The Road of Life and the Path of the Way: Why You Need to Take One More Step?

Have you ever wondered why the more crowded and modern life becomes, the lonelier and more weary people feel? Why do some people give up their fortunes and fame to become monastics, and yet they smile with happiness? Could there be another road, more peaceful than the one we travel each day? Today, let us listen together to the profound sharing of Venerable Thích Chân Quang about two roads: the road of life and the path of the Way.

The Road of Life: The More Crowded, the Harder It Is; the More Crowded, the Colder It Becomes

Venerable Chân Quang opens his dharma talk with a very interesting observation: "On the road of life, when it is crowded, it becomes hard to travel. Take an ordinary highway, for example—if it gets too crowded, there will surely be traffic jams. So the nature of the road of life is that the more crowded it is, the harder it becomes." Indeed, on the road of fame and profit, people push and shove, compete, and even harm one another to claim victory for themselves. That crowdedness brings no joy; on the contrary, it makes people selfish, cold, and distant.

The Venerable tells of his hometown, where houses were sparse but human affection was deep—whenever there was something delicious, people would call one another to share. In the city, by contrast, houses stand wall to wall, yet neighbors may go years without a single greeting. He also humorously recounts having to wait for a neighbor's funeral as an excuse to visit and plant seeds of connection. It sounds funny, but it touches a truth: the more crowded things become, the more guarded and wary people grow, and the more barren their hearts become.

The Path of the Way: The More Crowded, the Easier It Is; the More Crowded, the Warmer It Becomes

Completely opposite to the road of life, the path of the Way has a miraculous quality: "the more crowded it is, the easier it is to travel." Why is that? Because "the mind of the Way, the heart of compassion, the inclination toward goodness—it is contagious." When we see many people sitting together listening to the teachings, chanting sutras, and turning toward goodness, we feel uplifted and more diligent in our practice. Like a small flame, when joined by many other flames, it blazes brilliantly. If we practice alone, we easily grow lazy and discouraged, but when we have companions on the path, we are reminded, encouraged, and we move forward together.

The Venerable emphasizes: "On the path of the Way, do not walk alone. The more people walking together, the more strength there is, and the easier the journey becomes." This advice is truly practical. Invite your family and friends to visit the temple and practice together. When the whole family turns toward the Buddha's teachings (Dharma), the worldly home becomes a home of the Way, and the road of life becomes the path of the Way. Happiness will overflow when everyone learns to yield, to listen, and to understand one another more deeply.

The Road of Life: The Clever and the Strong Prevail; The Path of the Way: Only the Virtuous Are Honored

On the road of life, people often use strength, cleverness, money, and power to dominate others. But on the path of the Way, the measure is entirely different. The Venerable asks: "On the path of the Way, who is the one who truly reigns?" And the answer is: "Only the virtuous one reigns." We bow before the monastics not because they are wealthy or powerful, but because they possess virtue, because they dared to renounce the world to seek the truth and to teach sentient beings.

The Venerable also playfully asks the lay Buddhists who is richer between himself and them. The answer made the whole hall burst into laughter: "The lay Buddhists are richer, because whatever assets the Venerables have, they spend building temples, casting Buddha statues, and doing the Buddha's work, while the lay Buddhists bury their money in the ground." Yet it is precisely because of this renunciation and service that the monastics deserve to be honored. This reminds us that a person's worth lies not in material things, but in character and in the heart.

The Road of Life: Sorrow, Joy, Love, and Hatred—Burdens That Wear Down the Soul

The road of life is a long stretch of rising and falling emotions: now sad, now joyful, now loving, now hating. If we look deeply, these emotions are in fact pressures weighing heavily upon the soul. The Venerable gives an example: "Even joy, as it appears, is only temporary. The Buddha often said this. The Buddha said that the pleasures of the world, the joys of the world—the price we pay to obtain them is far greater." To gain a small moment of pleasure, we must trade away so much effort and money, and sometimes even fall into wrongdoing.

The Venerable tells the story of a man sitting sadly with a glass of wine, recalling how twenty years earlier his father-in-law had pressed a gun to his face, forcing him to marry his daughter or go to prison. And the man exclaimed: "By now, I should have been released from prison." The story is both humorous and bitter, showing that choices that seem to bring happiness are sometimes the beginning of long days of weariness. If these sorrows, joys, loves, and hatreds keep accumulating, they will "plow our souls to pieces," leaving us utterly exhausted.

The Path of the Way: Serene Clarity—True Happiness

In contrast, the path of the Way brings us serene clarity. This clarity is not emptiness, but a state of peace and ease amid the turbulent currents of life. The Venerable affirms: "Serene clarity is true happiness." When our mind/heart grows still, we are no longer swept along by the ups and downs of emotion, we see everything more clearly, and we find genuine joy from within.

The Venerable advises: "If someone comes and says, 'Venerable, I love you,' then I know what will happen. Wherever there is the word 'love,' the word 'hate' is hiding somewhere nearby. And to love and to hate—what does that bring? It is nothing but suffering (dukkha)." Therefore, instead of chasing fleeting emotions, let us seek the clarity of mindfulness, so that the soul may rest and be healed.

The Road of Life: Calculation and Scheming; The Path of the Way: Keeping Precepts and Living Virtuously

Finally, the Venerable points out that on the road of life, people must calculate and scheme in order to survive. From calculating the basics of food, clothing, and money, we can gradually slide into scheming, deceit, and fraud. The Venerable warns: "Once you get used to lying and think nothing of it, the degree of your deception grows little by little, until one day you dare to claim to be a police colonel." Bad habits, if left unchecked, will lead us into grave mistakes. On the path of the Way, however, we learn to keep the precepts, to know clearly the boundary between good and evil, to live virtuously, and to stay far from what is unwholesome.

The road of life and the path of the Way differ in many ways, yet they are not entirely separate. We must still live on the road of life, but we can transform it into the path of the Way by living with awareness, goodness, and devotion to the Buddha's teachings (Dharma). Begin with the smallest things: visit the temple regularly, listen to the teachings, chant sutras, sit in meditation, and most importantly, invite others to come along. Do not walk the path of the Way alone, for the strength of companionship will help us overcome every obstacle. Let your road through life be illuminated by the golden light of the Way, and you will find true happiness right in the midst of a bustling world.