The Fruits of the Contemplative Life (佛說寂志果經) — What the Buddha Taught a King in 8 Minutes

About this text

The Sutra on the Fruits of the Contemplative Life (佛說寂志果經) is one of the most comprehensive and dramatic discourses in the Long Āgama. Set against a backdrop of royal anxiety and moral crisis, it presents a full account of what a person truly gains by following the Buddhist path, from ethical restraint to final liberation.

The sutra opens in Rājagṛha, where King Ajātaśatru, burdened by guilt and inner unrest, seeks relief from sorrow. His ministers suggest pleasure, entertainment, power, or consultation with rival teachers. Only the royal physician Jīvaka proposes a different remedy: to visit the Buddha. Hesitant and fearful, the king finally agrees and approaches the Buddha under torchlight, struck by the profound stillness of the monastic assembly — a silence unlike anything he has encountered before.

Once before the Buddha, the king asks a direct and practical question: What visible benefit does one obtain in this very life by becoming a renunciant? To answer, the Buddha does not argue abstractly. Instead, he guides the king step by step through the entire path, beginning with the simplest fruits and moving gradually toward the highest realization.

First come the ethical fruits: freedom from fear, remorse, and social conflict through non-killing, non-stealing, truthfulness, and restraint. Next are the fruits of contentment and simplicity, as the practitioner abandons excess possessions, social entanglements, and deceptive livelihoods. With sense restraint and mindfulness established, the mind becomes inwardly protected and calm.

From this foundation, the Buddha describes the four meditative absorptions (jhānas) — states of deep joy, clarity, equanimity, and unshakable stability. Building upon concentration, the practitioner then develops supernormal knowledges: recalling past lives, seeing the rebirth of beings according to karma, and penetrating the minds of others. These abilities, however, are presented not as goals, but as by-products of disciplined practice.

The teaching culminates in the destruction of the defilements. Through insight into suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path, the practitioner realizes complete liberation. At this point, the Buddha declares, the contemplative life has yielded its final fruit: the end of rebirth, the completion of the holy life, and unshakable freedom.

Deeply moved, King Ajātaśatru confesses his grave wrongdoing and seeks refuge. The Buddha acknowledges his remorse and affirms that sincere repentance opens the door to future progress. The sutra closes with the king offering support to the Buddha and the sangha, and with celestial beings rejoicing in the teaching.

The 佛說寂志果經 stands as a master exposition of the entire Buddhist path, showing that renunciation is not escape from life, but the most meaningful response to suffering — yielding peace, clarity, and liberation step by step.

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Credits

Dedication:
With gratitude to Wayne Tang,
towards your and your family's path to clarity, compassion, and liberation.

Narration, Script & Research: Created entirely through NotebookLM and supporting AI tools
Source: CBETA Taishō Canon T0022 — 佛說寂志果經
Produced by: The Dharma × Tech Foundation