I was reading this excerpt from itivutakka
ยง 26. {Iti I.26; Iti 18}
This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have
heard: "If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving & sharing,
they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of
selfishness overcome their minds. Even if it were their last bite,
their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared, if
there were someone to receive their gift. But because beings do not
know, as I know, the results of giving & sharing, they eat without
having given. The stain of selfishness overcomes their minds."
==============================================
Thanissaro translated the pali word as "selfishness".
B.Bodhi translated it as "niggardliness", which dictionary.com defines
as extreme stinginess, Grudging and petty in giving or spending.
Meanly small; scanty or meager: left the waiter a niggardly tip. John
Ireland translated the term as "meanness", which happens to be a
synonym of stinginess, but I did not realize that until looking it up.
anyone have thoughts on this? I'm not so much interested in exactly
which translation is best, as much as how it would shed light on the
meaning of the entire passage. What is the benefit of sharing that the
Buddha perceives, that an ordinary arahant wouldn't see, a stream
enterer would see, or even a mudane worldling who has opened the
divine eye would can see the results of kamma, the death and
reappearance of beings?