The Swan Soars High: Do Not Let the Prosecutor in Your Heart Wrongly Condemn Others

Have you ever heard someone speak ill of another person, only to find that their story suddenly sounds quite reasonable? From that moment on, do you begin to view that person with different eyes? Perhaps this seems like a very ordinary occurrence. However, according to the Buddha’s teachings, it is precisely this "ordinariness" that acts as one of the strongest winds sweeping away the compassion we are trying to cultivate.

Why do we enjoy thinking negatively about others?

During the time when the Buddha was alive, while He was staying in Rajagriha for the rainy season retreat, He announced at its conclusion that He would travel to teach the Dharma. The monks busily prepared their robes and bowls. Only Venerable Mahakashyapa remained leisurely, unhurried, and serene, as if nothing were happening. Some monks immediately thought poorly of him, saying, "He must be attached to the city of Rajagriha, wanting to stay behind with wealthy relatives to enjoy their offerings." The Buddha knew their thoughts, corrected them, and praised the venerable monk with a famous verse:

"Self-encouraged in mindfulness, unbound by any home, like a swan soaring high, leaving behind the small pond."

This verse affirms that a true practitioner always maintains mindfulness, is not tied down by worldly homes, and soars high like a swan leaving a small pond. In this story, even the monks—disciples of the Buddha—sometimes spoke ill of an outstanding senior disciple. This shows that human psychology has not changed from ancient times to today. As Venerable Thich Chan Quang taught:

"The nature of humans has always been the same. That is, we still love to speak ill of others and think ill of them. It is a very common, yet very ordinary, psychological tendency."

He further noted that up to ninety percent of people prefer to think negatively about others, while only one or two percent prefer to think positively. It is from these negative thoughts about one another that we create harmful conditions across many lifetimes. This is why the world constantly tests our morality.

Let the Lawyer in Your Heart Stand Up to Defend

Within each of us lies a courtroom of the heart. This court has a prosecutor who sees only faults and condemns, and a lawyer who seeks to defend and mitigate blame. If there is only a prosecutor and no lawyer, as Venerable Chan Quang warned:

"If in our hearts, in the courtroom of our hearts, there is only the prosecutor and no lawyer, then we are demons."

When we see someone make a mistake, we should learn to justify their actions, seeking out causes and circumstances to realize that their fault may actually be reduced to only three or four parts. This is empathy. To cultivate such a holy lawyer within ourselves, we must practice for at least five to ten years.

The same event can lead to two completely different perspectives depending on whether the mind is good or bad:

A smile might be seen by a negative mind as "rude and fake," but by a positive mind as "a joyful and peaceful heart."

Intense eye contact might be judged by a negative mind as "thieving eyes," but by a positive mind as "high concentration."

Walking quickly might be labeled by a negative mind as "like a robber," but by a positive mind as "agile and efficient."

If you wish to think well, your thoughts will become good; if you wish to think badly, they will become bad. Therefore, let us start practicing thinking well first. It is better to be slightly gullible than to let our minds become diseased with prejudice.

Rather Be Betrayed Than Betray Others

There is a famous quote attributed to Cao Cao: "I would rather betray others than let others betray me." This saying has led many to live selfishly, defensively, and deceitfully. But in this teaching, Venerable Thich Chan Quang reversed it:

"I would rather be betrayed by others than betray them myself."

Thinking well of others might lead to being deceived in some cases. But it is far better than having our souls shrink and our path of practice close off. If someone thinks well of us, we feel more at peace. Conversely, if we are always suspicious, we lose trust and deceive ourselves. Choose the peace of the mind.

The Fairness of Cause and Effect (Karmic Law)

The Buddha defended Venerable Mahakashyapa not merely out of teacher-student affection. He wanted to stop negative ideas from spreading within the Sangha, because if left unchecked, the speaker would incur karma. At the same time, He wished to maintain fairness: good people must be respected. The Buddha was careful with every action because He clearly understood cause and effect (karmic law). Venerable Chan Quang emphasized:

"Do not think the Buddha is outside cause and effect (karmic law). Anyone who believes that practicing a high-level method allows them to escape cause and effect (karmic law) will immediately fall into animal rebirth."

In life, if our rewards and punishments are excessive or insufficient, the excess becomes our karma. Therefore, only when we possess transcendent wisdom, clearly seeing the degree of goodness or badness in people, can we avoid being bound by samsara (cycle of rebirth).

The Swan Soars High – The Practice of Great Virtue

The life of Venerable Mahakashyapa is an endless epic. Born into an extremely wealthy family, he was pressured by his parents to marry. He tried to avoid this by demanding a bride as beautiful as a golden statue, unaware that he would meet Bhadra—a woman who also had spiritual roots. They married but maintained pure conduct, abstaining from sexual desire. After their parents passed away, they divided their wealth and renounced the world together. Upon meeting the Buddha, both attained Arhatship. At that point, Mahakashyapa told his wife they must live separately to align with monastic discipline. She agreed, and legend says the earth trembled, moved by her sacrifice of romantic love.

The image of the swan soaring high, leaving the small pond behind, represents a practitioner who has let go of all worldly attachments. Each of us can also be a swan: learning to let go of petty thoughts and narrow prejudices, allowing our hearts to expand as wide as the blue sky.

Please do not let the courtroom in your heart contain only a prosecutor. Allow a compassionate lawyer to stand up and defend. Try to live by the message the teacher shared: "I would rather be betrayed by others than betray them myself." This is the first step to opening our hearts, and naturally, like the swan, we will soar high.