Two Guests and a Gift of Millions

A small temple sat nestled among residential buildings. The evening bell had just faded, leaving the courtyard quiet. The abbot was sitting in his meditation room beside a steaming pot of tea when he heard a voice call from the gate.

The first guest entered, his demeanor timid, clutching a thin envelope. He bowed his head to the abbot, his voice trembling:

“Venerable Sir, I have only just started working and do not have much. I humbly offer this small amount, as a token of my heart turning toward the Buddha.”

The abbot stood, offering a gentle smile, and guided the young man’s hands.

“Ah, having such a mind is what is precious. Come, have a cup of tea first, then stay for a vegetarian meal with me.”

He led the young guest to the reception room, personally pouring tea, and kindly inquired about his work and family. During the meal, the abbot even served food to him, reminding:

“Remember to maintain a virtuous mind, diligently do good deeds, and do not overly worry about making offerings. The Buddha only wishes for your peace and happiness.”

The young guest was deeply moved, his eyes glistening with tears as he left, his heart unusually warmed.

The following afternoon, a middle-aged man entered the temple with a familiar air, as if he had visited many times before. He placed a thick envelope on the table and spoke loudly:

“Reverend Sir, I offer ten million to the temple. I ask that you please look after that young novice for me.”

The abbot sat still, not glancing at the envelope, and replied coolly:

“Very well, leave it there. Go into the kitchen and help cook the meal for me.”

The man was taken aback, but then obediently headed to the kitchen. Throughout the afternoon, the abbot did not speak another word to him. When the man prepared to leave and called out a farewell, the abbot simply waved his hand:

“Go on, no need for formalities.”

The man left with a resentful expression, unable to understand why, despite offering so much money, he was treated so poorly. The young guest from the day before, who offered far less, had been treated with such respect by the abbot.

In truth, within the abbot's heart, the two guests were not equal. The young guest was new to the temple, his faith still tender on the path, so the abbot needed to nurture and encourage his belief. The other man, however, had worn the temple floorboards smooth with his visits, yet still harbored attachment to his merit, thinking that making offerings was to purchase blessings and gain respect. The abbot's coolness toward him was precisely to teach him a lesson: do not consider your good deeds grand, do not cling to your accumulated merit. If he could understand this, he might let go of his ego-self, and only then could he hope to advance far on the path.

This story reminds us of the Buddha’s teaching in the Diamond Sutra: “If blessings from merit were truly real, the Thus-Come One would not have spoken of receiving many blessings from merit. Precisely because there is ultimately no such thing as blessings from merit, the Thus-Come One speaks of receiving many blessings from merit.”

When doing good, if we constantly think of the karmic reward, of gaining blessings, then our mind is not truly pure. We create merit but then become attached to that merit; such merit will be depleted when we enjoy its fruits, and cannot be infinitely accumulated to lead us to liberation. Only when we do good with a mind of “no merit,” without expectation or attachment, does that merit become immeasurable. Only then does it become the path leading us to enlightenment.

A person who understands this, when encountering blessings in the present moment, will not rush to joyfully consume them, nor will they dogmatically reject everything. Instead, they will receive them calmly, and then use that merit for the benefit of all sentient beings. This is a person with true wisdom and genuine virtue.

**Meaning of the Story**

Doing good surely brings good merit; this is the undeniable law of cause and effect. But if we do good while our mind still clings to the deed and expects rewards, that merit will be consumed when enjoyed, unable to aid our liberation. The Buddha’s teaching, “Precisely because there is no such thing as blessings from merit does he speak of many blessings from merit,” does not deny cause and effect, but teaches us to do good with a pure mind, without attachment, so that our merit becomes immeasurable, carrying us to the shore of enlightenment.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang.