The best reason for giving Dana - Visakha's profound wisdom

"Once when the Blessed One and his monks were guests of Visakha she requested him to grant her eight favours (Vin 1:290-94). He replied that the Perfect One had gone beyond the fulfilling of favours. She said that she did not wish for something blameworthy but for allowable things. The Blessed One let her mention her wishes. She requested to give gifts to the Order in eight ways:
(1) robes for the rains,
(2) food for arriving monks,
(3) food for monks setting out on a journey,
(4) medicine for sick monks,
(5) food for sick monks,
(6) food for monks tending the sick,
(7) regular distribution of rice gruel
(8) bathing robes for nuns to bathe in the river.

The Blessed One then asked her for which special reasons she made these requests. She explained in detail:

(1) some monks had been forced to walk half-naked in the streaming rain to preserve their robes and thus were mistaken for naked ascetics; therefore she wanted to give rains' robes;

(2) newly arrived monks in Savatthi, who did not know the town yet, had difficulty obtaining food, and had to walk for alms despite their weariness from their journey; therefore all arriving monks should be sent to her to receive food;

(3) in the same way she would like to give a good meal to monks setting out on a journey;

(4) and (5) sick monks have to suffer much, and may even die, if they lack suitable food and medicine; therefore she would like to cook food for the sick;

(6) a monk tending the sick had to go on alms round for himself as well as for the sick monk; he could easily be late, and both would not be able to eat after noon because the meal time had already passed; therefore she wanted to provide food for monks tending the sick;

(7) she had also heard how many benefits were connected with rice gruel in the early morning, so she would like to provide gruel to the Order; and

(8) it was unsuitable for nuns to bathe without clothes, as had happened recently; therefore she would like to provide them with a suitable covering.

After Visakha had thus explained in detail the external benefits of her wishes, the Blessed One asked her what inner benefits she expected. Her answer shows how subtly and profoundly she had grasped the distinction between outward acts of virtue and inner mental training. She replied:

".........I shall approach the bhikkhus and ask: "Lords, did that bhikkhu ever come to Savatthi?" If they answer that he did, I shall conclude that surely a rains cloth will have been used by that bhikkhu or visitors' food or food for one going on a journey or food for the sick or food for a sick-nurse or medicine for the sick or the morning rice-gruel.

When I remember it, I shall be glad.
When I am glad, I shall be happy.
When my mind is happy, my body will be tranquil.
When my body is tranquil, I shall feel pleasure.
When I feel pleasure, my mind will become concentrated.
That will bring the development of the spiritual powers(5) and the enlightenment factors. This, Lord, is the benefit I foresee for myself in asking the eight favours of the Perfect One."

"Good, good, Visakha!" the Enlightened One replied. "It is good that you have asked the Perfect One for the eight favours foreseeing these benefits. I grant you the eight favours." ~ Great Disciples of the Buddha: By Nyanaponika Thera and Hellmuth Hecker.(edited)