The Buddha teaches on food, presenting a fourfold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 4.59 Food

“Bhojanaṁ, bhikkhave, dadamāno dāyako paṭiggāhakānaṁ cattāri ṭhānāni deti. Katamāni cattāri? Āyuṁ deti, vaṇṇaṁ deti, sukhaṁ deti, balaṁ deti. Āyuṁ kho pana datvā āyussa bhāgī hoti dibbassa mānusassa vā. Vaṇṇaṁ datvāsukhaṁ datvābalaṁ datvā balassa bhāgī hoti dibbassa mānusassa vā. Bhojanaṁ, bhikkhave, dadamāno dāyako paṭiggāhakānaṁ imāni cattāri ṭhānāni detīti.

Yo saññatānaṁ paradattabhojinaṁ,
Kālena sakkacca dadāti bhojanaṁ;
Cattāri ṭhānāni anuppavecchati,
Āyuñca vaṇṇañca sukhaṁ balañca.

So āyudāyī vaṇṇadāyī,
sukhaṁ balaṁ dado naro;
Dīghāyu yasavā hoti,
yattha yatthūpapajjatī”ti.

Navamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Bhojanaṁ, bhikkhave, dadamāno dāyako paṭiggāhakānaṁ cattāri ṭhānāni deti.

“Mendicants, when a donor gives food, they give the recipients four things.

Katamāni cattāri?

What four?

Āyuṁ deti, vaṇṇaṁ deti, sukhaṁ deti, balaṁ deti.

Long life, beauty, happiness, and strength. …”

Āyuṁ kho pana datvā āyussa bhāgī hoti dibbassa mānusassa vā.

Vaṇṇaṁ datvāsukhaṁ datvābalaṁ datvā balassa bhāgī hoti dibbassa mānusassa vā.

Bhojanaṁ, bhikkhave, dadamāno dāyako paṭiggāhakānaṁ imāni cattāri ṭhānāni detīti.

Yo saññatānaṁ paradattabhojinaṁ,

Kālena sakkacca dadāti bhojanaṁ;

Cattāri ṭhānāni anuppavecchati,

Āyuñca vaṇṇañca sukhaṁ balañca.

So āyudāyī vaṇṇadāyī,

sukhaṁ balaṁ dado naro;

Dīghāyu yasavā hoti,

yattha yatthūpapajjatī”ti.

Navamaṁ.

Qualities:

Happiness

Happiness

Bodily ease and comfort; a pleasant feeling experienced with the body. In the third jhāna, one dwells experiencing this pleasure with the body. It is abandoned, along with bodily pain, for the fourth jhāna to arise.

Also known as: pleasant abiding, positive state of mind, sense of ease
Pāli: sukha
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Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026