How does this align with dāna being the first of the 10 paramis?
For some information on the importance of dāna and caga (relinquishment) please see here:
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/perfections.html#generosity
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The term, dāna, is simply not mentioned in the noble eightfold path. Brahma-vihara is Kullaka-vihara ‘Family-meditative state’, not Mahapurisa-vihara, which is Sunnata-vihara ‘Emptiness-meditative state’. Cf. pp. 12, 62 in Choong Mun-keat’s The Notion of Emptiness in Early Buddhism.
Generosity is required for everything on the path.
Even when you are meditating, you are giving. Giving what? Your time, your energy, your attention, your effort to the practice.
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With respect, imho, the sutta does not point to an “ungenerous arahant.” In the absence of avijjā and all defilements, what is left “to be” generous or ungenerous? In this sense, all “liberated minds”, arahants, are without distinction. This is perhaps what the Buddha pointed to in AN 5.31.
Whereas, during the cultivation/practice stage, the Buddha clearly points to the benefits of generosity. For example see MN 140: For this is the ultimate noble generosity, namely, Eso hi, bhikkhu, paramo ariyo cāgo yadidaṁ— letting go of all attachments. sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo. (Ven. Sujato).
As Ven. Analayo has written in “Comassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation”, https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/5-personen/analayo/compassionemptiness.pdf ), the qualities of mettā, karunā, and the other Brahmaviharas radiate naturally with Realization – no longer needing to be cultivated.
So while pre-arahants need to cultivate dāna and other wholesome qualities, the arahants, being utterly free of self-view and hindrances, can’t be labeled generous or ungenerous any more than space can be labeled in these ways.
While the khandas are still present, aspects of personality will remain until parinibbāna. So maybe some appear to be gruff to other beings – but can a citta liberated from greed, anger, and ignorance, not being here, there, or anywhere, be “ungenerous”?
Hope not! 
I think parsing words in this narrow manner can lead to a false impression of what the noble eightfold path, and Buddhist practice in general is all about.
Giving, relinquishment, letting go of things, a generosity of heart and mind, and a lack of miserliness lead to a wholesome quality of mind essential for progress along the path.
-“Buddhism begins with generosity”
Ven. P.A. Payutto, Buddhadhamma- The Laws of Nature and their Benefits to Life, p. 932-933
also from the same:
“The practice of generosity and self-sacrifice helps to enhance and beautify
the mind. It makes the mind receptive, obliging, and intent on goodness.
It fortifies the mind, integrates wholesome intentions, and prepares
the mind for relinquishment. It makes the mind clear, spacious, relaxed,
and bright. It is conducive to concentration, to mental purification, and
to higher spiritual states. The delight and happiness of generosity alone is
greatly beneficial to one’s meditation, to the development of tranquillity
and insight. For this reason, laypeople who have reached a level of
awakening are still dedicated to the act of giving and sharing.”
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Choong doesn’t really make much of a case, merely referring his reader to the entry for kullakavihāra in the PTS dictionary. The dictionary gives only one citation for the term, in the Vinaya’s account of the Second Council. Indeed this appears to be the only place in the Pali Tipitaka where the term is found.
Pace Choong, the term is used only as a term for mettabhāvanā, not all four brahmavihāras.
More importantly, the passage in question – a dialogue between two arahants – conveys no implication that kullakavihāra (whose meaning, btw, seems rather uncertain) is in any way a term of slight or that it denotes something inferior to mahāpurisavihāra.
As you can see, Ven. Brahmali has rendered it “noble meditation”, presumably on the grounds that kūlas are high-class families.
Getting up early in the morning, Sabbakāmī said to Revata,
“My friend, what’s your main meditation?”
“My main meditation, Sir, is good will.”
“Your meditation is noble (kullaka), for good will is a noble meditation.”
“In the past, too, when I was a householder, I habitually practiced good will, and now it’s my main meditation. Besides, I attained perfection long ago. But what’s your main meditation?”
“My main meditation is emptiness.”
“Your meditation is that of a great man, for emptiness is the meditation of a great man.”
“In the past, too, when I was a householder, I habitually practiced emptiness, and now it’s my main meditation. Besides, I attained perfection long ago.”
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It is very likely that the Buddha did not teach the 4 brahma-vihāras. This is because the 4 brahma-vihāras are not part of the paths in the Maha Vagga of SN/SA.
It’s true they don’t occur often in the Mahāvagga, but nonetheless they are to be found in five suttas in the Mahāvagga’s Bojjhangsamyutta: SN46.54, SN46.62, SN46.63, SN46.64 and SN46.65, wherein it’s taught that they may serve as a basis for development of the seven factors of enlightenment.
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Out of curiosity, why does the maha vagga of SN determine what the Buddha taught, and not other books/chapters of SN or other nikayas?
It’s a pet theory. Not mainstream.
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Thanks for this information.
The term, Brahma-vihara, is not found in the mentioned texts.
Well, that’s true, but it’s an exceedingly trivial truth, given that the term brahmavihāra is absent in the vast majority of suttas that teach development of mettā, karuṇā, muditā and upekkhā. Sometimes they get called “immeasurables” (appamaññā) but mostly they’re given no name at all (just like in the Jain and Hindu texts that treat of these four qualities).
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The Maha Vagga (which is mainly about the path for the cessation of dukkha), and also other Vaggas of SN/SA, are regarded (by
Ven. Yin Shun, and others) as the earliest Buddhist texts in Early Buddhism.
Cf.:
- How much earlier are they than Udana, Sutta Nipata, or AN?
- How does that prove that the Buddha didn’t teach the contents of AN?
AN for example has a lot of suttas that contain caveat information that changes a lot of mainstream interpretations. To say that AN is not the teaching of the Buddha would be a very big deal.
I can understand saying that the Vissuddhimagga isn’t the word of the Buddha, or the Jataka stories, but to say the other 3 main nikayas aren’t is quite a leap.
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This is an issue about EBTs (such as the four Nikayas/Agamas).
EBTs are just texts, some compiled/edited early, some later. EBTs were gradually developed and expanded. EBTs were not entirely established at once at the first council in complete form (structure) and content. The extant EBTs are sectarian texts. One can seek an understanding of early Buddhist teachings by studying them comparatively.
The 4 formulas (immeasurables) are not called Brahma-vihara in the SN/SA texts.
Mettā by itself is so named in Thag14.1, while all four are so named in DN17 and MN83.
Thank you for the sutta information.
It’s the first step towards liberation , so I wouldn’t recommend skipping it ! 
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“Mendicants, without giving up these five qualities you can’t enter and remain in the first absorption. What five? Stinginess with dwellings, families, material possessions, praise, and the teachings. Without giving up these five qualities you can’t enter and remain in the first absorption.
But after giving up these five qualities you can enter and remain in the first absorption. What five? Stinginess with dwellings, families, material possessions, praise, and the teachings. After giving up these five qualities you can enter and remain in the first absorption.”
“Mendicants, without giving up these five qualities you can’t enter and remain in the second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption … or realize the fruit of stream-entry … the fruit of once-return … the fruit of non-return … perfection. What five? Stinginess with dwellings, families, material possessions, praise, and the teachings. Without giving up these five qualities you can’t realize perfection.
But after giving up these five qualities you can enter and remain in the second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption … and realize the fruit of stream-entry … the fruit of once-return … the fruit of non-return … perfection. What five? Stinginess with dwellings, families, material possessions, praise, and the teachings. After giving up these five qualities you can realize perfection.”
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