti deti — “gives thinking, ‘it's good to give’” — the fifth motive, a general moral conviction rather than any personal transaction.
cittālaṅkāraparikkhāranti deti — “gives thinking, ‘this is an adornment and requisite for the mind’” — the eighth and final motive, treating generosity as inner cultivation rather than a means to an external end.
The text
The discourse in full: eight motives behind a gift, named without ranking. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Eight motives behind a gift
§1“Mendicants, there are these eight gifts. What eight? Someone might give a gift after insulting the recipient. Or they give out of fear. Or they give thinking, ‘They gave to me.’ Or they give thinking, ‘They’ll give to me.’ Or they give thinking, ‘It’s good to give.’ Or they give thinking, ‘I cook, they don’t. It wouldn’t be right for me to not give to them.’ Or they give thinking, ‘By giving this gift I’ll get a good reputation.’ Or they give thinking, ‘This is an adornment and requisite for the mind.’ These are the eight gifts.”
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Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What does this discourse do with its eight motives for giving?
Correct: B. A bare catalog, opening this chapter without a verdict.
Question 2 of 6
What are two of the more transactional motives named?
Correct: B. Reciprocity already received and reciprocity anticipated, the third and fourth motives.
Question 3 of 6
What is the eighth and final motive named?
Correct: B. Giving treated as inner cultivation, not a means to an external end.
Question 4 of 6
What chapter does this discourse open?
Correct: B. A new chapter, opened with a motive catalog rather than a final judgment.
Question 5 of 6
According to the guide, how does the list's rough order move?
Correct: B. A loose gradient, though the discourse itself offers no explicit ranking.
Question 6 of 6
Is a setting given for this discourse?
Correct: C. A bare formula, matching several other discourses in this book.
