206: Benefits of Being a Monk (Sāmaññaphala Sutta)

Over 2,600 years ago, on a full moon night at Jīvaka’s mango grove near Rājagaha, King Ajātasattu—haunted by guilt for killing his father—approached the Buddha with a simple but profound question: What are the benefits, in this life, of being a monk? The Buddha’s response, later known as the Sāmaññaphala Sutta, unfolded into one of the most comprehensive teachings on the spiritual path.

In this episode, we explore how the Buddha skillfully led the king from worldly examples of freedom and simplicity toward the deeper benefits of renunciation—ethical discipline, sense restraint, mindfulness, contentment, and meditative joy. As the mind becomes purified through these practices, one experiences the gradual release from greed, hatred, and delusion, culminating in the peace of awakening.

A timeless dialogue on guilt, forgiveness, and liberation, this discourse reminds us that freedom begins not in heaven or the next life—but in the transformation of the heart and mind here and now.

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Sayar Myat: 0:02

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa,Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa, Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa. Theravada Buddhism series, Dhamma talk number twenty nine. Samanya Palasutta Discourses on the benefits of being a monk. It is a very long discourse, but here we are going to talk summary of that discourse. Samanya Palasutta was delivered by the Buddha around two thousand six hundred years ago on the full moon day of November at Jewakat Mango Grove Garden near the city of Rajagahat, which is in the Magadha Kingdom. The country is Magadha. This Suda was brought about by the question posed by the king. Ajata Sutta of that kingdom. This king, Ajatasutta, killed his father, King Bing Msara, to take the throne so that he could take it earlier than what normally would if he had to wait the king's normal passing away. And it was done at the urge or manipulation of the Bhikkhu Devadatta. Times went on, and after this son's rebirth, the king was depressed with the guilt of killing his father. Now he knows how a father felt for his son. He can imagine how his own father would feel for him. And he got depressed. Filled with anxiety and worry, he could not sleep at night. Because of that, he posed a question to the sixth religious leader of that time, assuming that there might be an antidote to cure his depression, worries, and anxiety. And the question posed was like this: What are the benefits in this life of being a monk? The answer those leaders gave did not meet his expectation. However, there was another religious Buddha, religious leader, the Buddha. He did not dare to approach the Buddha even though he had met and known the Buddha before. The king was involved in the assassination attempt to kill the Buddha twice by Dewadatta. And also he killed his own father, who's a devotee and a prominent supporter of the Buddha and his monks. On that year, on the full moon day of November, he devised a strategy to see the Buddha. He asked his ministers where to get a proper answer for his questions. His ministers and advisors suggested the name of the religious leaders they follow. But he did not respond to their advice as he had seen them already without getting any good answer. Just silent because the physician knew the king had supported Devadatta and assassination attempts to the Buddha. So the king turned to Jivakat and asked him whether he had anyone to suggest. Only then did Jewakar tell seeing the Buddha, who was with 1,250 monks at the mango grove garden that Jivaka had donated. And this Jivaka garden was not too far from the capital city of Rajagahat. The king took that opportunity and ordered Jivaka to prepare a visit right away to the Buddha at the same night. When they approached the garden, he found it was too quiet. It doesn't sound like over a thousand monks were residing there. The king became suspicious and a little scared and questioned Jewaka that he planned to kill him. The vision said, No my lord, and then took the king to the Buddha who was sitting in front of a group of monks. The king, with the guilt of his past wrong deeds, was uncomfortable. He thought that it would be great if his sons were quiet like the monks. So the Buddha opened a friendly conversation by asking whether the king thought of his son Utiasidak. That's the name of King's son. Utiasidak. The king was quite relieved and paid proper respect and asked permission to ask a question. Obtaining Buddha's consent, he asked Hermits and monks who are practicing for the betterment of their next life. Do they have any benefits in this life? Then the Buddha asked him whether he had asked this question to anybody, anyone. The king replied that he had asked to six other religious leaders and give the accounts of their answers. Only then the Buddha asked him by posing a scenario. If one of his slaves decided to become a monk and lived and practiced accordingly to the disciplines and rules, would he tell him to come back to do his chores at the palace? The king replied, No, my lord. Instead, I would even support him with all his needs as a monk. The Buddha said then that freedom is the benefit the slave gets by being a monk. That was the first answer to his question. Immediate benefit of being a monk in this life. But I didn't stop there and ask him another posing another scenario. A farmer who pays taxes every year decided to become a monk. Would you still ask him to labor? And would you still collect taxes from him? The king said, No, my Lord. I would even support and assist him for his needs as a monk. The Buddha said that freedom to work for money and pay taxes. Freedom. As a lay person is the benefit of being a monk. During the Buddha's reign, many people who met and listened to the Buddhist Dharma developed great sada, faith and confidence, and they became monks. And these monks would three types of sila precepts. The first one is the lesser sila or lesser precept, such as five precepts or eight precepts. The second one is the medium level, midjima sila. It's related with livelihood. The monks were forbidden to have a livelihood, to make