From a Story of Intoxication: What We Wish for Others, We Become Ourselves

Long ago in the city of Savatthi, there was a group of women known to be close friends of Visakha. To please their husbands, they grew accustomed to pouring and offering wine. Little did they know, as the karmic law turned, they themselves gradually became addicted to alcohol without even realizing it. One day, the entire group arrived at the monastery intoxicated, making a loud commotion, singing, and even threatening to destroy the meditation hall. The Buddha had to use his supernatural powers to bring them to their senses. He then recited a profound verse:

"What joy is there when life is being consumed by flames, and darkness shrouds all? Why not seek a lamp?"

This small story opens up a great lesson about karma, our inner world, and the traps we easily fall into.

What We Wish for Others, We Receive Ourselves

Venerable Thích Chân Quang points out clearly: the law of cause and effect (karmic law) lies not only in actions, but also in intention. When the wives poured wine for their husbands with the wish to make them happy, they themselves became the ones addicted to alcohol. Likewise:

Someone who is jealous of a classmate's good grades and wishes for them to fail will gradually become lazy themselves. A teacher who wholeheartedly imparts knowledge, wishing for their students to excel, will be reborn with sharp wisdom. Someone who wishes for their child to live a life of pleasure will be born into a lineage inclined toward indulgence.

"What we wish for others is what we ourselves will achieve. What we wish to receive, we must also wish for and help others receive."

Therefore, we must be careful with our hidden wishes. Do we wish for those around us to improve or to deteriorate? Do we wish for them to practice the path or to go astray? This is the very path we are drawing for ourselves.

Wine and the Open Door of Vulnerability

Why does wine cause so much wrongdoing? Wine itself is not inherently evil, but it has the power to awaken deeply embedded habits within us. When alcohol enters the brain, it stimulates the nerves, causing anger, delusion, greed, and desire to erupt violently. People who are drunk are prone to fighting, speaking rashly, and committing offenses. And most dangerously, when our mind loses its clarity, Mara seizes the opportunity to enter.

"Mara is extremely cunning and malicious, watching for any vulnerability in our minds to infiltrate and lead us to perform actions that destroy merit, and especially to undermine the Buddha's teachings (Dharma)."

It is not only the invisible Mara, but also corrupt forces in the world easily connect with us when our minds have vulnerabilities. As long as we harbor greed for money, power, or fame, we can be exploited by others and become instruments for destroying the Dharma. For this reason, the Buddha taught absolute abstinence from alcohol. Not because wine is terrible in itself, but because it flings open the door to these forces.

Karma is Not Cruelty

At this point, Venerable Thích Chân Quang reminds us of a dangerous misunderstanding: many people see the poor or the sick and say, "that is their karma, let them bear it." This is completely wrong. The karmic law does not teach us to be indifferent. On the contrary, the law of cause and effect (karmic law) opens a path of loving-kindness:

"Karma is an open correlation. What we reap today is also the karma from past lives. But within that past-life karma lies the correlation between us and everyone else, and we must love and help others to transform our own karma."

We must help the poor obtain food, but without wastefulness. We need to advise them to create merit, to develop skills to support themselves. The ancients said: "The gentleman is generous without being wasteful." That is the balance between the karmic law and compassion.

Reflecting on the Mind Daily

So, what is the practical lesson for us? Each day, when interacting with anyone, ask ourselves: "What are my wishes for them?" If we see we wish for their happiness and abundance, for them to know the path, then that is a wholesome seed. Conversely, if we notice feelings of jealousy arising, wishing for others to fail, then we are sowing a harmful seed for ourselves.

Simultaneously, we must seal all vulnerabilities through awareness. Do not let alcohol or any substance cloud the mind. We must keep our wisdom clear and sharp, so that no force of Mara can find an opportunity to enter.

Remember: "What joy is there when life is being consumed by flames, and darkness shrouds all?" Amidst the intoxication of life, the lamp is the true Dharma, the state of awakened awareness. Let us turn inward to illuminate our own minds, to see clearly our wishes and habitual patterns. Only then can we walk the path to peace and inner freedom.