The Careless One and the Unsettled Rebirth

In the early morning, mist still hung along the path, and the chirping of birds echoed from the mango branches. A young man hurried out the door with his bag, eyes fixed straight ahead, not bothering to glance at his parents sitting and drinking tea. His feet thumped heavily on the wooden floor, his shirt untidy. The elderly couple watched him go, their shoulders slumping as a dry sigh escaped.

"This boy, he doesn't even bother to greet his parents in the morning," his father muttered, placing his teacup on the table with slightly too much force.

He was naturally carefree, living without a thought in the world, simply following his instincts. On his girlfriend's birthday, he looked blankly at her. "Oh, I forgot, I forgot," he said, then gave a dismissive smile. She was upset, but he didn't care. While smoking, he flicked the ash into a bin full of paper. The fire caught quickly, crackling and burning. It was lucky someone put it out in time, or the whole house might have burned down. He just shrugged. "Just a habit, no big deal."

But that carelessness spread unease wherever it went. His parents felt sad, his girlfriend was hurt, and the neighbors were alarmed. In his next life, he was reborn as a person constantly anxious and on edge, perpetually worried, even though in his past life he thought of nothing. This is the result of cause and effect (karmic law): carelessness becomes indifference, and by causing unease in others, one receives unease in return.

"I used to be so carefree, why am I now always so unsettled?" he lamented in his new life, his eyes constantly darting around in fear. This change shows how the wheel of cause and effect (karmic law) turns; no one escapes it.

Later in that life, he had to learn to be attentive, hoping to finally be free from suffering. The story concludes as a wake-up call for all who live superficially.

**The Meaning of the Story**

Living carelessly and superficially, causing unease in others, creates karma. In a future life, one receives the karmic consequence of psychological anxiety and restlessness. One must cultivate awareness to care for the feelings of those around them, so as not to fall into that suffering.

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