The Rain of Desire and the Well-Thatched Roof

**Summary:** Prince Nanda was ordained by the Buddha on his very wedding day, his heart still clinging to beauty. After seeing the heavenly realm, he turned his mind to practice and attained Arahantship, like a skillfully thatched roof with no gaps left.

The city of Kapilavatthu was resplendent with flags and flowers that day. Along the main streets, people hung lanterns and arranged endless banquet tables. The scent of incense mingled with the faint fragrance of jasmine on the evening breeze. Everyone buzzed with talk of two great joys: the Buddha, after years of absence, was returning to visit his homeland, and Prince Nanda was about to hold his wedding ceremony with a renowned beauty.

Amidst the festive atmosphere, a monastic draped in gold robes, carrying his alms bowl, walked silently through each street. He went on his alms round as he did every day, paying no heed to the astonished gazes and whispered words: "Prince Siddhartha has returned!" His bowl was quickly filled with food offered sincerely by the townspeople. Then, instead of returning to the monastery, he slowly walked straight into the hall where the wedding feast was being prepared.

Prince Nanda, dressed in red ceremonial robes embroidered with gold thread, was directing servants to arrange the chairs and tables. Upon hearing his brother had arrived, he hastily abandoned his tasks and ran to pay respect. As he looked up, he saw the Buddha extending the alms bowl towards him. Nanda reached out with both hands to receive it, but the Buddha, without saying a word, turned and walked away. Flustered, Nanda watched him go. Out of reverence and fear for his elder brother, he dared not ask questions and could only follow meekly behind. He thought to himself, "Surely he will turn back to receive the bowl at the gate."

At the gate, the Buddha still did not look back. Nanda turned his head to see his bride standing frozen in the courtyard, her eyes glistening with tears. He wanted to run back, to say to his brother, "Brother, I still have to perform the wedding!" But his throat tightened, and his feet kept following his brother. Leaving the city, passing dirt paths and old bamboo groves, Nanda walked while constantly looking back, his heart in turmoil. At the monastery, the Buddha sat down and turned to ask:

"Nanda, do you wish to renounce worldly life?"

Nanda stood as if rooted to the ground. Before his mind's eye arose the face of his beloved and the scene of the interrupted feast. But before the compassionate yet majestic gaze of his brother, he could only choke out one word:

"Yes... I wish to."

Less than thirty seconds later, the prince's long hair had been shaved clean. His ceremonial robes were removed, replaced by the gold robes of a bhikkhu. From a groom about to enter the wedding hall, he suddenly became a monastic. His bride, upon hearing the news, wept and ran to find her husband, but only saw a silent monk seated in the meditation hall.

In the days that followed, Nanda sat in meditation but found no peace. Closing his eyes, he only saw the image of his beloved. Opening them, he looked towards the royal palace, hoping his father would send soldiers to rescue him. But King Suddhodana, having attained sainthood, only smiled and did not intervene. Nanda was restless and could not practice. He thought, "It is better to die than to suffer like this."

One day, the Buddha called him over and gently said:

"Nanda, today I will take you to visit the heavenly realms."

Saying this, the Buddha used his supernatural power to lift them into the sky. Soaring over a forest fire, Nanda saw a terrified monkey scrambling up a tree, its fur and tail singed by the flames, huddled pitifully. Then the two brothers passed beyond the clouds to the very palace of Sakka, the king of the gods. There, Nanda was overwhelmed by the exquisite beauty of the celestial nymphs. Their beauty was beyond comparison to any mortal woman in the world.

Upon returning to the monastery, the Buddha asked:

"What did you think of the celestial nymphs?"

"Blessed One, the woman I was about to marry now seems to me like that monkey with burnt fur in the forest. The celestial nymphs are truly the epitome of beauty."

The Buddha smiled:

"If you practice diligently, I will ask Sakka, king of the gods, to reserve seven celestial nymphs for you."

Hearing this, Nanda rejoiced, imagining living with seven beautiful nymphs. He began sitting in meditation seriously, focusing his mind on his breath. Having practiced meditative concentration with his brother since childhood, he quickly entered deep states of concentration. Thanks to meritorious conditions from past lives, before long, Nanda attained Arahantship.

Some bhikkhus, unaware of this story, saw him meditating and thought, "This one only practices to get those seven nymphs." They whispered and gossiped. The Buddha, knowing this, said to the assembly:

"Bhikkhus, Nanda in the past was like a poorly thatched house; the rain of desire easily penetrated. But today, Nanda's mind is like a skillfully thatched roof; the rain cannot seep in. Not even a trace of a desirous thought arises in him anymore."

From then on, Nanda lived in peace and liberation, no longer bound by any form of beauty or sensual desire. He became a foremost disciple of the Buddha, revered by the Sangha.

**The Meaning of the Story**

Desire is like a rain that falls ceaselessly within each person. If the mind is not cultivated and thatched well like a skillfully made roof, that rain will penetrate and cause us suffering. Only when the inner mind is steadfast and practice is continuous can we become free from the influence of desire and achieve true peace and liberation.

*Compiled from a dharma talk by Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang*