Steady Steps Amidst the Flow of Life

**SUMMARY:** A wealthy elder overcomes the slander of non-Buddhist paths to hear the Buddha’s teaching, attain stream-entry, and learn the lesson that seeing one’s own faults is harder than seeing the faults of others.

The morning sunlight shone upon the dirt road leading into the city of Savatthi. A splendid horse-drawn carriage moved slowly, carrying a wealthy elder, dressed neatly but with a thoughtful expression on his face. He was on his way to Jeta’s Grove to hear the Buddha teach Dharma—a journey he had long aspired to after hearing of the enlightened one’s reputation.

Many years had passed since he had accumulated his wealth, built his fortune, and lived in luxury. Yet deep within, he always felt an emptiness, a restlessness about life’s true meaning. Upon hearing of the Buddha, he resolved to seek the truth, disregarding the objections of friends and family.

Midway, a group of non-Buddhist ascetics suddenly blocked his carriage. They were numerous, faces stern, surrounding the vehicle. One stepped forward, voice shrill: “Where are you rushing to, elder? To see that ascetic Gotama? He is merely a deceiver, teaching a path that ruins lives—making people renounce their parents, shave their heads, beg everywhere, and become a burden on society!”

Another added, voice bitter: “Indeed! His disciples are all lazy, carrying alms bowls from place to place, producing nothing of value. Do not be foolish enough to follow him!”

The elder remained calm within the carriage, his heart unmoved. He looked directly at those speaking ill, seeing clearly their envy and resentment. He replied gently: “Say what you will, but I have long heard of the Buddha, and I know what my heart tells me is right. Please let me pass.”

He signaled his driver to continue. The ascetics watched, seething but no longer daring to obstruct.

Upon arriving at the monastery, the elder saw the Buddha seated amid a large assembly, radiating light, his expression one of compassion. He quietly took a seat at the edge, listening to every word the Buddha taught. That day’s discourse was on suffering and the path to liberation, penetrating his being like cool water in a desert. By the end, his mind felt light and unusually clear—he had attained stream-entry, entering the stream of the noble ones.

He then approached the Buddha, knelt, and recounted how the non-Buddhists had blocked and slandered him. The Buddha smiled, his kind eyes resting on the elder, and spoke this verse: “Easy it is to see the faults of others, hard it is to see one’s own. The faults of others one sifts like chaff from rice, while one’s own faults one hides like a cheat conceals his game.”

Hearing this, the elder felt it deeply. He realized that those non-Buddhists, unable to see their own faults, blamed others. He himself, through wholehearted devotion to the Buddha, had overcome every obstacle.

From then on, he became a devoted lay follower, regularly visiting the monastery to hear the Dharma and guiding his family in practice. Eventually, his entire family attained realization as well. His life no longer chased fame and profit; instead, he dwelt peacefully in the true teachings, daily seeking his own faults to correct rather than preoccupying himself with the faults of others.

**The Meaning of the Story**

This story teaches us that ordinary people easily see the faults of others but struggle to see their own, while the noble ones do the opposite—constantly examining their own faults, even the slightest, to correct them. When we see our own faults, that is the beginning of wisdom and enlightenment.

*Compiled from a Dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang*