If I offer an item or food to a single Bhikkhu or Samanera, but in my mind, I treat the monk as a Sangha community with the monk as a representative, and then I offer the food or item to the Bhikkhusangha.
In this way, does it still remained as Puggala Dana or it has become a legit Sangha Dana?
If possible, can anyone share sutta texts or Atthakatha texts on this matter for me to study?
I always do Dana, but usually more than one monk. And in my mind, thinking, I always offer the food or items to Sangha.
I knew a noble monk named Revata and was inspired by him. One day I invited eight monks along with Revata Bhante, with the intention of making individual offerings. Out of compassion for me, and to help me gain more merit, Revata Bhante told me not to make individual offerings but to make an offering to the Noble Sangha, the whole community of monks. I did exactly as he advised.
My offering was made to the Noble Sangha which has immeasurable virtues. But since you offered food to individual monks, your offering was not as fruitful.
For sure if you offer to a group of monks with the mindset of giving to the sangha as a whole it counts as sangha dana, not puggala dana. Logically you would think if you offered something to the sangha and simply gave it to one monk as a representative this would probably also count but its uncertain unless some commentaries actually explain it.
Thank you for the info. From now on, I will apply the mindset that I am offering the item to the community of Sangha, even when I present the item to a single monk. I will take the single individual monk as representative of the Sangha and offer the item to the Sangha.
You should verbally say so and offer properly as a sangha donation. The monk can guide you how to do according to what they are used to. There are ways to do this. However, sangha donations do complicate things if there are other monks present in the boundary who do not receive.
One time a monk gave an apple to sangha but it was given to Pa-Auk Sayadawgyi. He told the kappiya to cut into 600+ pieces for equal distribution.
The incident was indeed sounds inconvenient to me.
But Bhante, is that really the case? It is quite unthinkable if I offer a single thing to Sangha but it need to be divided into so many pieces.
It led me to recall a sutta, Dakkhiṇāvibhaṅgasutta. Did the robe offered by Mahapajapati Gotami during that incident also divided into many pieces? Since the Buddha guided her to offer the robe to the Sangha instead of Tathagata…
I read a Theravada Buddhism Course book. It says “Even one monk can represent the whole order, if the donor can afford to give to one monk only.”
Furthermore, I understand Sanghika Dana as follows:
Depends how big and what location. In the west, you need government approval for everything. A single family residential septic tank can cost $20,000 or more. So what more could be said about a building. There are plenty of centers actually. The Georgia center is in zoning limbo and a big house was purchased in California which has really nice land. However, I doubt many people can stay at a time. Georgia has potential to be big, but they are waiting for the land trust to expire which should happen soon. On the other hand, it is controlled by Ven U Mangala because it was his donor. It is listed as a Pa-Auk place, but it really is not fully controlled by Pa-Auk. The California place is under full control of Pa-Auk.
There are centers in Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, S. Korea, sort of one in India, sort of one in Vietnam, and Singapore. The best thing to do is go to Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar
Thanks bhante. … actually I searched to much about pa auk centre in India…but I got no luck …
R u sure there is pa auk monestry in India…can u give me details…
There is no details on pa auk web site about it…
Please help …thanks …
I heard there is a monk named Venerable Subhūti (no relation to me) who has a center. I heard his place is very very very strict. I’m not sure about what is going on now with that place. There is also an ex monk who started a place. I think there are two na-uyana monks living there this vassa. You can contact na-uyana to find out more. There is also a brand new center in Nepal (built by Vietnamese devotees) which would be accessible to you. You will have to contact pa-auk email to find out more details.
Just to conclude my previous message… make sure you have zoning (planning commission) all complete or even secured before purchasing land. The rest of the world is doing things like usa now. The best or easiest thing is to buy a motel or some other place that already has permission for residents to live there. But there are vinaya issues if the rooms are connected internally to lay people.