The Remaining Water in the Basin

One evening, the golden sunlight faded gently over the monastery at Kūzambī. Inside the bathing chamber, steam still clung to the earthen walls, and the air was humid and still. A Dharma master had just finished bathing, his body still damp. He bent down, scooped another ladle of water to pour over his shoulders, left the basin upturned on the ground, and stepped outside without looking back.

Shortly after, a Vinaya master entered. His gaze quickly swept the small room, halting at the basin with a trace of water remaining. He frowned slightly. The monastic rules stipulated that after bathing, one must pour out all remaining water and place the basin neatly, leaving it ready for the next person. To leave even a little water, to leave the basin upturned, was a violation.

He turned and met the Dharma master who had just stepped out. "Venerable, was it you who just bathed?" "Yes, that is so." "Did you leave the basin upturned with some water still in it?" "Yes, that is so." "Are you aware that this is an offense?"

The Dharma master pressed his palms together sincerely. "I did not know it was an offense. The rules are detailed; I do not know them all. But if it is an offense, I repent."

The Vinaya master nodded. "If you now know it is an offense, then consider it settled. There is nothing more to discuss."

They exchanged greetings, and the matter seemed closed. But as the Vinaya master left the bathing chamber, he encountered his own disciple. He shook his head slightly and whispered, "That Dharma master didn't clean up after bathing. He left water in the basin. When asked, he said he didn't know it was an offense. He violated the rule without even realizing it."

The disciple heard this and later told his friends, "That Dharma master broke the rules. He was corrected, yet he refused to acknowledge it."

The rumor spread like fire in dry grass. Soon, the entire monastery was buzzing. The Dharma master's disciples heard the story and rushed to ask their teacher. The Dharma master was surprised. "I already acknowledged the offense and repented! Why are they saying I refused to admit it?"

Annoyed, he said to his disciples, "The Vinaya master is lying! I properly accepted my fault, yet he goes around saying I refused. He is a liar!"

And so the two factions began to criticize each other. One side said, "The Dharma master broke the rules and won't own his mistake." The other side retorted, "The Vinaya master lied and fabricated the story."

The monastery split into two groups. Lay supporters in the area heard the news and also took sides: some aligned with this faction, others with that. The matter even reached the heavens, where celestial beings also divided, some defending one side, others defending the other.

The Buddha heard the news and came to advise them. "Venerable bhikkhus, be harmonious, be united, stop arguing."

But the bhikkhus continued to argue vehemently. The Buddha spoke a second time. They replied, "Venerable Sir, you are old now. Just focus on your own practice. Let us handle this ourselves; we must determine who is right and who is wrong."

The Buddha spoke a third time, giving an extended discourse, recounting many ancient stories of people who, through quarreling, brought harm upon themselves and lost their lives. But they still did not listen, only replying, "Venerable Sir, you are old and weak. Just go into the forest and practice peacefully. Let us manage our own affairs."

The Buddha shook his head. He saw he could no longer intervene. One day, after going on alms round, he did not return to the monastery. He went straight into the forest, met three elder monks living in harmony like water mixed with milk, and then continued deep into the Pārileyyaka primeval forest to live alone. A majestic elephant, with an intuition surpassing humans, came to attend him for three months, fanning him, cleaning his bathing area, and picking fruit as offerings.

Meanwhile, at the monastery, the lay supporters discovered the Buddha had left. They angrily confronted the bhikkhus. "You promised to renounce the world following the Buddha, yet you disregard even a single teaching of his. You are no longer worthy of our offerings!"

From then on, they imposed an embargo, bringing no food as alms. During the three-month rainy season retreat, the bhikkhus dared not leave the monastery due to the boundary rules, yet no one brought offerings. They were starving, nearly to death. Only then did they feel remorse. Looking at each other, they said, "We argued over such a trivial matter, causing the Buddha to leave and the lay supporters to become angry, and now we are starving like this. What is left to argue about?"

When the three-month retreat ended, they dragged themselves to find the Buddha. Venerable Ānanda led the group to the Pārileyyaka forest to repent. The Buddha had them brought in and taught:

"You quarrel and compete because you forget that everyone must die. If you remembered death was waiting, what would there be to argue about?"

The bhikkhus bowed their heads, acknowledged their fault, and pledged to live in harmony. The Buddha accepted this and returned with the group. The majestic elephant escorted him to the forest's edge and wished to follow. The Buddha said, "You must remain here. In this life, born in an animal body, you cannot attain the noble fruits. Wait for your next life."

After speaking, he turned and left. The elephant stood watching until his figure vanished, then its heart burst, and it died on the spot, to be reborn in the heavens.

On the journey back, King Pasenadi heard about the quarreling bhikkhus and dispatched soldiers to forbid them entry into his territory. But upon meeting the Buddha, the king prostrated and asked, "Venerable Sir, are these the bhikkhus who argued fiercely during the three-month retreat?"

The Buddha replied, "Yes, but they have recognized their error, repented, and are now harmonious. Great King, please do not ban them."

King Pasenadi then withdrew his order and invited the Sangha into his realm. From that day forward, the story of a single basin of remaining water taught the Sangha a profound lesson about harmony and impermanence.

**Meaning of the Story**

The lesson that Venerable Thích Chân Quang wishes to convey is this: Arguments and competitiveness arise solely from forgetting that everyone must die. When we remember impermanence, we see that trivial matters are not worth losing our harmony over. Learn to be silent before the faults of others. Do not let speech cause division. Always live in harmony and with non-self, like the three elders in the forest.

Compiled from the dharma talk of Venerable Thích Chân Quang