The Eroded Bank and the Deposited Bank

On a late afternoon at the end of the year, pale golden sunlight streamed through the windows of the lecture hall, falling upon the long wooden benches. The atmosphere was warm and still, yet each person sitting there carried a quiet feeling of their own as the teacher's voice rang out:

"Today we will speak on the topic of the eroded bank and the deposited bank. There is a folk verse: the river has one bank eroded and one bank deposited; the eroded bank erodes ever more, while the deposited bank deposits ever more. Have you all heard this verse?"

Everyone nodded, though their eyes still showed uncertainty. The teacher slowly explained a familiar physical phenomenon: when a river bends, the rushing water carves deeply into one bank, called the eroded bank, while depositing silt upon the other bank, called the deposited bank. In this way, the eroded bank erodes further and further, and the deposited bank grows fuller and fuller, until one day the river changes its course and flows straight, leaving behind stagnant ponds and abandoned sandbars.

"That is our own Saigon River. Look at it on a map and you see it winding about, yet in the end it too flows straight, sweeping away all the eroded and deposited banks." The teacher paused, looked around, and his voice grew deeper: "But does this phenomenon have anything to do with the Buddha's teachings (Dharma)? Yes. Because what is true of physics is true of the Dharma, true of society, and true of human beings."

The teacher spoke of those who, blessed with merit from past lives, are wealthy, healthy, and powerful in this life — they are like the deposited bank. And those with less merit, who are poor and weak — they are like the eroded bank. Those with money and power use them to study, do business, and invest, growing ever richer. The poor have no capital, must work for hire, are exploited by their employers, work overtime, see their health wear away, and grow ever more destitute. And so it goes: the deposited bank deposits ever more, and the eroded bank erodes ever deeper.

The teacher emphasized: "Even a person who is not wicked, who does honest business, pays taxes in full, and treats workers well — as long as they grow gradually richer, they too create the eroded and deposited banks, only more slowly. But the day the river flows straight will surely come, because this is still a form of injustice."

A Buddhist sitting nearby asked softly, with some doubt: "Venerable teacher, if we do good deeds and practice generosity, we will be wealthy and honored in a future life — that is good cause and effect (karmic law), so how could it become a fault?"

The teacher smiled, his eyes gentle: "That is a very good question. Cause and effect (karmic law) is not as simple as we imagine. When we enjoy our own blessings from merit while so many around us remain poor and suffering, and we calmly enjoy our comfort, then the seed of injustice, the small seed of wrongdoing, has already fallen into our mind/heart. And it keeps growing. That is why the Buddha taught that we must attain liberation. If simply doing good deeds and enjoying blessings from merit were enough, why would the Buddha have needed to teach liberation at all?"

The lecture hall fell silent. The teacher continued: "Therefore, the final ideal is still liberation. But along the way, we must live with compassion, sacrifice for sentient beings, actively do good deeds, and accumulate merit. Do not use your advantages to overpower others, and do not turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. That is the way to avoid falling into the whirlpool of the eroded and deposited banks."

The teacher also told of greedy tyrants who used their power to plunder the people's wealth and sent money abroad, only to be overthrown in the end, exiled or imprisoned. Mighty empires sent armies to invade and expand their borders — but what remains of them today? All have collapsed. That is the moment when the river flows straight, and justice is restored.

He also spoke of globalization, of rich nations growing ever richer and poor nations ever poorer, and of people of conscience who protest, because they foresee that the injustice will only grow greater. Yet even so, the law of cause and effect (karmic law) continues to operate: the eroded and deposited banks will eventually be leveled, but if it takes too long, the poor nations will be utterly exhausted.

Finally, the teacher reminded everyone: "We are here in this life to repay our karma and to learn the ways of truth. When you meet someone suffering, learn to have a loving heart. When you see someone wealthy, learn to rejoice. When you see someone disabled, contemplate cause and effect (karmic law). Do not live in indifference — live with awareness, at peace but wise."

The lecture hall sank into quiet reflection. Each person looked inward, asking whether they were on the eroded bank or the deposited bank, and whether they were contributing to the injustice of this life. The lesson of the river slowly seeped in, like water soaking into the earth.

The Meaning of the Story

This dharma talk uses the phenomenon of the eroded and deposited banks of a river to reveal the injustice in society and the intricate law of cause and effect (karmic law). Those with advantages who exploit them to oppress others, or who ignore the suffering of others, create karma, and one day justice will be restored. Therefore, live with compassion, actively do good, learn the ways of truth from life itself, and aim toward liberation — that is the path out of samsara (cycle of rebirth).

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang