[101] "But, venerable sir, is it possible to point out yet another fruit of the ascetic life (sāmaññaphala), likewise visible in this very life (sandiṭṭhika)?"
"It is possible, great king. Well then, great king, I shall question you in return on this very point; answer it as you see fit. What do you think, great king? Suppose you had a man who was a farmer, a householder, one who does the service due, one who swells the stores. He might think: 'How wonderful indeed, sirs, how marvelous indeed, sirs, is the destination of merit (puñña), the ripening of merit! For this King Ajātasattu Vedehiputta of Magadha is a human being, and I too am a human being. Yet this King Ajātasattu Vedehiputta of Magadha amuses himself, endowed and furnished with the five strands of sensual pleasure (kāmaguṇa), like a god, I should think; whereas I am his farmer, his householder, one who does the service due, one who swells the stores. Surely I ought to do deeds of merit. What if I were to shave off my hair and beard, clothe myself in the ochre robes, and go forth from the household life into homelessness?' Then after some time, having abandoned a small mass of wealth or having abandoned a great mass of wealth, having abandoned a small circle of relatives or having abandoned a great circle of relatives, he would shave off his hair and beard, clothe himself in the ochre robes, and go forth from the household life into homelessness. Having thus gone forth, he would dwell restrained in body, dwell restrained in speech, dwell restrained in mind, content with the mere sufficiency of food and covering for the body, delighting in seclusion. And suppose certain men were to report this to you: 'May it please Your Majesty to know: that man of yours—the farmer, the householder, the one who does the service due, the one who swells the stores—he, sire, has shaved off his hair and beard, clothed himself in the ochre robes, and gone forth from the household life into homelessness. Having thus gone forth, he dwells restrained in body, dwells restrained in speech, dwells restrained in mind, content with the mere sufficiency of food and covering for the body, delighting in seclusion.' Would you then say: 'Let that man come back to me, sirs; let him once again be a farmer, a householder, one who does the service due, one who swells the stores'?"
"Certainly not, venerable sir. Rather, we ourselves should pay homage to him, we should rise up for him, we should invite him to a seat, we should invite him to accept robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick; and we should arrange for his lawful guarding, shelter, and protection."
"What do you think, great king? That being so, is there a fruit of the ascetic life visible in this very life, or is there not?"
"Assuredly, venerable sir, that being so, there is a fruit of the ascetic life visible in this very life."
"This, great king, is the second fruit of the ascetic life, visible in this very life, which I have pointed out to you."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.