1At Sāvatthī.sn.v.400 "Bhikkhus, there are these four streams of merit, streams of the wholesome, nutriments of happiness. What four?

"Here, bhikkhus, a noble disciple possesses confirmed confidence in the Buddha thus: ‘The Blessed One is an arahant, perfectly enlightened, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.’
This is the first stream of merit, stream of the wholesome, nutriment of happiness.

2"Again, bhikkhus, a noble disciple possesses confirmed confidence in the Dhamma thus: ‘The Dhamma is well expounded by the Blessed One, directly visible, immediate, inviting one to come and see, applicable, to be personally experienced by the wise.’
This is the second stream of merit, stream of the wholesome, nutriment of happiness.

"Again, bhikkhus, a noble disciple possesses confirmed confidence in the Saṅgha thus: ‘The Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is practising the good way, practising the straight way, practising the true way, practising the proper way; that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals— this Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.’
This is the third stream of merit, stream of the wholesome, nutriment of happiness.

3"Again, householder, the instructed noble disciple possesses the virtues dear to the noble ones— unbroken, untorn, unblemished, unmottled, freeing, praised by the wise, ungrasped, leading to concentration.[n.320] The terms describing the noble one's virtue are explicated at Vism 221–22 (Ppn 7:101–6). Spk says that noble ones do not violate (na kopenti) the Five Precepts even when they pass on to a new existence; hence these virtues are dear to them.
This is the fourth stream of merit, stream of the wholesome, nutriment of happiness.

4"When, bhikkhus, a noble disciple possesses these four streams of merit, streams of the wholesome, it is not easy to take the measure of his merit thus: ‘Just so much is his stream of merit, stream of the wholesome, nutriment of happiness’; rather, it is reckoned as an incalculable, immeasurable, great mass of merit.

5"Bhikkhus, just as it is not easy to take the measure of the water in the great ocean thus: ‘There are so many gallons of water,’ or ‘There are so many hundreds of gallons of water,’ or ‘There are so many thousands of gallons of water,’ or ‘There are so many hundreds of thousands of gallons of water,’ but rather it is reckoned as an incalculable, immeasurable, great mass of water;

so too, when a noble disciple possesses these four streams of merit … it is reckoned as an incalculable, immeasurable, great mass of merit."

6This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:

7"Just as the many rivers used by the hosts of people,
Flowing downstream, finally reach the ocean,
The great mass of water, the boundless sea,
The fearsome receptacle of heaps of gems;

8"So the streams of merit reach the wise man—
Giver of food, drink, and clothes,
Provider of beds, seats, and coverlets[n.360] Reading with Se and Ee seyyā-nissajja-ttharaṇassa, as against Be seyyāni-paccattharaṇassa. —
As the rivers carry their waters to the sea." sn.v.401

1"Cattārome, bhikkhave, puññābhisandā, kusalābhisandā, sukhassāhārā. Katame cattāro?

Idha, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti – itipi so bhagavā … pe … satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti. Ayaṁ paṭhamo puññābhisando, kusalābhisando, sukhassāhāro.

2Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako dhamme … pe …

saṅghe … pe … .

3Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgato hoti akhaṇḍehi … pe … samādhisaṁvattanikehi. Ayaṁ catuttho puññābhisando, kusalābhisando, sukhassāhāro. Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro puññābhisandā, kusalābhisandā, sukhassāhārā.

4Imehi kho, bhikkhave, catūhi puññābhisandehi kusalābhisandehi samannāgatassa ariyasāvakassa na sukaraṁ puññassa pamāṇaṁ gaṇetuṁ: ‘ettako puññābhisando, kusalābhisando, sukhassāhāro’ti. Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāpuññakkhandhotveva saṅkhyaṁ gacchati.

5Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahāsamudde na sukaraṁ udakassa pamāṇaṁ gaṇetuṁ: ‘ettakāni udakāḷhakānī’ti vā ‘ettakāni udakāḷhakasatānī’ti vā ‘ettakāni udakāḷhakasahassānī’ti vā ‘ettakāni udakāḷhakasatasahassānī’ti vāti. Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāudakakkhandhotveva saṅkhyaṁ gacchati.

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, imehi catūhi puññābhisandehi kusalābhisandehi samannāgatassa ariyasāvakassa na sukaraṁ puññassa pamāṇaṁ gaṇetuṁ: ‘ettako puññābhisando, kusalābhisando, sukhassāhāro’ti. Atha kho asaṅkhyeyyo appameyyo mahāpuññakkhandhotveva saṅkhyaṁ gacchatī"ti.

6Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:

7"Mahodadhiṁ aparimitaṁ mahāsaraṁ,
Bahubheravaṁ ratanagaṇānamālayaṁ;
Najjo yathā naragaṇasaṅghasevitā,
Puthū savantī upayanti sāgaraṁ.

8Evaṁ naraṁ annapānavatthadadaṁ,
Seyyāni paccattharaṇassa dāyakaṁ;
Puññassa dhārā upayanti paṇḍitaṁ,
Najjo yathā vārivahāva sāgaran"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.