Ultimate Goal Of Being Sramana

Having offered great dana, King Milinda invited all the bhikkhu to return the monastery for rest, and then asked only ten Bhikkhu together with Venerable Nagasena for dharma dícussion

The King politely invited the monks for having upper

seat while he and his officers sat in lower póition, then he stated”

-Venerable, I am ready.

-O King, so am I. Please giving your talk.

-Venerable, how interest and noble thing an ordained life can bring about?

-King! The ordained life has four benefits to be achieved:

The first, there is no more suffering caused by arising of aggregates, or named as “suffering bỉrth”.

The second, no more miserableness caused by destruction of aggregates or “suffering of old-age”.

The third, no more suffering when the five aggregates fighting and lead to pain, tired, uncomfortable… or called suffering of sickness”.

The fourth, no more suffering caused by perishing of aggregates or “suffering of death”.

 

The changing, destroying and ceasing of the five aggregates from birth, old age, illness to death – the ordained one if always keeps in mind and contemplates of these will lead to be free from affliction, gloom, depression, unhappiness – these are not normal benefits, king!

 

-It’s right! It is really great benefit for our lives. Venerable, is there any good qualities, the real noble character of an ordained one?

-King, the renounced one will be under the control of birth, old age, sickness, death no more. He attains a great ease and bliss state which is over all secular and worldly happiness, which transcends out of thought and language: it is nirvana in conventional understanding. Here, there is no existence of samsara or affliction. This is the highest meaning of all, king!

The joyful king goes on:

-Are all the Sramanas with such inspiration?

-Oh king! The highest goal of sramana is like that but among the sanga community there are seven types of monks who are ordained with various aims:

1.To run away from national law, one ordains.

2.To be closer to the high rank people and aristocrat, one ordains.

3.To have certain position or being a leader of a temple or community monks, one ordains.

4.To solve the jobless and get free accommodation matter, one ordains.

5.To avoid the enemies in the case of without protection, one ordains.

6.To hide from debt, one ordains.

7.To be away from samsara and end all suffering, one ordains.

With these clear answers from Venerable Nagasena, King Milinda sounds him out:

-Then you must belong to the seventh group of ordained people. And Nagasena replied:

-Not really! I left home to be a sangha member when I was a little child so there was no certain aim. After growing up under the instruction and nurture of the most venerables my mind has been opened for little. Now I can say the liberation from the circle of birth-death and eliminate all defilements are my ultimate goal. It is not a lie anymore!

Hearing these humble words from Nagasean king Milinda with full reverence, kneed down and stated loudly:

-How bless and noble you are!

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