When the Master Turns Stern After Ordination

On an autumn afternoon, the wind drifted through the temple corridor, carrying the gentle fragrance of vegetarian rice. A young man arrived for the first time, his shirt still crisp with new folds. The abbot came toward him from a distance, his eyes gentle as a Buddha's, and smiled:

"Where have you come from, child? Oh my, I can see you have the roots of a practitioner. If you were to practice, that would be wonderful. In the future you could guide many sentient beings. The Buddha's teachings (Dharma) would praise you highly!"

Hearing this, the young man's heart fluttered and his cheeks flushed red. He thought to himself: "The master cherishes me so much, I must ordain." A few days later, with a shaved head and brown robes, he officially became a novice monk.

The next morning, before the chanting bell had even finished ringing, the master stood in the courtyard, hands on his hips, his voice turned to iron:

"Kneel down at once! It's this hour and you're still not up? Still sleeping, so lazy, worse than the cake seller outside the temple!"

The novice was stunned, his stomach tightening. Looking at the master, his eyes welled with tears: "Before, he was so kind. How has he become so harsh now?" But he bowed his head and examined his own faults all day long. That evening, when the master shot him another glance, the novice started, then sat down in meditative concentration and reflected:

"Why has the master changed his attitude? Surely I have some fault I do not know of."

The master said:

"Before you ordained, I smiled and invited you to eat so that you would give rise to aspiration. Now that you have entered the path, only a strict staff can help you overcome self-grasping."

The novice understood, and held no resentment. Each time he was scolded, he practiced all the more diligently. A few years later, he became a steadfast monk, and looking back, he smiled: his master's adverse practice was in fact a profound kindness.

The Meaning of the Story

The master used favorable practice (praise and gentle encouragement) with those who had not yet given rise to aspiration, and adverse practice (scolding and strictness) with those whose resolve was already strong. For indulgence does not help one advance in practice — only challenges allow merit to grow.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang