The Price of Morality

One afternoon, during a conversation, an elder extended his hand to a small child and said, "Come here. I will tell you something. In a moment, that man will arrive. I despise him deeply. If you curse him with just one sentence, I will give you ten million."

It sounded like a joke. But the question that followed silenced everyone present.

"In Buddhism, there is no harsh speech. We are not permitted to curse or speak falsely. So, what if we offer one hundred million? Would you curse someone for that sum? What if we offer one billion? Would you do it then?"

A struggle began within the listener’s mind. The unwholesome act seemed so minor—just a quiet curse, perhaps answered by another in the future, costing nothing tangible. Yet, one billion was such a tempting reward.

But in that very hesitation, a terrifying truth emerged. If one accepts this bargain, they will inevitably commit greater evils later. This is not merely a small unwholesome act—a gentle curse—but a deeper second transgression: allowing greed to corrupt the mind, choosing to do wrong for money.

Once this seed falls into the heart, it remains there, growing through many lifetimes. Eventually, others can buy your morality at a very low price, because the cause has already been planted: the acceptance of doing evil for profit.

Human morality often has a price tag. Some refuse to take three hundred thousand, but succumb when offered five hundred—their integrity costs five hundred. Others have a moral price of ten million. And some lose two million in a restroom, never returning it because they do not know who took it—their morality is worth less than two million.

What about the truly wonderful person, the holy one? They have no price. Even for the smallest good deed, they strive to act; even for the tiniest evil, even if offered a billion to commit a sin as slight as a hair, they firmly refuse.

If it is wrong, no price can buy it. If it is a small good deed, one must always strive to do it. The boundary between right and wrong is clear, and they never step across it.

The Meaning of the Story

Never trade your morality, not even for the smallest evil, no matter how great the benefit. For once you accept doing wrong for money, you plant a cause in your heart. From then on, others can buy you cheaply. The truly wonderful person has no price: wrong cannot be bought at any cost, and small good deeds must always be done.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang