Amisadana, Āmisadāna, Āmiṣadāna, Amisha-dana, Amishadana: 4 definitions

Introduction:

Amisadana means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

The Sanskrit term Āmiṣadāna can be transliterated into English as Amisadana or Amishadana, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

[«previous next»] — Amisadana in Mahayana glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Āmiṣadāna (आमिषदान) refers to “material generosity”, according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter 36.—Accordingly, “material generosity (āmiṣadāna) is the root (mūla) of all good dharmas. Condemning avarice (mātsarya) in many ways and praising generosity (dāna) is called ‘recollection of material generosity’ (āmiṣadāna-anusmṛti)”.

Mahayana book cover
context information

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

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General definition (in Buddhism)

[«previous next»] — Amisadana in Buddhism glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-samgraha

Āmiṣadāna (आमिषदान) or simply Āmiṣa also refers to the “gift of material things” and represents one of the “three kinds of gifts” (dāna) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 105). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., āmiṣa-dāna). The work is attributed to Nagarjuna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.

Languages of India and abroad

Pali-English dictionary

[«previous next»] — Amisadana in Pali glossary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary

āmisadāna : (nt.) donation of requisites (i.e. food, lodging, etc).

Pali book cover
context information

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.

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Sanskrit dictionary

[«previous next»] — Amisadana in Sanskrit glossary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Āmiṣadāna (आमिषदान):—[=āmiṣa-dāna] [from āmiṣa] n. (with Buddhists) gift of material things (one of the three kinds of charity, the others being dharma-d° and maitrī-d°), [Dharmasaṃgraha 105].

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

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See also (Relevant definitions)

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