The Three Brothers of the Kala Family

On that morning, the sun had already risen high above the dirt road leading from Kushinagar to Shravasti. The ox carts of the three brothers of the Kala family rumbled along, their wheels grinding against gravel and stone with a harsh rustling sound. Hundreds of carts laden with goods stretched all the way to the horizon. Servants scurried back and forth, while guards stood ready with swords and spears, their eyes darting nervously in every direction.

Suddenly, a large crowd appeared in the distance. They were dressed formally, carrying flowers and offerings as they walked toward Jetavana Grove. The eldest brother, seated on his cart, waved one of them over and asked, “Where are you going, sirs, looking so solemn?”

“We are going to Jetavana to pay homage and make offerings to the World-Honored One, and to listen to the Dharma,” they replied.

Hearing this, the eldest brother felt a sudden tremor run through his entire body. An ancient connection seemed to awaken within his heart. He turned to his youngest brother and said, “You watch the caravan. I am going into Jetavana to see what the World-Honored One is like.”

The youngest brother tried to stop him, but the decision was made. The eldest jumped down from the cart, straightened his clothes, and ran after the group. Upon arriving, he blended into the crowd sitting and listening to the teaching. That day, the Buddha looked directly at him and spoke about the dangers and fleeting nature of worldly sensual pleasures. As he listened, his mind opened wide. He attained enlightenment immediately and requested to leave home for monastic life.

The Buddha asked, “Do your parents still live at home?”

“No, my parents have passed away. I have two younger brothers: one stays home managing the shop, and the other travels with me for business.”

“Then go back and tell your brother not to ordain hastily, lest it cause confusion for others.”

The eldest brother paid respects to the Buddha and returned. The caravan was still waiting outside the city gates. He told his youngest brother, “Brother, I am giving all our assets to you and our second brother. I am leaving home for monastic life.”

The youngest brother cried out in protest, “Oh heavens! You are being unfair! This is too much!”

But his elder brother remained firm. He handed over all the wealth and decisively walked away. The youngest brother stood there, bewildered and unsure of what to do. After sitting and thinking for a moment, he turned to his attendants and said, “Take this entire caravan back home. I am also going to ordain!”

He jumped down from the cart and ran after his brother. However, the truth was that the two brothers ordained with completely different states of mind. The elder brother awakened through the Buddha’s teaching, determined to practice for liberation. The younger brother, who had depended on his elder sibling his whole life, did not know how to manage without him. He ordained only because he thought, “In a few days, my brother will return, and I will follow him again.” There was nothing noble or pure in his heart.

Inside the monastery, the elder brother practiced diligently, while the younger one was restless and distracted by everything. Whenever female devotees came to the monastery to hear the Dharma, he would sit watching them, rubbing his hands together, and muttering, “This one is so beautiful, that one is so beautiful. It is unbearable!”

The senior monks shook their heads in sorrow at these afflictions (kleshas), but since he was new and had not yet received full precepts, no one rebuked him openly.

When it was time to receive the bhikkhu precepts, the elder brother approached the Buddha and said, “World-Honored One, I am older now and have not studied extensively. I know only some basic teachings. Now I wish to practice diligently. However, my weakness is that I have lived in sensual pleasure all my life. Therefore, I wish to focus specifically on meditation regarding this issue.”

The Buddha instructed him to go to the charnel ground to contemplate corpses. The elder brother obeyed, went there, and sat in meditation. He observed decaying bodies, contemplating the impermanence (anicca) and temporary nature of the human form to overcome desire. The caretaker of the charnel ground noticed a bald ascetic lurking near a tree and watched him closely. Once she realized he was a practitioner meditating on corpses, she approached and gave instructions.

“When you come here, you must inform me, as I am the manager. Second, you must inform the head monk of the monastery so they know where you are. Third, you must inform the village chief and local authorities. Thieves often hide stolen goods in the charnel ground and try to retrieve them later. If you do not announce your presence beforehand, should anything happen, you might be suspected.”

The elder brother thanked her and added, “Please call me when there is a suitable corpse for cremation.”

One day, a very beautiful young woman from a wealthy family died prematurely. Her relatives brought the body and paid the caretaker to cremate it. She called the elder brother over. He stood and watched the flames rise, seeing skin peel off, fat sizzle and drip, the body twitch, and the face turn black and wrinkled. He looked deeply, and the realization penetrated his core. Then he retreated to a quiet corner and sat in meditation. A flash of insight arose in his mind:

“In this world, all conditioned phenomena are impermanent (anicca) and subject to change. Only the peaceful, pure mind of cessation is true happiness.”

At that very moment, his past conditions ripened. He attained insight wisdom and achieved fruition. Having attained this state, he returned to the monastery, though no one knew except the Buddha.

When the Buddha and the Sangha traveled to the hometown of the two brothers to teach, the wives of both men plotted to lure their husbands back to lay life. They invited the Buddha for an offering of food to the monks. The Buddha agreed and assigned the youngest brother—now ordained with the dharma name Little Black—to go ahead and arrange things. That morning, Little Black arrived at the house to set up seats. The wives rushed out, pulling and tearing at him, forcing him to take off his monastic robes and put on lay clothes. He laughed foolishly, showing no spirit of cultivation, and stayed at home, returning to lay life.

The next day, when the Buddha and the Sangha arrived for the meal, the wives of the eldest brother also devised a plan. They invited the Buddha for another offering of food, hoping he would assign Big Black to stay behind. But this time, the Buddha assigned a different monk. After the meal, everyone left except Big Black. His eight wives immediately attacked him, pulling and tearing violently. But having attained fruition, he used supernatural powers to fly swiftly over the roof and returned to prostrate at the feet of the Buddha.

On the way back, the monks who had not yet attained enlightenment discussed anxiously among themselves.

“The other day, the World-Honored One let Little Black stay, and he returned to lay life. Today he let Big Black stay; we wonder what will happen?”

They whispered to each other, worried. But when they arrived at the monastery, before the Buddha gave a talk, they saw Big Black appear, kneeling to pay respects to the Buddha. Then the Buddha praised him, saying, “Big Black has attained fruition.”

Only then did the Sangha understand the Buddha’s intention. The Buddha recited verses from the Dhammapada:

“He who lives looking at beautiful appearances, does not guard the sense doors, eats without moderation, is lazy and lacks faith and effort, is easily overwhelmed by Mara, just as a weak tree is blown over by the wind. But he who lives contemplating impurity, carefully guards the sense doors, eats with moderation, has faith and diligent effort, cannot be overwhelmed by Mara, just as a solid rock stands firm against the wind.”

The Meaning of the Story

This story teaches us that when the mind remains attached to external beautiful appearances—especially the bodies of the opposite sex—a person becomes weak like a tree in the wind, easily threatened by Mara and prone to falling. Conversely, if one knows how to contemplate impurity, seeing the impermanence (anicca) and temporary nature of the physical body, guarding the sense doors, eating with moderation, and practicing diligently, the mind becomes steady like a mountain rock, unshaken by anything. The difference between the two brothers lies here: one ordained for enlightenment, while the other ordained out of attachment. Practicing without right view and without a clear goal of liberation means that even if one enters the monastery, the body may be inside, but the mind remains outside in the world.

Compiled from the dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang