The Number Zero and Blessings for a Lifetime

In the late afternoon, pale golden sunlight streamed through the window of a small classroom, settling over the old wooden desks in a shimmering layer of dust. The chatter of children slowly faded, giving way to the warm, deep voice of a teacher standing at the front of the room. Enduring the sweltering heat of summer, the children sat in class, their eyes fixed on the teacher, listening to every word.

The teacher began with a simple but weighty question: "Why are some people rich? Why are some people poor?" A small voice called out: "Because they have blessings from merit!" The teacher nodded and smiled: "That's right. People are poor because they lack blessings from merit. People who are intelligent, talented, healthy, and successful in their work... all of that comes from blessings from merit. And what happens when one lacks them? Failure, sickness, ignorance."

A child raised a hand, eyes wide: "Teacher, where do blessings from merit come from?"

"Blessings from merit only come when we do good deeds," the teacher replied, emphasizing each word. "We lack them because we have used them all up, or because we have done wrong, done bad things, and our blessings have run out."

The teacher gave an example. "For instance, someone who is healthy suddenly falls ill and lies in bed... that is not just a lack of blessings from merit, but negative blessings! Their blessings have fallen below zero."

The children buzzed with excitement at this new concept. The teacher explained it with simple arithmetic: "Zero means your blessings from merit are used up. Add to it, and you grow healthier. For example, a superhero in the movies might have blessings of plus one hundred. And you children?" The teacher looked at the children and joked: "How much do you get?" A child said shyly: "I think... I get ten."

The teacher laughed: "Ten? You can barely do a few push-ups and you claim ten? Two or three push-ups and you want ten? You'd have to do thirty push-ups to earn a plus five."

Then the teacher turned to the topic of money. "If we have no money at all, and owe no one anything, that is zero. If our father gives us one hundred or two hundred thousand, we are in the positive. But when the money runs out and we start borrowing, we sink into the negative."

On the topic of physical beauty, the teacher called a child up and asked: "Am I handsome or ugly?" The child answered honestly: "Ordinary." The teacher smiled: "Exactly, I am a zero. Neither handsome nor ugly."

Another child, face flushed, whispered to a friend nearby: "So am I pretty or ugly? If I'm pretty, it means I have blessings from merit."

The teacher, as if reading that thought, continued: "But what if your blessings are negative? Suppose someone's face had negative one hundred. What would that face look like? One eye tiny as a peppercorn, the other eye this big, a mouth twisted crooked, three and a half teeth left, hair half red and half green, covered in acne scars... enough to make anyone shudder."

The children fell silent, picturing that face. The teacher continued, his voice growing deeper: "What matters is this: once we understand the Dharma, we must do good deeds so that our blessings from merit grow thicker and thicker. The most fearful thing is committing wrongdoing, because blessings will gradually be lost, and once they are gone, we begin to sink into the negative again."

"And when blessings from merit are negative," the teacher stressed, "that person can no longer live on their own and must cling to others. Does anyone respect them? No. They are naturally looked down upon and despised by the world, even if they don't want to be."

The teacher painted a picture: "Water flows from high places to low. A person with positive blessings is like a tall hill, while a person with negative blessings is like a deep pit, living off the water that pours down from above."

A child raised a hand: "Teacher, why do some people have negative blessings?"

The teacher answered: "Because they are addicted to video games. Because they often speak badly of others and curse at people. Because they are greedy, grabbing things and refusing to help anyone. Because they are violent, hitting people and humiliating them. All of these things cause blessings from merit to fade away, and when the results of karma appear, they can no longer live on their own."

The children fell silent. Some glanced at each other, and one lowered their head. A small child said, voice trembling: "Teacher, I... I often speak badly of my friends. I'm so scared."

The teacher said gently: "Feeling afraid is good. So from now on, what must we do?"

Everyone answered in unison: "Do good deeds!"

"How long must we do good deeds before it's enough?" the teacher asked.

A small voice rang out: "For countless lifetimes!"

"Exactly!" the teacher nodded. "We must keep doing them forever, from this life to the next. Why do we need so many blessings from merit? First, so that our blessings don't go negative and cause suffering to those around us. With positive blessings, we can share and help others. With negative blessings, we become a burden. For example, if we fall ill, our family suffers. If we lie paralyzed in bed for years, the whole family suffers until the day we die."

