Winning and Losing, Forgetting We All Will Die

One afternoon in the Gosinga forest, the monastery of the monks was as serene as ever. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting golden patterns on the stone paths. A Dharma master, just finished bathing and still smelling faintly of soap, stepped from the bathhouse with a peaceful mind. In his haste, he failed to notice he had left the wooden tub upturned, with a thin layer of water still pooled in its bottom.

Such a small thing, like a speck of dust. But then a Vinaya master entered, saw the tub, and his expression darkened. For someone devoted to the monastic code, this was a breach of deportment: after bathing, one should rinse all the water out and place the tub upside down to dry, leaving it ready for the next person as if new. He turned, his voice somewhat stern.

“Venerable, did you just finish bathing?”

The Dharma master, surprised, nodded.

“Yes, I have just bathed.”

“Did you leave the tub upright with some water remaining in it?”

The Dharma master suddenly remembered, scratching his head sheepishly.

“Yes, that’s right. I left it upright with some water. I haven’t had a chance to clean it yet.”

The Vinaya master raised an eyebrow.

“Do you know that this is a fault?”

The Dharma master placed his palms together honestly.

“No, I did not know it was a fault, as the disciplinary rules are so meticulous I cannot remember them all. But if it is a fault, I offer my repentance.”

Hearing this, the Vinaya master nodded, his tone softening.

“Very well. Since you acknowledge the fault and offer repentance, it is considered purified. There is nothing more to discuss.”

They greeted each other and parted ways. It seemed the matter was closed.

But when the Vinaya master returned to his room, he met a few close disciples. Being a meticulous person, he recounted the story as a reminder: “That Dharma master did not clean up after bathing, leaving the tub upright with water. He said he did not know it was a fault. It is truly lacking in deportment.”

Those inadvertent words passed from one person to another, growing with each telling. Soon, the entire monastery was buzzing: “That Dharma master violated the rules and refuses to acknowledge his fault!”

The Dharma master heard this and was stunned. “I already acknowledged my fault and offered repentance! Why are they saying I refuse to acknowledge it?”

He then told his own disciples: “That Vinaya master is lying! I properly offered my repentance, yet he goes around saying I did not accept my fault.”

Thus began the two sides defending their teachers, each claiming the other was wrong. From the two masters, the story spread to hundreds of disciples, then to the lay followers. The entire region of Kaushambi was divided into two factions, some supporting the Dharma master, others the Vinaya master. The conflict even spread to the heavenly realms, causing division among the gods.

When the Buddha heard the news, he came to advise: “O monks, cease this argument. Live in harmony!”

But the monks, too agitated in their anger, replied: “Blessed One, the Blessed One should just focus on his own practice. Let us settle this matter ourselves. We must determine who is right and who is wrong!”

The Buddha spoke a second time, then a third, but no one would listen. He shook his head, and one day, after his alms round, he quietly left the monastery without a word of farewell.

He went to visit three senior monks living harmoniously in the forest, then journeyed deep into the primeval woods to live alone. There, a wise elephant lord with keen intuition attended him for three months, fanning him cool, cleaning his bathing spot, and gathering fruits to offer. A monkey also tried to imitate the elephant, but in its joyful excitement, it leaped about and was killed by a branch. Because of its respectful mind, it was reborn in the heavens.

Meanwhile, at the monastery, the lay followers discovered the Buddha had departed. They were furious: “You promised to live the renunciant life following the Buddha, yet you do not heed even one of his teachings. You are no longer worthy to receive our offerings!”

They imposed a boycott, bringing no more food. For three months during the rainy retreat, the monks could not leave the monastery and received no offerings. They grew gaunt with hunger, their skin pale, their eyes sunken. At last, they realized how meaningless the argument had been. They looked at each other with weak voices: “We have been wrong. Over a tub of water, we drove the Buddha away, angered the lay supporters, and now we face starvation.”

They apologized to each other and returned to living in harmony, but had to wait until the end of the three-month retreat before they could search for the Buddha. When the retreat concluded, the Venerable Ananda led the group of monks to the forest where the Buddha was staying to offer their repentance. The Buddha forgave them and taught: “Winning and losing arise because we forget that we all will die. If we remember that death awaits, what is there left to argue about?”

From then on, the monks lived in harmony, and King Prasenajit also rescinded the boycott when he saw they had recognized their fault.

**The Meaning of the Story**

The greatest lesson is not to let trivial matters, or faults that have already been repented, become reasons for division. When we remember that all is impermanent and that death comes for everyone, all arguments over winning and losing become petty. We should learn from the three senior monks living harmoniously like water and milk: knowing forbearance, knowing respect, and placing the common good above the individual self.

Compiled from a Dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang