When his foster mother, Mahāpajāpati Gotamī, offers a robe to the Buddha, he encourages her to offer it to the Saṅgha instead. He then classifies offerings directed to individuals, contrasts them with those directed to the Saṅgha, and explains four kinds of offering purification.

The Buddha explains the difference in the results of giving disrespectfully and giving with respect. Recalling his past life as the brahmin Velāma, he shows that inner purity and wisdom surpass even the grandest charity—feeding one with right view, cultivating loving-kindness, or realizing impermanence even for a brief time brings far greater fruit than any lavish gift.

The brahmin Subha asks the Buddha why humans experience such inequality in lifespans, health, wealth, and birth. The Buddha gives a detailed exposition of kamma, showing how specific wholesome and unwholesome actions—like killing, anger, generosity, and humility—bring their corresponding results in the human realm.

The Buddha shares in poignant terms his observations on the agitation all beings experience which led to his urgency to awaken. He then shares on the path to awakening and describes the dwelling of an awakened being.

Using the analogy of a capable cowherd, the Buddha outlines eleven qualities for spiritual growth, including understanding, diligent inquiry, self-restraint, and loving-kindness. As a good herdsman tends his cattle, so a wise bhikkhu tends the mind, cultivating the care and discernment that lead to growth, fulfillment, and mastery in the Dhamma and Vinaya.

After the lay disciple Nandamātā is visited by the deity Vessavaṇa, she recounts the event to the venerable Sāriputta. She then lists her seven wonderful and marvelous qualities, including profound equanimity in the face of tragedy, her attainment of the four jhānas, and her attainment of non-returning.

The Buddha distinguishes pleasant abidings in the here and now from the way of effacement leading upwards to complete quenching. Effacement is shown as the gradual chipping away of defilements through restraint, cultivation of the noble eightfold path, and diligent training, culminating in the complete freedom of Nibbāna.

The young brahmin Subha questions the Buddha about whether householders or renunciants are superior and what brings the greatest merit. The Buddha explains that he evaluates actions with discernment, and then teaches the path to companionship with Brahmā through cultivation of the qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity.

The Buddha shares the benefits of developing a mind of loving-kindness based on his direct knowledge.

The Buddha shares the three bases for making merit through 1) giving, 2) ethical conduct, and 3) cultivating a mind of loving-kindness.

The Buddha shares the three kinds of best confidence - 1) in the Buddha, 2) in the mental quality of fading of desire, and 3) in the community of the Blessed One’s disciples.

The Buddha distinguishes between two types of giving, sharing, and assistance—those based on material things and those based on the Dhamma. In each case, giving, sharing, and assisting with the Dhamma are declared the highest.

The Buddha shares the importance of giving, sharing, assisting and making an offering of the Dhamma.

Where children honor their mother and father, those families are said to dwell with Brahmā.

The Buddha describes how the spiritual life is lived in mutual dependence between monastics and householders for the sake of crossing over the flood and for the complete end of suffering.

A young deity recites a verse to the Buddha about the shortness of life and the importance of doing meritorious deeds.

The Buddha describes the four streams of merit, outflows of good, and supports for ease. The fourth quality is generosity.

The Buddha answers the venerable Puṇṇaka’s questions about the sacrifices made by sages and brahmins, the nature of their desires, and who has truly crossed over birth and old age.

The Buddha describes the foremost of his lay disciples in various categories.

The Buddha describes the foremost of his female lay disciples in various categories.

The Buddha shares the importance of recollection of the Buddha, Dhamma, Saṅgha, one’s virtue, generosity, deities, in-and-out breathing, death, body, and peace.

The Buddha teaches about integrity, gratitude, how one can repay one’s parents, action and non-action, who to make offerings to, persons who are internally or externally fettered, and the importance of right practice and well grasp of the Dhamma. The chapter gets its name from the <a href="/an2.36" class="inline-link">AN 2.36</a> discourse.

Where children honor their mother and father, those families are said to dwell with Brahmā.

The Buddha teaches the laywoman Suppavāsā that giving food bestows life, beauty, happiness, and strength upon the recipient and, in turn, upon the giver. Such generosity, especially toward those accomplished in conduct is very fruitful.

The Buddha describes five suitable times for giving a gift - to a guest, traveler, sick person, during famine, and to the virtuous.

The giver of food gives five things to the recipients - life, beauty, happiness, strength, and eloquence. They also find happiness as a result of their giving.

The Buddha describes the seven kinds of wealth in brief, of 1) faith, 2) virtue, 3) conscience, 4) fear of wrongdoing, 5) learning, 6) generosity, and 7) wisdom.

The Buddha describes the seven kinds of wealth in detail, of 1) faith, 2) virtue, 3) conscience, 4) fear of wrongdoing, 5) learning, 6) generosity, and 7) wisdom. One who possesses these is not truly poor, and their life is not lived in vain.

Migāra of Rohaṇa is a wealthy man, but even his riches are vulnerable to the vicissitudes of life, unlike the seven kinds of wealth the Buddha describes which cannot be taken away.

The Buddha describes the seven wonderful and marvelous qualities of the householder Hatthaka of Āḷavi. When he learns about this from a certain bhikkhu, Hatthaka is concerned if any other householder heard the praise. Learning of this, the Buddha adds contentment as the eighth wonderful and marvelous quality of Hatthaka.

The Buddha explains eight kinds of giving, including giving out of fear, giving to maintain a good reputation, and giving to purify the mind.

Wholesome giving along with faith and a sense of right and wrong is the way of practice that leads to the world of gods.

The Buddha describes eight motivations for giving, including giving out of desire, aversion, and fear.

The Buddha explains eight kinds of rebirth that arise from giving, determined by one’s aspiration and purity of virtue.

Depending on the extent of one's practice of giving and ethical conduct, one is reborn in human and various heavenly realms if one has not undertaken cultivation of the mind.

The Buddha explains the eight gifts of a true person, including giving what is pure, excellent, and at the proper time.

When a cowherd is murdered shortly after serving the Buddha a meal, the monks report the tragedy. The Buddha responds with an inspired utterance, revealing that a wrongly directed mind inflicts even greater harm on oneself than what an enemy may do to an enemy.

Dhammapada verses 221-234 emphasize abandoning anger, conceit, and mental defilements while cultivating restraint in body, speech, and mind. The verses highlight overcoming harmful actions by giving and speaking truth, the inevitability of criticism, and the value of moral discipline. Those intent on Nibbāna, ever watchful, and well-restrained are beyond reproach and honored even by the gods.