Another child said solemnly: "Then I must do good deeds so that one day I won't become a burden to my parents."

The teacher smiled: "That's right. Second, blessings from merit give us dignity. Between a beautiful person and an ugly one, whom do we prefer? Between the rich and the poor? Between the talented and the mediocre? We prefer the person with blessings from merit. And a person with blessings, even sitting quietly in a corner, naturally radiates an invisible aura that draws people's attention and affection. But a person without blessings, even dressed beautifully and moving about, goes unnoticed, and may even make others feel uncomfortable."

The children listened, picturing the scene. The teacher told them about Mother Teresa, who did only one thing: giving the dying a death with dignity. Then he mentioned the Cat Manh movement, which protected the dignity of workers. "And what about our way?" the teacher asked.

A child answered: "Doing good deeds ourselves!"

"Exactly. When we do good deeds ourselves, our blessings rise, and we naturally gain dignity and the respect of others. Living like that is true happiness."

Then the teacher spoke of the third reason: blessings from merit prevent us from falling into the lower realms. He told a story in an even voice: "Someone took refuge and came to see a teacher, saying: 'I once committed a sin. I raised a dog and loved it dearly, but that day I craved meat so much that I slaughtered it and ate it.' That is the sin of killing and betrayal. In the next life, he will be killed in return."

The children shuddered. The teacher continued: "But the teacher said: 'Try to create blessings from merit—release captive animals, build roads, fill in potholes, help countless people... Because those blessings offset the sin, in the next life you will not fall into the realm of dogs to be killed again, but will be reborn as a human. Yet you will still be cut at the throat: a tumor on the neck, cut open by a doctor, needing bandages for a month or two before it heals. That is the trace.'"

The teacher also told of a case in Binh Phuoc, where someone killed an entire family of six—perhaps because in a past life he had been the dog of that household, slaughtered at the throat, carrying that hatred through many lifetimes.

A child, face pale: "Teacher, I often slaughter chickens to eat..."

The teacher smiled lightly: "Remember, if we have already committed a sin, then for the rest of our lives, we must do good deeds to make up for it. Now, the fourth reason: so that we can share and help others. For example, two friends go to school together; one is crippled, and the other, healthy, carries him to school for six whole years. To help, we need health and we need money. The teacher told of his own childhood, when his family was poor. One day, he met a neighbor whose face was stricken with shock, who said: 'Dung, my house has burned down completely.' The teacher was small and confused, unable to help in any way. The neighbor walked away, and the teacher never saw him again. That sentence haunted the teacher for the rest of his life. If he had had more blessings from merit, more money at that time, he could have helped the man, and his conscience would have been at peace."

The children were silent, some looking moved. The teacher concluded: "If we see others suffering and cannot help, and we have even a little conscience, it will haunt us for a lifetime. That is why we must have many blessings from merit, so we can help others and live virtuously."

The teacher gave the fifth reason: blessings from merit give us freedom. "Blessings from merit give us the power to choose. It's like buying a house. With plenty of money, we choose a three-story house. With less money, we choose two stories, or one. With no money, we can only rent. Blessings from merit give us the freedom to choose the life we want."

Evening had fallen. Neon lights flickered on, casting soft streaks of light across the young faces. The children sat quietly, their eyes still holding the lesson. One child wrote a small line in a notebook: "The number zero and blessings for a lifetime."

The teacher stood up, his voice warm: "Today we learned why we must have many blessings from merit. First, so we don't go negative and cause suffering to those around us. Second, to have dignity. Third, to avoid falling into the lower realms. Fourth, to be able to help others. Fifth, to have freedom. Remember, children: do good deeds for a lifetime, and never stop."

The children answered in unison: "Yes, teacher!"

Outside, the evening sun had faded, but in the hearts of the children, a small flame had just been lit, glowing quietly and steadily, for the whole long life ahead.

## The Meaning of the Story

Through this dharma talk, Venerable Thich Chan Quang wished to convey this message: blessings from merit are the foundation for every aspect of life—health, money, beauty, talent, and dignity. When our blessings go negative, we become a burden to others and lose their respect. Conversely, when our blessings are positive, we are able to live independently, help others, and freely choose our own lives. Therefore, throughout our lives we must always do good deeds without pause, accumulating blessings from merit, avoiding falling into the lower realms, and living a meaningful life, able to share love with everyone.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang.