Three Blood Donations And A Strange Turn Of Fortune

This is the story of a young man without a job, full of self-doubt about his uselessness under the worried eyes of his parents. Thanks to the advice to donate blood from a stranger in a park, he changed his destiny and found meaning in life.

Late in the afternoon at a small park in Saigon, the wind drifted through the old almond trees, carrying the city's characteristic heavy heat. On a cold stone bench sat a young man, slumped and listless, his reddened eyes staring down at his worn-out shoes. His name was Minh, twenty-four years old, recently graduated from university but unable to find a job. In his pocket he had nothing but the latest unemployment notice and a vague fear that he was becoming a burden to his family.

In recent days, every time he came home, Minh could feel the suffocating silence. His parents did not scold him or place blame, but it was precisely their sorrowful eyes and the soft sighs they let out when looking toward his room that clenched his heart more than any shouting could. He knew that for them, a son who had grown up, finished his schooling, and still had to "lean on" his parents was a quiet source of pain. Minh tormented himself: "I am so useless. All I do is lie here waiting, while time passes and the whole family's peace of mind slowly drains away."

Suddenly, a warm, deep voice spoke up beside him:

"Young man, why does your face look so troubled? Is something difficult happening?"

Minh started and looked up. It was an elderly man with white hair, his bearing relaxed, leaning against the trunk of a tree. Beside him stood an elderly woman also smiling kindly. Minh hesitated, and then, as if releasing a long-held burden, he told them everything: from being rejected at interviews, to the guilt of watching his aging parents still having to worry and provide for him.

The old man listened attentively, nodding, and then said slowly:

"In this life, everything follows cause and effect (karmic law). If you wish to harvest sweet fruit, you must plant good seeds. But right now you have no money and no status, so what seeds do you intend to plant?"

Minh was bewildered, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt:

"I... I don't know how to do anything that would bring blessings from merit. I'm just an unemployed person."

The old man smiled gently and pointed to his own chest:

"You still have blood, and you still have your health. Go donate blood. One drop of blood given, one life sustained. That is the fastest way for you to connect with the community and plant good conditions (dependent origination)."

That advice at first sounded simple, even a little strange to someone in despair. But Minh thought that he had nothing to lose, so he decided to try. The following week, he went to the hospital and registered to donate blood. As the needle entered gently and the bright red blood flowed out of his body, he suddenly felt an unusual calmness in his heart. He thought: "At least today, I have done something useful."

A month later, once his health had recovered, he went to donate a second time. Then three months later, a third time. And something miraculous began to happen. Not an instant miracle, but a change from within. Walking out of the blood donation room for the third time, Minh felt stronger and more confident. He began actively submitting applications to various companies, no longer timid or fearful as before.

And then, the door of good fortune opened. A company called to invite him for an interview. During the interview, instead of answering with dry textbook knowledge, Minh sincerely shared his experience of donating blood and the lessons he had learned about giving. The recruiter was impressed by his positive attitude and his generous heart. The result: Minh was hired with a stable salary.

But the story did not end there. One day, on his way to work, Minh dropped his wallet, which contained all of his identification documents and a small amount of savings. He hurried back to search for it but could not find it. That night, he lay awake with worry. The next morning, the doorbell rang. A delivery person brought a package. Inside was his wallet, completely intact, along with a small note that read: "I found this near where you often exercise. Wishing you good health."

Holding the wallet, tears rolled down Minh's cheeks. He remembered the words of the old man in the park from years before. Three blood donations, three times giving away life, and now kindness had returned to him in full. From that point on, Minh's life turned to a new page. He not only had a stable job, but also became an active volunteer, regularly participating in social activities. Whenever he met someone who felt stuck, he would tell his story, reminding them: "Health and kindness are the most precious assets we have. Use them to plant good conditions (dependent origination)."

## The Meaning of the Story

This story illustrates the philosophy that "preserving one's health is itself a moral practice," as well as the profound law of cause and effect (karmic law). Taking care of our health is not only for our own sake; it is also the means by which we have enough energy to perform wholesome actions, such as donating blood, and thereby create blessings from merit. When we know how to use our health to contribute and to help others, we not only avoid causing suffering (dukkha) to ourselves and troubling those around us, but we also attract good fortune and beautiful things back into our lives. Health is the foundation for practice and for contributing to society; if we have good health but use it for the wrong purposes or waste it, we lose life's greatest advantage.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang