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The Fruits of the Ascetic Life: Debt, Illness, Prison, Slavery and the Desert Road
Training the mind

The Fruits of the Ascetic Life: Debt, Illness, Prison, Slavery and the Desert Road

Yathā iṇaṃ yathā rogaṃ yathā bandhanāgāraṃ

The Buddha compares a mind still holding the five hindrances to a debtor, a gravely ill man, a prisoner, a slave and a traveller in a dangerous wilderness — and a mind free of them to those same people once they are released.

7 points

In the Sāmaññaphala Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya, Sīlakkhandha Vagga, having led the fruits of the ascetic life up to the point where a monk is accomplished in virtue, guards the sense faculties, has mindfulness and clear comprehension and is content, the Buddha describes the abandoning of the five hindrances and explains it with five similes in a row.

The five are not monastic images. They are the ordinary miseries everyone of that time knew: being in debt, being gravely ill, being imprisoned, being a slave, and travelling a long road through a wilderness where food is scarce and danger is close. The point of every simile lies in the moment of getting out.

He then describes what follows of itself: seeing the hindrances abandoned in oneself, gladness arises; in one who is glad, joy arises; with a joyful mind the body becomes tranquil; with a tranquil body one feels happiness; and with happiness the mind becomes concentrated. Only then does the first jhāna follow.

  1. 1

    A man who clears his debt Ānaṇyaṃ

    A man borrows capital to run a business; in time the business succeeds, he pays off the original loan in full and still has a profit left to support his family. He gains gladness and joy on account of that debtlessness.

    Applying it in daily life

    Write down the unfinished things you are carrying, then actually close one of them this week. The relief will be larger than you expected.

  2. 2

    A man who recovers from illness Ārogyaṃ

    A man is gravely ill, unable to eat, without bodily strength; later he recovers, can eat again and has his strength back as normal. He gains gladness and joy on account of that health.

    Applying it in daily life

    On a day when your body is simply fine, take a moment to register it, instead of noticing your body only when it hurts.

  3. 3

    A man released from prison Bandhanā mokkhaṃ

    A man is confined in prison; later he is released safely, without danger, and without losing any of his property. He gains gladness and joy on account of that release.

    Applying it in daily life

    Notice what keeps your mind pacing in the same cell — refreshing news or rereading the same chat — and shut it off for part of the day.

  4. 4

    A man freed from slavery Bhujissaṃ

    A man is a slave, not his own master, dependent on another, unable to go where he wishes; later he is freed, becomes his own master, no longer dependent, and can go where he likes. He gains gladness and joy on account of that freedom.

    Applying it in daily life

    Look at what you do mainly because you are watching someone's face for approval, and pick one thing to decide on your own reasoning instead.

  5. 5

    A traveller who reaches safe ground Khemantabhūmiṃ

    A man with wealth travels a long road through a wilderness where food is scarce and danger is at hand; later he crosses it and reaches a safe, secure village unharmed. He gains gladness and joy on account of that safe ground.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you come through a hard stretch, pause long enough to register that you are safe now. Don't jump straight into the next thing.

  6. 6

    Unabandoned hindrances are a weight you cannot see Pañca nīvaraṇe appahīne attani samanupassati

    The Buddha concludes that a monk regards the five hindrances not yet abandoned in himself as a debt, as an illness, as a prison, as slavery, and as a desert road — and regards them, once abandoned, as debtlessness, health, release from prison, freedom, and safe ground.

    Applying it in daily life

    Next time the mind won't settle, ask which of the five you are in right now: in debt, ill, imprisoned, enslaved, or out in the wilderness. Naming it makes the problem visible.

  7. 7

    What follows of itself Pamuditassa pīti jāyati

    Seeing the five hindrances abandoned in oneself, gladness arises; in one who is glad, joy arises; with joy in the mind the body becomes tranquil; with a tranquil body one feels happiness; and in one who is happy the mind becomes concentrated. Only then does the discourse move into the first jhāna — it does not begin by forcing the mind to be still.

    Applying it in daily life

    If sitting in meditation leaves you tense, step back one rung: lighten the mind first by setting down what is unfinished, and concentration comes far more easily than by force.

Try it in daily life

This set of similes gives one tool you can use every day: pricing what you are carrying. A mind clogged with wanting, resentment, dullness, restlessness or doubt does not feel heavy at the time, because we grow so used to it that it seems like the normal state — like someone in debt so long they forget what being out of debt felt like.

The easiest experiment is ten minutes a day in which you genuinely set the unfinished business down and then notice what happens. Don't try to become calm; just notice that when the weight lifts, the lightness comes on its own.

The discourse also points out the order: ease comes first, then joy, then bodily tranquillity, then happiness, and only then concentration — not forcing the mind to be still from the start.

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