The Girl and the Nightclubs

Neon lights of blue and red flickered chaotically across the dance floor, while electronic music pounded against every breath. In the midst of the swirling crowd, a young girl in a revealing short dress closed her eyes tightly, raised her hands high, and swayed to the rhythm. Her entire body seemed ready to dissolve into that frantic sound, forgetting everything belonging to the outside world.

For three years, she had plunged into nightclubs, bars, and clubs like this one. Since dropping out of school midway, she wandered from one venue to another, earning money by pairing up with person after person. Each night, she drank alcohol, took ecstasy, and sought a temporary lover for the night. She believed this was joy, freedom, and a way to live life to the fullest.

But then one day, she began to feel exhausted and suffered from a prolonged fever. She went for a check-up and received the result: HIV positive. She stood frozen in the clinic room, her trembling hands holding the test paper, her heart seeming to stop beating. "It cannot be... it cannot be..." she muttered, but the truth had already revealed itself clearly.

She tried to hide her illness, but secrets could not remain hidden for long. When her former lovers heard the news, not a single one appeared. They vanished as if they had never known her. She called this person and that person, but on the other end of the line were only excuses of being "busy" or silence. She had no money left, no love, and no family member by her side. She did not even have rice to eat.

All the money she had earned before was squandered on alcohol, drugs, and fleeting pleasures. Her blessings from merit had been depleted long ago. Now, she crawled through the filth in a corner of an abandoned house, ignored by everyone. Looking out the window at the sunlight outside, her heart felt cold. "If only... if only I had not indulged in pleasure... if only I had known how to practice spiritual cultivation a little..." she whispered, but it was too late.

She died in solitude, with no hand to hold hers at the moment of death. That tragic ending was the consequence of days lived without purpose, chasing only temporary sensations.

The Meaning of the Story

This story serves as a warning about the consequences of a pragmatic lifestyle focused solely on immediate enjoyment without considering cause and effect (karmic law). When people burn their blessings from merit through sinful pleasures, they must endure suffering and loneliness right in this lifetime, rather than waiting for the next rebirth. The lesson is to know moderation, create merit, and live responsibly toward oneself and others.

Compiled from the dharma talk of Venerable Thich Chan Quang