Fifteen Times Twenty-Seven

**Summary:** A disciple of the Buddha faces a major family crisis when her husband has a secret wife and child. Guided by her teacher, she manages to maintain inner peace and chooses compassion over resentment.

That afternoon, the sky was gloomy. A breeze rustled through the trees in front of the Buddha hall. Anh.entri, the husband, knelt in a corner of the room, his head bowed low, his shoulders shaking. His wife stood beside him, her voice trembling but full of anguish: "Teacher, we are about to divorce because he has a mistress." Their eldest child sat nearby, eyes red and swollen, clutching tightly to a hand. The whole family had come to see the teacher, seeking an escape from the impending collapse. The teacher looked at them, sighed, and spoke: "Be quiet, and listen. I will tell you a story."

In the teacher's memory, there was an elderly woman from the South who came to make an offering and share her complaint. Her voice was bitter: "After so many years together, now he has another wife and child. I am furious, and our children hate their father." The teacher listened and then asked, "Will you now obey what I say?" She nodded. "Take gifts to visit his other children and become their senior mother." She was stunned. "Now tell me, could you kill him?" She shook her head. "Could you kill his mistress?" "No." "Could you kill the children?" "No." "Then love them. It is too late to change things, so step up and be the senior wife. The other family will lose their guilt, and the children won't hate their father. You become the senior wife, the big family—how joyful that would be!" The old woman stared in shock, then broke down: "Oh, that's right! I feel better now." Her mind felt instantly lighter. "I'm old now; what is there left to be jealous of? If he were twenty-five and she were twenty, I would teach you how to fight. With all this grey hair, what is the point of holding onto hatred?"

Returning to the present, the teacher looked at the family before him: "A disciple of the Buddha seeks to find compassion. The love between a man and a woman is a matter of conditions. What is so precious about it that you must cling to such fierce resentment?" The husband looked up, tears welling in his eyes, and began to sob with empathy. The wife fell silent, deep in thought. The whole room was immersed in stillness. Then she spoke, her voice lightened: "Teacher, I understand now. I will no longer hold onto hatred." Anh.entri also nodded, looking at his wife with gratitude. The teacher smiled: "This is a problem a bit harder than usual—fifteen times twenty-seven. It requires some calculation. But every problem must be solved, and any upheaval must be met with a mind at peace."

After that story, their family did not divorce. She chose to forgive and, as her teacher advised, cared for her husband's entire family. Anh.entri felt remorse, devoted himself more to practice, and upheld his moral conduct. Despite life's upheavals, they had learned to maintain inner calm. The whole family transformed, living with greater love. And the teacher, watching them depart, felt a sense of light relief for having helped a family find peace once more.

**Meaning of the Story**

The story shows that in life, there will be great upheavals, such as betrayal within a family. Yet, a disciple of the Buddha must always maintain a mind at peace, no matter the situation. Even if life is twisted and ungrateful, one must practice forgiveness, choosing compassion over hatred. This is a difficult problem that must be solved, so that the mind is not shaken by the changing ways of the world.

*Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang.*