Two Bowls of Beef Pho

**Summary:** A meditator in silent sitting suddenly sees a bowl of beef pho appear in his mind, despite not thinking of it. The story leads into a lesson about the aggregate of perception and the aggregate of formations within the teaching of the five aggregates.

In the midst of the silent meditation retreat, the singing bowl rang long and then faded completely. Nearly thirty meditators sat in full lotus on their cushions, backs straight, eyes half-closed. The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves, casting pale golden streaks across the tiled floor. In the hall, the atmosphere was so still that the even breathing of each person was clearly audible.

Brother Tuan, a young meditator seated in the third row, was trying to focus on his breath. He silently followed his teacher's instruction: "Breathing in, I know I am breathing in; breathing out, I know I am breathing out." But after only a few minutes, thoughts began to creep in. He remembered unfinished work, a phone call he needed to return, and then, quite suddenly, an image appeared vividly in his mind: a steaming bowl of beef pho, with clear broth, slices of pink rare beef, and green onions sprinkled on top. He startled, wondering, "Why am I suddenly thinking about beef pho?" He tried to push the image away, but it lingered.

Brother Tuan had come to this retreat hoping to find peace of mind. Pressures from work and the hustle of life left him constantly tense and sleepless. He had heard that meditation helps calm the mind, so when he learned of a retreat led by Venerable Chan Quang, he signed up immediately. But sitting in meditation was not as easy as he had imagined. His legs fell asleep, his back ached, and his mind leapt about like a monkey. He blamed himself, "Why can't I concentrate?"

That afternoon, during the group discussion, Brother Tuan shared with the other meditators: "When I sit in meditation, I just keep having stray thoughts. Today, this bowl of beef pho appeared out of nowhere, and I couldn't get rid of it. I thought I had let go of everything, so why does it keep following me?"

An older meditator smiled gently: "You are still young. It is normal to have desires for food and drink. Just try to focus more." Brother Tuan nodded, but his heart remained unsettled.

During the dharma talk that evening, Venerable Chan Quang taught about the five aggregates: form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. When he spoke of the aggregate of perception and the aggregate of formations, he recounted: "There is someone sitting in meditation, watching his breath, when suddenly a bowl of beef pho appears. He asks himself, 'Where did that come from? I wasn't thinking about it!' But in truth, within his aggregate of formations, the thought of seeking out beef pho had been silently at work for a long time. The aggregate of perception is merely the screen where a tiny portion manifests; the aggregate of formations is the seething, complex undercurrent. When he tries to chase the image of the pho away, in a secret corner of his mind, it makes a pact: 'Just wait until the retreat is over. Two bowls, in revenge.'"

When Brother Tuan heard this, his heart seemed to clench. He recognized himself in the story. He had thought he was controlling his thoughts, but in truth, his desires were still smoldering inside. He recalled how, after previous retreats, his car would automatically drive to the familiar pho shop without him even thinking about it. So that was the aggregate of formations guiding him.

After the dharma talk, Brother Tuan went to see the teacher and confessed: "Venerable Sir, I understand now. I thought I had let go, but my desires are still fully present in my mind. What must I do so that my aggregate of formations is no longer dominated by such unwholesome thoughts?"

The teacher looked at him, his voice gentle: "You must practice not only during sitting meditation, but also throughout your daily life. The tendencies your aggregate of formations is operating under will guide your actions accordingly. If you constantly cultivate wholesome thoughts, then when an unexpected situation arises, you will naturally act in a wholesome way, without needing to deliberate."

Brother Tuan was struck silent. He understood that cultivation was not just about sitting still, but about transforming the entire hidden undercurrent. From that day on, he paid more attention to guarding his mind and intentions at all times: when eating, when walking, when working. He practiced observing his thoughts, neither suppressing nor clinging to them, simply seeing them as passers-by.

Many months later, Brother Tuan returned to the retreat again. This time, when he sat in meditation, the bowl of beef pho did not appear. Instead, his mind was calmer, clearer. He felt a genuine sense of peace—not from fleeing his desires, but from truly understanding their nature.

**Meaning of the Story**

This story illustrates the teaching of the aggregate of perception and the aggregate of formations: the thoughts that surface in the mind are merely the tip of the iceberg, while the aggregate of formations—the deep stream of consciousness—is where all intentions and desires accumulate and operate. To transform the mind, we must nurture wholesome tendencies within the aggregate of formations, so that when faced with situations, we naturally act in a good and beautiful way without having to think about it.

*Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang.*