Tears More Than the Ocean: A Lesson from a Young Novice

Have you ever stood before the ocean and wondered: between the tears of humanity and the vast sea, which is greater? The answer given by a young novice monk in today’s Dhammapada lesson may change the way you see life.

## Opening Story: A Bowl of Porridge and a Piece of Cloth

Once, there was a poor Brahmin, a friend of the elder Sāriputta. He felt ashamed of his poverty, yet his devotion allowed him to save a bowl of fine porridge and a beautiful piece of cloth to make offerings to the one foremost in wisdom. After his death, he was reborn into a wealthy lay family as the novice Tissa. Though young, Tissa was loved and respected by all, who made offerings to him. But this very affection became an obstacle, forcing him to leave the monastery to seek solitude deep in the forest.

## Learning to Let Go of Fame and Gain

While still at Jeta’s Grove Monastery, Tissa was beloved by many lay devotees and received ample offerings. Yet the love of family and followers became bindings, leading him to ask his teacher for permission to go into the deep forest. This was a courageous act: letting go of existing fame to seek something far nobler—awakening. As the Buddha taught, seeing attachments as not true happiness, he set out on his path.

## Three Profound Answers

When the Buddha took Tissa to a mountaintop and asked about the great ocean, the young novice replied:

“Venerable Sir, upon seeing the sea, I understand that the tears of beings are more than the waters of the ocean.”

Upon seeing the vast earth, he said:

“Venerable Sir, upon seeing the great earth, I understand there is no place where the bodies of beings are not buried.”

Hearing the cries of forest animals, he expressed:

“Venerable Sir, upon hearing the forest creatures cry out, how my heart loves the wild woods.”

These three answers were not exaggerations, but a profoundly logical truth. The ocean or the earth is finite, but the tears and bodies of beings across countless cycles of rebirth are boundless. Once we see this truth, we can no longer live as before.

## Between Earth and Sea: The Truth of Impermanence

Look at our lives: we are often busy building castles on sand—fame, wealth, status. Yet the wave of impermanence will wash it all away. We weep over our own pain, forgetting that this very pain has repeated across countless lifetimes. And in that pain, driven by greed, hatred, and delusion, we have committed innumerable errors.

There is a story of a mother dog who gave birth to her pups and then ate them. When asked why, the teacher explained that while it is unnatural for beasts to devour their young, this dog was cursed from a past life: having vowed that if she committed a grave wrong, she would consume her own offspring. This is clear testimony to the law of cause and effect—the tears and suffering of beings rise and fall beyond measure.

## Worldly Pleasure and the Bliss of Nirvana

The Buddha’s verse in this teaching is very clear:

The bliss of nirvana differs from worldly pleasure. Let the monk, a disciple of the Buddha, understand this clearly. Do not be lost in fame and gain; cultivate the way of detachment.

Fame and gain are only temporary, while the happiness of nirvana is eternal. When we learn to let go, to live simply and in stillness, we begin to see real value. The novice Tissa chose this path, and it was through this that the Buddha himself came to visit and praise him.

Let today’s lesson change your perspective. Do not accumulate more tears for samsara. Turn your mind toward liberation, beginning with the practice of meditative concentration, living in detachment amidst everyday life, and letting go of petty concerns. Only then will we find true peace.