The Rice Cake Seller by the Roadside

Late in the afternoon, the village road lay quiet and empty. A gentle breeze carried the scent of dried rice straw, and the sound of frogs began to rise from the distant paddies. An elderly woman sat beside her basket of rice cakes, her thin, weathered hands busily wrapping each one. She looked up at the children playing at the end of the hamlet, smiled kindly, and bent back down to her familiar work. No one knew that this quiet woman had once sown countless blessings in lifetimes long past.

The old woman was now past seventy. Her whole life had been bound to the market corner and the street vendor's carrying pole. People saw her as gentle, simple, and quiet. But few knew that from her youth, she had turned her heart toward the Buddha. She often visited the temple, listened to the sutras, and performed good deeds. In years when the harvest failed, she still set aside every coin she could to help those more unfortunate than herself. She was not wealthy, but her heart was as open as the vast ocean. She believed in cause and effect (karmic law), believing that every good deed would bear sweet fruit, even if it might take many lifetimes to come.

And yet, her life remained toilsome and full of hardship. On nights when she could not sleep, she would ask herself: "I have done so many good deeds, so why is my life still so full of suffering (dukkha)? Could it be that heaven is not fair?" She would sigh and gaze out into the ink-black night. She remembered once hearing a teacher explain that cause and effect (karmic law) does not always manifest within this very lifetime. Some good seeds are sown, but they must wait for sufficient conditions (dependent origination), enough water, enough sunlight, before they can sprout. Sometimes they must wait three lifetimes, five lifetimes, or even many lifetimes beyond. She did not fully understand those lofty words, but she strove to hold firm to her faith, never letting doubt shake her.

One day, an elderly monk passed by and, seeing her selling her cakes, stopped to greet her. He looked at her with affectionate eyes and said slowly: "My dear woman, I see the marks of great fortune upon you. You must have accumulated much merit in the past."

The old woman was surprised. She looked up at the monk and replied: "Venerable sir, I am only a poor rice cake seller, sitting here all year round. What fortune could I possibly have?"

The monk smiled and continued: "Blessings from merit do not always appear before our eyes right away. Some people in this life are merely rice cake sellers by the roadside, yet their merit is great enough to make them an empress or a princess in the next life. It is only that their conditions have not yet arrived, so they must live through these quiet days for now."

The old woman was stunned. The monk's words were like a stream of light shining into her soul. She suddenly recalled the teachings on cause and effect (karmic law) that she had once heard. She understood that she should not be impatient, should not look only at the present and rush to conclusions. Her task was simply to keep sowing seeds of goodness, while the time of harvest would be decided by favorable conditions (dependent origination). From that day on, she no longer felt pitiful or discouraged. She still quietly sold her rice cakes and still secretly performed small acts of kindness, but now her heart held a deep and abiding peace.

Many years passed, and the old woman still sat there beside her basket of rice cakes. But now her eyes no longer carried sorrow; in their place was an extraordinary serenity. She told the children of the hamlet stories about cause and effect (karmic law), about the good things they should do. She lived joyfully and at ease, and everyone loved her. She understood that this life is by nature impermanence (anicca); there are things that must be waited for, and things that must be endured. What matters most is holding firm to our faith and our goodness, no matter what circumstances may bring.

The Meaning of the Story

This story reminds us of the law of cause and effect (karmic law) and samsara (cycle of rebirth). The merit we sow does not always blossom and bear fruit within this lifetime. Some good seeds must wait for the right conditions (dependent origination), and may only flower many lifetimes later. Therefore, let us have firm faith in cause and effect (karmic law), without impatience, and without despair when life remains full of hardship. Let us quietly sow what is good, and trust that blessings from merit will arrive at exactly the right moment, in their own proper time.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang