Miracles Are Real – So Why Don't the Saints Want Us to See Them?

Have you ever prayed for a miracle? A cup of water that cures every illness, a single sentence that suddenly changes your life? These longings are not bad in themselves, but if we chase them blindly, we may lose what matters most – our faith in cause and effect (karmic law). Today, let us listen together to Venerable Thích Chân Quang as he teaches about miracles, so we may understand their true nature.

What is a miracle?

According to the teacher, a miracle is not simply something wondrous. It must be a phenomenon that transcends the laws of nature, having no physical or biological origin. When we boil water, fire makes the water hot – that is physics. But if someone lifts the pot of water and it boils on its own, something science cannot explain, that is a miracle.

A miracle is something that has no physical or biological origin. It is a manifestation of extraordinary human ability, or a message sent to humanity by the divine.

Walking on water, walking on glowing embers, communicating with spirits, knowing the past and the future – these are all examples the teacher gives. Even the story of a banana tree blooming with a lotus flower before a Buddha statue on the mountain is a small miracle. But more important than anything, we need to see the psychological consequences that miracles bring.

When miracles make us forget cause and effect

Miracles always attract people. Anyone who sees someone with supernatural powers wants to come and worship, to make requests. But the teacher warns: it is precisely in that moment that we easily drift away from the law of cause and effect (karmic law). Instead of practicing and doing good deeds, we come to hope that a cup of the master's water will cure all illness, that a single prayer will change our lives.

A miracle attracts people but creates in us the expectation that our lives will be transformed, and it easily makes us lose faith in cause and effect (karmic law).

For example, a person with a serious illness will normally seek a doctor, take medicine, and do charitable works to create blessings from merit. But if they hear of a "miracle-working" master, they abandon all of this and only long for that cup of water. The result is that they receive no treatment, perform no good deeds, and their illness may never heal. Dependence on miracles is precisely the path that leads to suffering (dukkha).

The saints do not favor miracles

Throughout the history of meditation there are many stories showing that great monks were reluctant to display supernatural powers. One person spent thirty years training until he could fly across a river, yet another person needed only a single coin to hire a ferry. That comparison reminds us: extraordinary abilities are not the purpose of the path. Master Huệ Trung once rebuked a Tibetan monk who possessed the power to read minds, because that monk could only see the restless movements of others' minds, never the stillness where a saint abides. The master called him a "fox spirit" – a bewitching demon, not a saint.

Those saints who have attained high realization are very reluctant to display supernatural powers, because they know that miracles make people dependent and put them in a difficult position.

Meditation master Đặng Ẩn Phong used supernatural powers to end a war, but afterward he had to pass away because the deed was discovered. He took his final rest standing upside down, making it clear that using supernatural powers is a violation of the precepts on the path. Those who have attained realization do not wish to become objects of prayer, because such worship only makes sentient beings dependent.

Where does the true miracle lie?

So, are miracles something we should seek? Venerable Chân Quang teaches that a miracle is only a fleeting phenomenon, while the true miracle is the transformation of the heart. When we abandon greed, hatred and delusion, learn to love others, and return to living in accordance with cause and effect (karmic law) – that is the real miracle in life. A changed heart can accomplish a miracle greater than flying through the clouds or walking on water.

Look again at the banana tree that bloomed a lotus before the Buddha statue – a miracle born of sincerity. But that miracle made no one a better person if they merely sat and prayed. The true wonder is that each day we strive to do good deeds and keep our mind/heart pure.

Do you want a miracle? Begin today: do good, practice, live responsibly. Then you will realize that this life is already full of miracles – it is only that we often look the wrong way, searching for wonders outside ourselves while forgetting the marvelous transformation taking place right within our own mind/heart.