The Devas Reveal the Exam Questions

A cold late-winter wind swept across the university campus in America, carrying a biting chill that cut to the skin. In the silent library, Lan, a young Vietnamese student studying abroad, wrestled with thick, weighty tomes on psychology.

The doctoral entrance examination was drawing near, a grueling battle with competition as steep as one in fifty. Only five spots were open among two hundred and fifty of the most outstanding candidates. The pressure weighed heavily on Lan's shoulders, and night after night she tossed and turned, her pillow soaked through with sweat.

She remembered her Master's parting words before she left Vietnam: "Go and find success by helping others succeed first." Lan decided to change her strategy. Instead of hiding materials or quietly competing with her classmates, she took the initiative to share everything she knew. Whenever she found a fine research article or an original research method, she printed it out and gave it to her friends. Whenever classmates struggled with their assignments, she willingly sat with them and explained for hours on end, and she even sought out those who had not yet asked for help, so she could support them as well.

A classmate named Mike looked at her with doubtful eyes: "Are you out of your mind? This is an elimination contest. If you help me become better than you, your own chances will shrink. Why would you do that?"

Lan smiled, her eyes steady: "I believe in the law of cause and effect (karmic law). When I wish for others to succeed, the universe will arrange for me to succeed as well. Moreover, when I explain a lesson to you, I come to understand it more deeply myself. We both win; no one has to lose."

Time passed, and Lan kept up this way of living. She never competed jealously, never held anyone back. As a result, many friends in her study group advanced remarkably, and Lan herself felt her knowledge grow more solid than ever before.

Then the day of the oral examination finally arrived. A few days before, while she was engaged in meditative concentration and reviewing her notes, a series of extremely difficult and intricate questions suddenly arose in Lan's mind, questions that appeared nowhere in the standard preparation materials. These questions probed deeply into baffling clinical cases. Lan found this strange, but remembering her teacher's words, she did not let them pass. She devoted all her remaining time to reflecting on them, drawing up outlines, and thoroughly preparing answers for each of these problems.

Stepping into the examination room to face three renowned professors, Lan felt nervous yet remained composed. The head professor opened the file, looked at Lan, and asked: "Ms. Lan, please analyze the case of patient X, who presents with antisocial personality disorder, combined with genetic factors and the nurturing environment. What is your long-term intervention plan?"

Lan froze for a brief moment. Her heart pounded quickly, yet her mind was unusually clear. This question... was precisely one of the very questions that had appeared in her mind days before! She took a deep breath and began to present a detailed, logical, and thoroughly convincing analysis, built upon her careful preparation.

After the intense oral examination, the professors conferred quietly among themselves. A moment later, the head professor announced: "Congratulations. You have been admitted to the doctoral program. In particular, we are awarding you a full scholarship that covers tuition, housing, and living expenses. Your presentation was outstanding, reflecting a depth and breadth of insight that is rarely seen."

Lan walked out of the examination room with legs trembling from joy. She telephoned her Master, her voice choked with emotion: "Master, I now believe absolutely in the law of cause and effect (karmic law). I only thought of helping my friends, never of myself, yet in the end I am the one who succeeded the most. Perhaps the devas 'revealed the exam questions' to me because I lived according to this truth."

Lan's story spread throughout the international student community, becoming living proof of the power of selflessness. When we stop chasing our own interests and begin to care for the interests of others, the door of opportunity opens in the most wondrous ways.

The Meaning of the Story

The story affirms this truth: if you wish to succeed, help others succeed first. Jealous rivalry and selfishness lead only to failure, while selflessness, the sharing of knowledge, and support for one's colleagues create great blessings from merit. Cause and effect (karmic law) is always fair; when we sow seeds of goodness by helping others, we will harvest achievements beyond our expectations, such as receiving a scholarship and passing the doctoral examination. This is the wisest path to building a lasting career and a happy life.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang