About dana and the term sponsorship

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asahi
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About dana and the term sponsorship

Post by asahi »

Can both be synonymous in buddhism ?
Dana is the virtue of generosity , charity or making offering or giving of alms in Indian .
Sponsoring is provide funds for (a project or activity or the person carrying it out).
But i have seen when peoples donating to monastics ie monks and building temple etc they used sponsoring . :thinking:

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JamesTheGiant
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Re: About dana and the term sponsorship

Post by JamesTheGiant »

Seems the same to me, just different language for the same thing.
asahi
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Re: About dana and the term sponsorship

Post by asahi »

JamesTheGiant wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:17 am Seems the same to me, just different language for the same thing.
I thought the term meaning are different .
So , when a person in a company wanting to advertise his product brand and using his company name to sponsor his product for an event such as sports activity , would that equivalent to giving dana to monks ? Would you say you give dana to sports activity ? For people or organisation sponsoring for monks or monastery or oldfolks although they are gaining merits but that appear to be without spiritual direction . :roll:
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Sam Vara
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Re: About dana and the term sponsorship

Post by Sam Vara »

asahi wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:06 am
JamesTheGiant wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:17 am Seems the same to me, just different language for the same thing.
I thought the term meaning are different .
So , when a person in a company wanting to advertise his product brand and using his company name to sponsor his product for an event such as sports activity , would that equivalent to giving dana to monks ? Would you say you give dana to sports activity ? For people or organisation sponsoring for monks or monastery or oldfolks although they are gaining merits but that appear to be without spiritual direction . :roll:
There are three terms here. Giving is easy to understand. Sponsoring has the slight difference that something (usually money) is given for a specific purpose. It can involve associating the giver or sponsor with the thing sponsored, as when someone sponsors something in exchange for advertising on that product; sports shirts, for example, or a name-plate on a donated building.

Dana can either be straightforward giving, as when food is given to a monastery for them to distribute it as they think fit. Or it can be a form of sponsorship, as when someone gives money specifically for some Dhamma texts to be printed. And their name can go on the texts or not, according to preference and protocol.
asahi
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Re: About dana and the term sponsorship

Post by asahi »

Sam Vara wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:28 am
asahi wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:06 am
JamesTheGiant wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:17 am Seems the same to me, just different language for the same thing.
I thought the term meaning are different .
So , when a person in a company wanting to advertise his product brand and using his company name to sponsor his product for an event such as sports activity , would that equivalent to giving dana to monks ? Would you say you give dana to sports activity ? For people or organisation sponsoring for monks or monastery or oldfolks although they are gaining merits but that appear to be without spiritual direction . :roll:
There are three terms here. Giving is easy to understand. Sponsoring has the slight difference that something (usually money) is given for a specific purpose. It can involve associating the giver or sponsor with the thing sponsored, as when someone sponsors something in exchange for advertising on that product; sports shirts, for example, or a name-plate on a donated building.

Dana can either be straightforward giving, as when food is given to a monastery for them to distribute it as they think fit. Or it can be a form of sponsorship, as when someone gives money specifically for some Dhamma texts to be printed. And their name can go on the texts or not, according to preference and protocol.
Thanks .
I was wondering if sponsor has an Pali equivalent other than dana ?
Last edited by asahi on Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Dhammanando
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Re: About dana and the term sponsorship

Post by Dhammanando »

asahi wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:43 am I was wondering if sponsor has an Pali equivalent other than dana ?
A person who sponsors a monk, in the sense of being his regular provider of alms, is called an upaṭṭhāka. As here, for example:
Tena kho pana samayena āyasmato upanandassa sakyaputtassa upaṭṭhāko mahāmatto āyasmato upanandassa sakyaputtassa dūtena cīvara­ce­tāpannaṃ pāhesi— “iminā cīvara­cetā­pan­nena cīvaraṃ cetāpetvā ayyaṃ upanandaṃ cīvarena acchādehī”ti.

At that time a minister who was a supporter/sponsor of Venerable Upananda sent a robe fund to Upananda by messenger, saying, “Buy a robe with this fund and give it to Venerable Upananda.”
The related verb is upaṭṭhahati and action noun upaṭṭhāna. Upaṭṭhāna is indeed classed as a form of dāna.

All three words are ambiguous, however, for a personal attendant (e.g., Ven. Ånanda) is also called an upaṭṭhāka.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
asahi
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Re: About dana and the term sponsorship

Post by asahi »

Dhammanando wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:22 am
A person who sponsors a monk, in the sense of being his regular provider of alms, is called an upaṭṭhāka. As here, for example:
Tena kho pana samayena āyasmato upanandassa sakyaputtassa upaṭṭhāko mahāmatto āyasmato upanandassa sakyaputtassa dūtena cīvara­ce­tāpannaṃ pāhesi— “iminā cīvara­cetā­pan­nena cīvaraṃ cetāpetvā ayyaṃ upanandaṃ cīvarena acchādehī”ti.

At that time a minister who was a supporter/sponsor of Venerable Upananda sent a robe fund to Upananda by messenger, saying, “Buy a robe with this fund and give it to Venerable Upananda.”
The related verb is upaṭṭhahati and action noun upaṭṭhāna. Upaṭṭhāna is indeed classed as a form of dāna.

All three words are ambiguous, however, for a personal attendant (e.g., Ven. Ånanda) is also called an upaṭṭhāka.

It seems in upananda case the minister better describe as the supporter , servitor and follower in religious context instead of secular sponsorer . Not sure if i am right though .


Concise Pali-English Dictionary
upaṭṭhāka : (m.) a servitor; a nurse; a follower.

Concise Pali-English Dictionary
upaṭṭhāna : (nt.) waiting on; looking after; service; understanding.

:thanks:
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