Buddha, knowing the householder’s heart, that his great charity was now the moving cause—­untainted and unselfish charity, nobly considerate of the heart of all that lives—­he said: 

“Now you have seen the true doctrine, your guileless heart loves to exercise its charity:  for wealth and money are inconstant treasures, ’twere better quickly to bestow such things on others.  For when a treasury has been burnt, whatever precious things may have escaped the fire, the wise man, knowing their inconstancy, gives freely, doing acts of kindness with his saved possessions.  But the niggard guards them carefully, fearing to lose them, worn by anxiety, but never fearing ‘inconstancy,’ and that accumulated sorrow, when he loses all!  There is a proper time and a proper mode in charity; just as the vigorous warrior goes to battle, so is the man ’able to give’—­he also is an able warrior; a champion strong and wise in action.  The charitable man is loved by all, well-known and far-renowned! his friendship prized by the gentle and the good, in death his heart at rest and full of joy!  He suffers no repentance, no tormenting fear, nor is he born a wretched ghost or demon! this is the opening flower of his reward, the fruit that follows—­hard to conjecture!  In all the six conditions born there is no sweet companion like pure charity; if born a Deva or a man, then charity brings worship and renown on every hand; if born among the lower creatures, the result of charity will follow in contentment got; wisdom leads the way to fixed composure without dependence and without number, and if we even reach the immortal path, still by continuous acts of charity we fulfil ourselves in consequence of kindly charity done elsewhere.  Training ourselves in the eightfold path of recollection, in every thought the heart is filled with joy; firm fixed in holy contemplation, by meditation still we add to wisdom, able to see aright the cause of birth and death; having beheld aright the cause of these, then follows in due order perfect deliverance.  The charitable man discarding earthly wealth, nobly excludes the power of covetous desire; loving and compassionate now, he gives with reverence and banishes all hatred, envy, anger.  So plainly may we see the fruit of charity, putting away all covetous and unbelieving ways, the bands of sorrow all destroyed:  this is the fruit of kindly charity.  Know then! the charitable man has found the cause of final rescue; even as the man who plants the sapling thereby secures the shade, the flowers, the fruit of the tree full grown; the result of charity is even so, its reward is joy and the great Nirvana.  The charity which un-stores wealth leads to returns of well-stored fruit.  Giving away our food we get more strength, giving away our clothes we get more beauty, founding religious rest-places we reap the perfect fruit of the best charity.  There is a way of giving, seeking pleasure by it; there is a way of giving, coveting to get more; some also give