Verse of the Heart Free from Hatred

On a late afternoon at year’s end, the main hall was packed with people. Outside, cold winds blew fiercely, but inside, the warmth of hundreds of Buddhists sitting close together created an unusually cozy atmosphere. As the bell’s resonance faded, the Venerable stepped onto the dharma seat, his gentle gaze sweeping over the assembly. Everyone fell silent, waiting.

That day, the teacher spoke about two verses in the Dhammapada. These lines seemed simple yet struck at the root of many afflictions (kleshas) within the human heart. One verse says: “He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me.” Those who harbor such thoughts cannot let their hatred subside. The opposite verse states: “Those who do not harbor such thoughts will see their hatred naturally cease.” To illustrate this, the teacher told the story of a cousin of the Buddha named Tich Sa.

Tich Sa belonged to the royal lineage and only sought ordination after the age of fifty. Because he was the Buddha’s relative, he developed pride, always considering himself special. In the Sangha, junior monks must respect senior monks, even if the seniors are younger. Yet Tich Sa respected no one. Whenever he entered the assembly, he would sit pompously right in the center, directly before the Buddha, disregarding other bhikkhus. People saw him as large and dignified, assuming he was a venerable elder, so they quietly yielded to him.

One time, some bhikkhus returned from teaching in distant lands. They had left the Buddha before Tich Sa ordained, so they did not know who he was. Upon entering the monastery, they saw a stout monk sitting majestically in the middle of the meditation hall. Assuming he was an elder, they approached to pay respects and asked:

“Venerable sir, how long have you been ordained?”

Tich Sa looked up and replied curtly:

“I have only been ordained for two or three months.”

Hearing this, the bhikkhus were shocked. One of them reproached him:

“If you are new to practice, you are not allowed to sit in this position. When we paid respects, you should have declined; you cannot be so rude.”

Tich Sa’s face turned red. He stood up abruptly, his voice trembling:

“You insulted me! You disrespected me! I will report this to the Buddha!”

Then, he waddled straight to the Buddha, panting heavily as he complained:

“World-Honored One, they scolded me, they cursed me, they caused me suffering!”

The Buddha looked at him calmly and asked:

“What happened?”

“They said that since I am new, I cannot sit in the middle,” Tich Sa protested indignantly.

The Buddha nodded. “That is correct. You were wrong. You must apologize to them.”

But Tich Sa refused. He sulked:

“They scolded me. I cannot help but be angry!”

The Buddha silently observed him. Then, turning to the bhikkhus standing nearby, He said:

“It is not only in this life that this person is stubborn. In a previous life, he was just the same.”

The Buddha then recounted an ancient story. In a past life, two ascetics sought lodging at the home of a kind potter. The one who arrived first was named Devala, and the one who arrived later was Narada. That night, it was hot. Devala lay down right in the doorway to catch the breeze. After meditating, Narada walked softly outside for walking meditation. In the darkness, he did not see Devala and accidentally stepped on his head. Devala cried out:

“Oh my! Why did you step on my head?”

Narada quickly apologized:

“I am sorry. I did not see you lying here. It is too dark. Please forgive me.”

But Devala’s anger did not subside. He lay back down but deliberately shifted his head to another spot. When Narada returned, he again accidentally stepped on Devala’s neck. Devala screamed:

“You are evil! You want to kill me!”

In reality, Devala intentionally positioned himself to be stepped on, merely to find an excuse to blame others. All night long, he quarreled and shouted so loudly that the entire town woke up. The potter and neighbors tried to intervene but could not stop him.

The Buddha concluded:

“The person in the past who intentionally let others step on his head to blame them is Tich Sa today. That habit has still not been abandoned.”

At that moment, Tich Sa was still standing there, face grim, muttering: “Because they scolded me, because they cursed me…”

The Venerable paused for a beat, then looked down at the assembly, lowering his voice:

“Are we like Tich Sa? Whenever we are scolded or cursed, we often use the excuse ‘because they insulted me’ to justify our anger. But the Buddha teaches: do not harbor those thoughts. Let them go, so that hatred may naturally cease.”

The teacher continued by explaining three levels of mind when facing insults. The lowest level is remembering forever, condemning, and holding grudges for a lifetime. The second level is forgetting, not clinging, allowing the heart to remain peaceful. The third level, which is higher, is recalling the incident without anger, using wisdom to examine the situation and resolve the root cause. However, regardless of the level, the important thing is not to let the mind be shaken. For when the mind is shaken, we remember the insult forever; remembering forever causes more shaking. This creates a vicious cycle that leads to prolonged hatred and suffering.

The teacher offered a clear image:

“If we are a large temple or a massive rock, does a small stone thrown at us shake us? No. But if we are merely a mango or an egg, even a light touch can shatter us. How can our souls grow larger? It is through humility and compassion. The more we see ourselves as small as dust, the more we love all sentient beings, and the greater our souls become. At that point, insults and offenses are like eggs hitting rocks; they cannot harm us.”

Having taught this far, the Venerable looked around and smiled gently:

“The new year is approaching. Do not carry any hatred into the new year. Practice having a mind that forgets instantly. If someone scolds you, and one hour later you meet them again, your heart should be clean, free of anger. That is what it means to be a disciple of the Buddha.”

The main hall fell silent for a moment. Many bowed their heads, reflecting inward. Old resentments, things once thought impossible to forget, suddenly became light, like a thin layer of dust brushed off shoulders. Everyone understood that those short verses were not meant to be memorized, but to be lived, breathed, and used for letting go.

The Meaning of the Story

The lesson that Venerable Thich Chan Quang wished to convey is this: When others scold, hit, harm, or rob us, if we harbor thoughts of hatred, that hatred will grow and cause us suffering. Conversely, if we know how to forget and do not cling, hatred will naturally dissolve. Our souls expand through humility and compassion. When the mind is sufficiently vast, worldly insults are like eggs hitting rocks; they cannot shake us. Practice letting go of hatred in every moment, so it does not follow us into future lives.

Compiled from the dharma talk of Venerable Thich Chan Quang