The Merits and Benefits of Monastic Ordination – Excerpt from "The Sūtra on the Merits of Monastic Life Spoken by the Buddha"

At that time, Ananda, with palms joined, addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, if a person enables others to leave home [to become monastics], or if there are those who leave home, and he provides for all their necessities, how much merit would they gain? Moreover, if someone destroys the causes and conditions for others to leave home, what retribution of offenses would they receive? I beseech you, World-Honored One, to fully explain this."

The Buddha told Ananda: "Even if you were to ask me about this matter for a full hundred years, using my inexhaustible wisdom, and excluding only the times for eating and drinking, and I were to explain extensively to you for a full hundred years, the merit and virtue of such a person still could not be exhausted. Such a person would constantly be reborn among gods and humans, always as a king, enjoying the bliss of gods and humans. If someone enables others to leave home within this Shramana Dharma, or if they assist the causes and conditions for leaving home, they will constantly experience happiness throughout the cycles of birth and death. Even if I spoke for a full hundred years about their blessings and virtue, it could not be exhausted. Therefore, Ananda, even if you were to question me exhaustively for your full lifespan of a hundred years, and I were to speak of this merit until my Parinirvana, I still could not exhaust it."

The Buddha told Ananda: "Moreover, if someone destroys the causes and conditions for others to leave home, it is tantamount to robbing them of an inexhaustible treasury of wholesome wealth and blessings, and destroying the causes for the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment and Nirvana. If there are those who wish to destroy the causes and conditions for leaving home, they should carefully contemplate such matters. Why is this so? Because of this sinful karma, they will fall into the hell realms, constantly blind and without eyes, suffering extreme torment. If reborn as an animal, they will also be constantly blind. If reborn among hungry ghosts, they will also be constantly blind. They will endure suffering in the three evil paths for a long time before gaining release.

If reborn as a human, they will be blind from the moment of conception in the mother's womb. Even if you were to ask about this meaning for a hundred years, and I were to explain the retribution for this offense for a hundred years with my inexhaustible wisdom, it still could not be exhausted.

Among the four paths [of rebirth], they will be born constantly blind. I would never predict a time when such a person will attain liberation. Why is this? It is entirely due to having destroyed [the opportunity for] leaving home.

One could have achieved boundless merit and virtue, but by destroying such wholesome causes and conditions, one incurs immeasurable offenses. Because of obstructing the leaving home, within this clear mirror of wisdom, for the sake of liberation and all wholesome dharmas.

If, seeing someone leaving home to cultivate pure precepts and heading towards the place of liberation, one destroys their leaving home, creating obstacles for them – because of this cause and condition, they will be born constantly blind, unable to see Nirvana. This is due to destroying the leaving home.

They should have constantly contemplated the twelve links of dependent origination, beginning with ignorance, and attained liberation. But because they destroyed the wisdom-eye of others and ruined the conditions for leaving home, obscuring the wisdom-eye, from life to life, they will be constantly blind, without eyes, unable to see the Three Realms. This is due to obstructing the leaving home.

Leaving home should enable one to perceive the five aggregates, the twenty kinds of self-view, and the true path of human destiny. By destroying the causes for leaving home and ruining right view, they will be born constantly blind, unable to see the true path.

Leaving home should enable one to see the assembly of all dharmas, the abode of wholesome dharmas. They should have beheld the pure Dharma-body of all Buddhas. But because they destroyed the wholesome causes and conditions for leaving home, they will be born constantly blind, unable to behold the Buddha's Dharma-body.

Because through leaving home one should possess the form and appearance of a Shramana and be a field of pure merit through upholding precepts, planting the causes for Buddhahood, but by destroying the leaving home, they sever all hope within the wholesome dharmas. Due to this karmic cause, life after life they will be constantly blind, because they destroyed the leaving home.

Leaving home should enable one to skillfully observe that all body and mind are suffering, impermanent, without self, and impure. By destroying another's leaving home, creating obstacles for them, they destroy this eye. Having destroyed this eye, they cannot see the Four Paths, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts, the Four Bases of Psychic Power, the Five Roots, the Five Powers, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the city of Nirvana. Due to this karmic cause, they will be born constantly blind, even unable to see the pure wholesome dharmas of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness leading towards the city of Nirvana.

Therefore, a person of wisdom, knowing what leaving home entails, should strive to accomplish such wholesome dharmas and not destroy the causes and conditions for wholesome dharmas, thereby incurring such offenses. Whoever destroys for others such causes and conditions for leaving home and the right view of a Shramana will never be able to see the city of Nirvana. They will be born constantly blind.

Moreover, if someone for a full hundred kalpas leaves home elsewhere, cultivating and upholding pure precepts...

Moreover, if someone in this Jambudvipa leaves home and upholds the precepts for even one day and one night, or even for a moment, purely leaving home – [the merit] surpasses sixteen parts; that hundred-kalpa practice of leaving home and upholding precepts does not equal even one sixteenth part of it.

If someone perversely commits sexual misconduct with sisters or daughters, or where one should not feel lust, forcibly generates stinginess and jealousy, the retribution of offenses here cannot be calculated or limited.

If there is a person who correctly considers and has the mind to leave home, wishing to abandon all evils...

Moreover, if someone destroys the causes and conditions for this person to leave home, preventing their aspiration from being fulfilled, the karmic retribution for this offense increases beyond the previous [offenses], multiplied again by a hundred kalpas.

At that time, Ananda again addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, the wholesome roots planted by this Vilasina, causing him to be born in a noble place where he will receive blessings and bliss – were they due to good deeds in past lives, or were they solely due to the merit of leaving home for just this one day and one night, that he received such blessings?"

The Buddha told Ananda: "You should not look to past causes and conditions. Because of this one day and one night of purely leaving home, this wholesome root enables him to receive blessings seven times among the Six Desire Heavens. For twenty kalpas he will constantly enjoy the pleasures of the world of birth and death. Finally, born as a human in a blessed and blissful family, when his prime has passed and his faculties are mature, fearing the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death, he will leave home, uphold the precepts, and become a Pratyekabuddha."

The Buddha told Ananda: "I will now give an analogy. You should listen well. Suppose the four continents – Purvavideha in the east, Jambudvipa in the south, Aparagodaniya in the west, and Uttarakuru in the north – were filled with Arhats, as numerous as rice, sesame, or a dense forest. If one person, for a full hundred years, devotedly provided for all these Arhats with robes, food and drink, medicine for illness, dwellings, bedding, and so forth until their Parinirvana. Afterwards, if he erected stupas and temples, adorned with various precious jewels, flowers, incense, garlands, banners, canopies, music, hung with precious bells, sprinkled with fragrant water, and with verses of praise made offerings – the merit gained thereby. If someone, for the sake of Nirvana, leaves home and receives the precepts, even for one day and one night, the merit of their actions compared to the former merit does not equal even one sixteenth part. For this reason, good men should leave home and cultivate pure precepts. All good men, all who desire merit, who seek wholesome dharmas, who receive the Dharma themselves, should not obstruct the causes and conditions for leaving home. They should diligently and skillfully encourage others to accomplish it." Then the great assembly, hearing the Buddha's discourse, all became weary of the world. Some left home and upheld the precepts, attaining the fruit of Stream-enterer up to Arhatship. Some planted the wholesome roots for Pratyekabuddhahood. Some aroused the mind of Supreme Bodhi. All were greatly joyful, reverently received it, and undertook to practice it.