Which is more meritorious: doing a lot of donations and charity as a lay person, taking care of one’s parents, and practicing 5 precepts for one’s entire life or ordaining as a monk and practicing the Dhamma? What about in the case where a monk fails to attain jhana? I think all monks who observe the 227 rules and have good teachers can attain jhana if they practice hard, but I’m just asking about a hypothetical scenario. Does a monk have opportunities to do a lot of good deeds like lay people?
In the suttas, there are plenty of times where the “stay a lay person and offer dana” is a failed/bad justification for not ordaining.
That’s interesting. Could you provide some suttas where that is mentioned?
Raṭṭhapāla MN82 is the most famous…
While enjoying sensual pleasures, delight in making merit.
bhuñjanto pivanto paricārento kāme paribhuñjanto puññāni karonto abhiramassu.
Also MN67
18.8 ‘Formerly, as laypeople, we amused ourselves, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation.
‘mayaṁ kho pubbe agāriyabhūtā samānā pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappitā samaṅgībhūtā paricārimhā.
18.9 And it’s true that my family is wealthy.
Saṁvijjanti kho pana me kule bhogā.
18.10 I can both enjoy my wealth and make merit.’
Sakkā bhoge ca bhuñjituṁ puññāni ca kātun’ti.
18.11 They resign the training and return to a lesser life.
So sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati.
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