The Story of King Ajatashatru

Summary

The talk was delivered during a winter retreat at New Hamlet’s Meditation Hall on January 17, 2013, and began as an introduction to a written Vietnamese summary of the retreat teachings that would soon be translated into English. The speaker explained that the retreat notes were intended as practical guidelines so participants could review what they had learned, assess their practice, and prepare for future Dharma talks. The audience was encouraged to read the material in advance and use it as a framework for understanding the retreat’s main teachings. A major portion of the talk retold a Buddhist historical narrative centered on King Bimbisara, his son Ajatasattu, and the young Siddhartha before enlightenment. Bimbisara was described as deeply impressed by Siddhartha’s mindful and peaceful manner, and he later invited him to become a spiritual teacher for the kingdom. Siddhartha declined because he had not yet found the path of liberation. The speaker emphasized Siddhartha’s renunciation of royal power and his commitment to seeking awakening. After enlightenment, the Buddha returned with a large community of disciples, including many from the Kashyapa tradition, and taught in Bimbisara’s kingdom. The story then shifted to Ajatasattu, whose craving for power led him to imprison and starve his father. Despite this, Bimbisara remained compassionate, reflecting the Buddha’s influence. Ajatasattu later became mentally tormented by guilt and fear, and the physician Jivaka advised him that only the Buddha could heal his suffering. When Ajatasattu finally approached the Buddha, he was struck by the serenity of the monastic community and asked why so many young people were drawn to monastic life. The Buddha’s answer, presented as the teaching on the “fruit of being a monastic,” highlighted the immediate benefits of monastic practice. The speaker explained that monastic life frees a person from slavery, social oppression, caste discrimination, and the burdens of property, reputation, and sensual craving. The monastic receives precepts not as restrictions but as sources of freedom: not stealing, not lying, and not using intoxicants are presented as ways to avoid bondage and fear. The talk stressed that monastics have time for mindfulness, concentration, sitting meditation, walking meditation, and direct contact with the wonders of life. Their peaceful presence itself was described as a social benefit, offering freshness, joy, and ethical stability even without political or economic action. This teaching transformed Ajatasattu’s state of mind, and he ultimately became a disciple; his mental illness was said to disappear after this encounter. The latter part of the talk moved into a philosophical exploration of impermanence, non-birth, non-death, and the Middle Way. The speaker challenged fixed mental categories such as existence versus non-existence, eternalism versus nihilism, and birth versus death. Using the example of a cloud, the talk explained that what appears to be birth and death is actually transformation: cloud becomes rain, snow, or vapor, but does not truly vanish. In the same way, a person is not identical to their younger self, yet not entirely different either. This was linked to the idea that the actor and the receiver of karma are neither the same nor separate in an absolute sense. The speaker repeatedly urged listeners to avoid rigid conceptual boxes and instead “write gently” on the river of change through direct insight. The talk also connected these ideas to Buddhist notions of non-return, nirvana, and Buddha nature. Non-return was described as freedom from falling back into fear, depression, and suffering. Nirvana was presented not as a distant reward but as something available in the present moment through practice. The speaker emphasized that enlightenment is not static or permanent in a simplistic sense; even enlightenment must be nourished through continued practice, just as joy must be sustained. The relationship between worldliness and holiness was explained through the image of mud and lotus: holiness arises from worldly conditions, and imperfection can be transformed into perfection. The speaker concluded that the essential question is whether one has a path. If one has the path, then one can transform suffering into joy, fear into freedom, and live with confidence in the present moment through mindfulness and walking meditation.