A Conversation on a Drizzly Sidewalk

A drizzle and cold wind blanketed the whole street, the biting chill seeping through the seams of clothing. Tiny raindrops clung to eyelashes, and the sidewalk glistened wet under the pale yellow light of shopfronts. The sound of motorbike horns cutting through the wind mingled with the lingering aroma of bun cha drifting from a makeshift stall built from old corrugated tin.

"Hello, hold on a moment, I'm out on the street..."

A man stopped, pulled out his phone, and bent his head to study the screen. Two minutes passed as he stood absentmindedly right in front of the bun cha stall, paying no attention to his surroundings. Suddenly, a sharp voice rang out, cold and cutting:

"What are you standing there for? Do you have eyes? Move aside, can't you see I'm trying to sell!"

His hand stiffened, and the phone nearly slipped from his grasp. His face flushed hot, his heart pounding. For months he had been coming home late from work, exhausted every evening, and today he only wanted to call and check in on a family member in this cold. The sidewalk was a shared walkway—how dare she scold him like that?

He had already been through a rushed morning, stuck in traffic for nearly an hour, then spent the whole day wrestling with reports. Now hunger, cold, and weariness, piled on top of the scolding, set his heart ablaze. He thought to himself: "The sidewalk belongs to everyone, and the city is reclaiming it for pedestrians. I'm not blocking anyone. She's so fierce—if I talk back, she might just dump a whole pot of bun cha on my head, and that would be quite a scene."

He swallowed his anger, his hand gripping the hem of his jacket tightly. But then, in the stillness of the rain, he suddenly remembered his teacher's words about Appropriate Attention. He steadied his heart:

"Never mind. Enduring one harsh word earns nine kind ones. Let her scolding be like wind passing by."

He exhaled, his shoulders relaxing. Yet as soon as he thought this, he realized he was only protecting his own small piece of peace. He asked himself: "I've managed to avoid anger, but where is my compassion?"

At that moment, the vendor shouted again:

"Standing there all hunched up like that—do you want a scolding or not?"

He looked at her quietly: silver hair damp with rain, hands wiping away tears brought on by cooking smoke, clothes soaked through. A deeper thought arose in him:

"She struggles to make a living, hoping every day to sell just one more bowl. People are greedy, wanting to profit by every coin they can. And with an innately angry, deluded nature, anyone who touches her livelihood sparks her temper. She is no different from any being trapped in samsara (cycle of rebirth) by greed, hatred and delusion—truly worthy of compassion."

He silently prayed: "May the Buddha bless her, that she may suffer less and learn to live with kindness." Then he smiled and said softly:

"I'm sorry, I'll move along right now."

The vendor suddenly came to her senses, her ladle pausing over the broth, the harshness fading from her eyes. The air between them seemed to soften amid the rain.

That was the turning point: he realized that Appropriate Attention is not just about keeping ourselves from being troubled, but about awakening compassion for those who unknowingly hurt us.

From that day on, whenever he faced situations that went against his wishes, he practiced deliberately creating wholesome thoughts. Months later, his face grew lighter, and people in his neighborhood noticed he had become noticeably gentler, no longer wearing the scowling look he had that day on the rain-soaked sidewalk.

## The Meaning of the Story

Appropriate Attention means actively creating thoughts that align with the truth. With lesser wisdom, one merely thinks "endure so as not to be angry." With greater wisdom, one awakens compassion for those lost in delusion. Every thought we create paints a picture of the heart, determining whether we know joy or suffering (dukkha).

Adapted from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang.