The Last Tear of Elder Putigat

This is the story of Elder Putigat, who suffered from a diseased and decaying body, yet was personally cared for by the Buddha and attained enlightenment just before the Buddha entered nirvana.

A foul stench rose from a small hut at the corner of the monastery. White maggots wriggled over festering wounds, slowly consuming the rotting flesh. Elder Putigat lay curled on a bamboo cot, each breath accompanied by a faint groan. The boils that had once erupted across his skin had now burst, oozing pus and blood, making the surrounding air heavy and suffocating.

At first, the fellow monks took turns caring for him. But as his illness grew more dreadful, he could no longer relieve himself on his own, and even eating became difficult. The odor from his body spread throughout the area, unbearable to everyone. His brothers had to carry him out to the veranda and lay him on a bamboo cot so he could be cleaned more easily. Yet gradually, people turned away. No one wanted to come near; no one wanted to witness such a sight. Perhaps even those who had left home with boundless compassion still had their limits of endurance.

One afternoon, as the sun sank toward the west, the elder lay there with eyes closed and lips trembling. He could feel life leaving his body little by little. The pain tormented him without pause, but perhaps the greater suffering was the loneliness, the feeling of being abandoned. He whispered to himself: "This body will soon lie upon the earth, discarded like a useless log. Yet why, even as I am about to depart, can I not let go of this clinging?"

Suddenly, a figure appeared before him. It was the Buddha. He sat down gently beside the elder, his compassionate eyes looking straight into him. "Putigat, you have suffered long enough. Let the Tathagata help you."

The elder opened his eyes, tears streaming down. "World-Honored One, my body is so foul. You must not come near me."

The Buddha smiled and said nothing. He gently removed the elder's outer robe and handed it to a monk: "Take this robe, wash it, and let it dry."

Then he took a cloth, dipped it in warm water, and began to cleanse each wound on the elder's body. Every movement was gentle and meticulous, like a mother caring for her young child. He washed away the pus, the blood, and even the maggots clinging to the wounds. Without a trace of disgust, without a moment of hesitation.

"World-Honored One," the elder sobbed, "how can you do this for me? I am only a sinner, one who created so much karmic obstruction."

The Buddha continued washing, his voice gentle yet full of power: "Putigat, everything is due to conditions (dependent origination). The past is past; the present is what matters. Let your mind become pure, like this robe once it has been washed clean."

When the cleansing was done, the Buddha draped a fresh robe over the elder. He sat upright, looked into the eyes of his dying disciple, and recited this verse:

"Soon this body will lie Upon the earth below, Discarded without sense, Like a useless log."

Four short lines, yet they struck like lightning tearing through the darkness in the elder's mind. He saw clearly: this body was nothing but a log, a mass of impermanent flesh (anicca). All the pain, all the clinging, all the fear dissolved away. A serene smile bloomed on his lips. His eyes closed gently, like a falling leaf.

The monks who witnessed this were astonished. Only minutes before, the elder had been moaning in agony; now he passed away in peace and bliss, like a noble one. They gathered around the Buddha and asked: "World-Honored One, how did such a miraculous transformation come about?"

The Buddha looked compassionately at his disciples and told the story of Elder Putigat's past lives. Long ago, he had been a hunter who specialized in trapping birds. Whenever he caught one, to keep it from flying away, he would break its two wings and two legs before placing it in his basket. That cruel act created heavy karmic consequences, causing him to endure a diseased and decaying body in his final life. Yet in that same life, he met a Solitary Buddha and made this vow: "May I one day share in your fruit of realization." Thanks to that wholesome root, though he wandered through many lifetimes, he finally encountered Buddha Shakyamuni and realized the truth just before the Buddha entered nirvana.

The Buddha said: "Monks, as you have seen, the fruit of karma is never lost. But if one knows how to cultivate and to plant wholesome seeds, then even while repaying bad karma, one can ultimately escape the cycle of samsara (cycle of rebirth)."

Afterward, the Buddha had the funeral cremation of Elder Putigat performed with the rites of an Arahant. Incense smoke rose and mingled with the chanting of sutras, carrying him home to liberation.

## The Meaning of the Story

The story of Elder Putigat teaches us that the law of karma is fair and is never lost. Cruel actions of the past must bear their fruit, but if one knows how to plant wholesome seeds and to cultivate, then even in the final moment, liberation is still possible. The Buddha used unconditional love to care for his suffering disciple, showing that compassion can overcome all disgust and all difficulty. At the same time, the verse on the impermanent body is a fundamental practice, helping us with letting go of attachment and advancing step by step on the path to enlightenment.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang.