Monks, if beings knew, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of selfishness obsess them and take root in their minds. Even if it were their last bite, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared it, if there were someone to share it with.

But because beings do not know, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they eat without having given, and the stain of selfishness obsesses them and takes root in their minds.

If beings knew what The Perfectly Enlightened One said, how the result of sharing has such great fruit, then, subduing the stain of selfishness with brightened awareness, they’d give in season to The Noble Ones, where a gift brings great fruit.

Having given food as an offering to those worthy of offerings, many donors, when they pass away from here, the human state, go to heaven.

They, having gone there to heaven, rejoice, enjoying sensual pleasures. Unselfish, they take part in the result of sharing.

(Reference: ITI 18)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares his perspective of the results of giving and sharing that it leads to significant results for one’s mind.

This Teaching combined with other Teachings shared by The Buddha help a Practitioner understand that through practicing generosity and other Teachings, one is able to experience Enlightenment.

In another Teaching, The Buddha attributes his attainment of Enlightenment as a Perfectly Enlightened Buddha to his practice of generosity in this life and past lives. Combined with this Teaching, a Practitioner can understand that to attain Enlightenment one would need to have a well developed practice of generosity.

The Buddha is explaining in this statement “if beings knew, as I know, the results of giving and sharing” that the results of giving and sharing are the attainment of Enlightenment. With the mind being so peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy for an Enlightened being, if beings understood this mental state, “they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of selfishness obsess them and take root in their minds. Even if it were their last bite, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared it, if there were someone to share it with”.

Since beings are unaware of the Enlightened mind and how peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy that is experienced and that generosity is an important quality of mind to accomplish this goal, The Buddha shares that “beings do not know, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they eat without having given, and the stain of selfishness obsesses them and takes root in their minds”.

One part of the pollution of mind described as “ignorance (unknowing of true reality)” is that the unEnlightened mind does not understand the benefits of giving and sharing through a well developed practice of generosity. Since beings are “unknowing of true reality” they continue to be selfish allowing craving/desire to obsess the mind. Through training the mind to practice generosity, one can be liberated from the stain of selfishness and all the other pollution of mind that keep it trapped in the unEnlightened state.