Steps at the Edge of the Abyss

The story of the Venerable Vali, who practiced only out of infatuation with the Buddha's physical form. When separated from the Buddha during the rains retreat, he fell into despair and nearly took his own life, but it was in that very moment of extreme suffering that he realized the ultimate truth.

The air atop Vulture Peak near Rajagriha in those final days of the rains was heavy and cold. The wind howled through the crevices, carrying the dampness of the earth, whipping the hem of a golden robe worn by a solitary monk standing at the edge of a precipice. It was Vali. His eyes were red and deeply sunken from sleepless nights, his trembling hands clutching the edge of his robe as if it were the only thread still tethering him to life.

Vali was not an ordinary man. He had entered the Buddhist path through a peculiar cause: an intense, almost fanatical devotion to the magnificent and serene beauty of the Blessed One. Throughout his time training at the Bamboo Grove monastery, each day after returning from alms rounds, Vali would only sit in meditative concentration and gaze upon the Buddha's form. To him, the Buddha was enchantingly beautiful; every fingernail, the folds of his robe, even the shadow of a tree at his feet exuded a majestic, pure radiance that stirred the heart. That "idol" was the sole source of strength enabling him to endure an austere life—one meal a day, one resting place, and strict adherence to the precepts.

But then, the three-month rains retreat began. The Buddha decided to leave Rajagriha for another mountain for solitary meditation, and most importantly, He did not permit Vali to follow. For other disciples, this might have been an opportunity for self-reliance, but for Vali, it was a death sentence for his spirit. Three months passed in profound loneliness and emptiness. No longer able to behold his Master's compassionate face or his serene gait, Vali gradually lost his vitality. The joy of practice evaporated, replaced by agonizing pain, a sense of being abandoned, and utter hopelessness. He could not return to lay life due to his former vows, yet he could not continue living without the "source of energy" he had clung to for so long.

Today, after his final attempts to find peace had failed, Vali walked to the cliff's edge. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, ready to let himself fall and end it all. At that precise moment, a deep, resonant voice, clear as a bell ringing through the silence, cut through his dark thoughts:

"A monk! Have firm faith in the true Dharma. One who realizes the realm of tranquility will have virtue as pure as a still lake."

It was the voice of the Buddha. Vali's eyes snapped open in shock. In the distance, on a higher rocky outcrop, the familiar form of the Blessed One appeared, radiant and serene. An electric thrill shot down Vali's spine. He forgot all ceremony, forgot his fear of heights, and charged straight toward the Buddha. He ran, his bare feet pounding the uneven rock, his heart pounding erratically, his breath ragged. The moment his foot touched the ground before the Buddha, while the verse still echoed in his mind, a sudden illumination occurred. The clinging to external form dissolved, making way for a profound understanding of the essence of the Dharma. In that very running step, Vali attained Arahantship.

**Meaning of the Story**

The story of the Venerable Vali illustrates the principle, "To see the Dharma is to see the Tathagata." Admiring the Buddha's form can be a door into the path, but if one stops there, one becomes easily shaken by impermanence (such as not seeing the Buddha). The deathless truth lies in the Dharma itself. The extreme suffering from losing his external support pushed Vali to the breaking point, where he was forced to turn inward to find true liberation. The core lesson is: Do not rely on external forms; rely on the teachings and inner practice to attain complete tranquility and virtue.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang.