The Wings of the Bird of Enlightenment

This story explores the difference between those of superior capacity who attain enlightenment quickly and practitioners in the current age. It clarifies the principle of "Cultivating Both Merit and Wisdom" as the two wings that allow a bird to fly.

Golden rays of the setting sun cast pale streaks across the brick courtyard of an ancient temple, where the sound of bells echoed from afar. In that still air, an old monk sat cross-legged on a stone. His eyes were half-closed, but his mind traveled back through time, reflecting on fascinating historical stories left by the Buddha.

He recalled the image of Venerable Bakula, a special figure among the disciples of the World-Honored One. When he was a child, his mother carried him to the riverbank for a bath. Suddenly, a large fish leaped up and swallowed the child whole. Fate intervened when a fisherman’s net pulled up that very fish. The man opened the belly and found the baby miraculously alive, so he raised him. Later, when his origins were discovered, the two families became close friends. The boy was cared for by both wealthy households, living in extreme luxury.

Yet the most remarkable thing was not his miraculous survival, but the speed of his enlightenment. Upon hearing that the Buddha had appeared, Bakula—now a grown young man with his own family—immediately requested ordination. Within just seven short days, he attained the fruit of Arhatship. People asked him, "How long until you were free from afflictions?" He replied gently, "I met the World-Honored One, and by the seventh day, not a single speck of worldly dust remained in my inner heart."

After attaining the Way, the life of Venerable Bakula became extraordinary. He never leaned his back against anything, seemingly needing no sleep at all, and never suffered illness despite being twenty years older than the Buddha. When the Buddha entered nirvana, Bakula lived for another twenty years, reaching one hundred and twenty years of age in perfect health before announcing his departure and passing away peacefully.

The old monk smiled, wondering: Why do some people like Bakula or the Sixth Patriarch Huineng—the first Vietnamese person to become a Patriarch in China—only need to carry firewood in the yard and hear one line from the Diamond Sutra to awaken instantly? They are those of "superior capacity," whose merit from many past lives was already deep and thick. This life is merely their final rebirth to harvest the results.

But then his gaze settled on the young Buddhists meditating in the current retreat. They grimaced from leg pain and sighed due to their restless minds. A young girl stood up, wiped her sweat, and said to her fellow practitioner, "I am so tired; my legs are completely numb. Are we truly on the right path? Why do others attain enlightenment so easily, while I have been sitting here for months without finding any peace?"

That question touched the shared sentiment of us all in this Dharma-ending age. We are not those of superior capacity who have finished planting their merit. We are currently in the stage of "planting seeds." And here is the most important secret: Enlightenment cannot be achieved if either of the two core elements is missing, just as a bird cannot fly with only one wing.

The old monk walked closer to the group of meditators. His voice was warm yet decisive.

"Look closely. Sitting in meditation, directing the mind toward non-self (anatta), is cultivating wisdom. But bowing to the Buddha, giving alms, making offerings, and helping others is cultivating merit. If you only sit in meditation and forget to create merit, or only do charity without practicing meditative concentration, you are like a bird with one crippled wing. No matter how hard it flaps, it will only stumble and fall to the ground, unable to soar high."

A young man asked, "Venerable sir, how can we know which wing we are lacking?"

"Ask yourselves," the monk replied. "If you find yourself wealthy and powerful but feel empty inside, always anxious, you lack wisdom. If you find yourself intelligent and understanding the teachings, but your life is struggling, with few good conditions and piled-up difficulties, you lack merit. Especially when your merit is small, you must wisely choose where to sow it. Do not scatter money into places that vanish like alcohol or useless entertainment for selfish people. Make offerings to genuine practitioners and support environments for cultivation. One million dong given to a poor person might disappear amidst greed, hatred and delusion. But one million dong offered to holy beings spreads into teachings, benefiting countless people, and those blessings from merit multiply greatly."

The young girl nodded, her eyes brightening. "So, even though my legs hurt and my mind is chaotic, if I persist in both meditating and helping others, I am training both wings?"

"Precisely," the monk smiled. "Those who remain stubbornly attached to the path of practice despite hardship and suffering, without giving up, truly possess the seed of enlightenment. Deities love such people. But those who wait until they are happy and comfortable before practicing are only holding seeds of samsara (cycle of rebirth)."

In that moment, the temple bell rang again. It was no longer a solitary sound but blended with the steady breathing of those striving to complete their own wings of merit and wisdom.

The Meaning of the Story

This story emphasizes the Buddhist principle of "Cultivating Both Merit and Wisdom." Just as a bird needs two wings to fly, a practitioner needs balance between cultivating wisdom (meditative concentration, directing toward non-self) and cultivating merit (giving, making offerings, helping others). Those of superior capacity attain enlightenment quickly because their merit from past lives has ripened, while people today are in the planting stage. Therefore, one must be persistent and wise in creating merit—prioritizing offerings to genuine practitioners and supporting cultivation environments—and steadfast in cultivating wisdom, despite physical and mental obstacles. Persistence through difficulty is proof that the seed of enlightenment is sprouting.

Compiled from the dharma talk of Most Venerable Thich Chan Quang