money, and own properties. That's in short. By not engaging with any kind of livelihood, you have disconnect yourself with the human activities of lay people. Cut off all the social activities. For those who are familiar with Pali. Badi Mukat Sangwara. The monk rejoice in the happiness of being faultless in deed and speech. By observing those disciplines and precepts, they enjoy in the happiness of being faultless in deed and speech. And to keep this sila firm and strong, they practice sixth sense control that keeps faults away from the objects at the sense door. They practice sixth sense control that keeps faults away from the objects at the sixth sense door. In Pali Ingriak Sangwarak, observing the sixth senses. The happiness which is devoid of greed and anger Apyasaka Sukha Next They practice mindful and sensible living. In Palit Satisambhana. This practice transforms one's thought patterns. Change. Once your thought change, your deed change, your speech change. The monks rejoice in the happiness of the faultlessness. In deed, speech and thought. This one is go farther into thought level. The first one is only deed and speech. The monks then practice contentment. Contentment. Contentment in food and clothing and shelter and in medicine. Nothing extravagant. Just average. Just enough to sustain the body. And they live in the happiness of being content. So there are four. First of all is Silak Bhadimaka Samarak. The second one is sense control. Indriat samwarat. The third one is Siddhit Sambhanyak. And the fourth is contentment. Santukat. A monk or a Hamid with the above four qualities can go to the forest alone and practice samatha meditation to eliminate the five hindrances. Niwaranat. You remember these five hindrances from day one we start practicing, we talk about it. So I'll present these five hindrances with example. Sandrasaya is like having a debt to pay back. Tina Meda is like a prison closed from everything, every progress, every knowledge. Odija goguja. Restlessness and remorse. It's like a slave. A slave has only time to work for the master, but no time for himself or herself. And wij kija doubt is like a dangerous journey. Those are the burden you carry if you have five hindrances. Dead to pay, full of the season, ill health, being like in prison, like a slave, and on a dangerous journey. By eliminating the five hindrances, by eliminating the five hindrances with the power of jhana concentration, you eliminate these burdens. And when eliminating with the jhana, it goes step by step. At the first jhana, if one attain first jhana, happiness of freedom from the five hindrances, you get the happiness of freedom from five hindrances. At the second jhana, one enjoys joy and rupture. These joy and rupture are produced by second jhana concentration. The third jhana brings the happiness of bliss due to the absence of piti rupture. Bliss without rupture. Rupture is very close, relatively speaking, to bliss. And peaceful. And that one is called Nippitika Sukat. And at the fourth jana, the yogi enjoys the stillness. Nothing but stillness and peace. When you eliminate the five hindrances, these are the happiness one enjoys step by step. Next, the man practice vipassana inside meditation. Vipassana gives a monk the understanding of the true nature of body and mind. That the body is simply the combination of four great elements which are breaking down all the time. And Nama consciousness is the awareness that depends on the body. The key thing is awareness that depends on the body. That one understands with vipassana. The next step is to develop a lot of abilities, let's call it abilities. I won't go too deep into it. One is Manomay Deep Abhinya. It's whatever you can create things whatever you are thinking. You can create the rupa of whatever you are thinking. Next one is Adivara. You have a lot of psychical power. Flying in the sky, walk on water, go through the mountains. Deepa sought up. One can hear the faintest sounds from the faraway land. If one wishes it. So these are the I call it abilities, supernormal abilities. One can develop and have these things. Finally, the highest benefit a man can obtain in this life is called aswakaya jnana. Realization of the full noble truth. Or you can call it arahata magat. This arahata magat uproots all kilesha and eliminates all form of suffering. Right in this life, the king was filled with faith and confidence, saddha. And asked the Buddha to recognize him as a devotee and a significant supporter of the triple gems, Buddha Dhamma and Sangha. He confessed the murder of his father with great remorse and asked for forgiveness. The Buddhas had past wrong actions, could not be changed. But if you live with guilt on it, you will become worse. You will create more bad karma. The first step to forgiveness is. Sincerely admitting one's fault, one's wrong action, then develop means to overcome it. Finally, pledge to yourself, pledge oneself not to commit such wrong actions again. These three steps will open up the path of progress and can be free of consequence of the wrong actions to a certain degree and gain happiness. But only by reaching Aratamag, becoming the fourth noble person, can one be free of all past karma. Before that you can free up to a certain point, you can gain some happiness, but to be totally free one has to attain Arathamagat. After that discourses, the king happily went back to his palace. The Buddha told his monk, if the king had not killed his father, he would have reached Sotapana Megad. He would have become the first dream winner after listening to the benefits of a monk or hermit in this very life. But now as he had killed his father, he had lost that opportunity. That's all the Buddha said. But in the commentary, the great elders said the king would suffer in hell for sixty thousand years and then be reborn as a human and became a silent Buddha. We see the key and after that will pass away to Nippana. King Ajatasutta sponsored the first Buddhist council three months after the passing away of the Buddha. He sponsored the whole thing. So that the future generation of Buddhist can depend, can depend on the Dharma as taught by the Buddha. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu. Thank you very much.