Childhood Lies and the Lesson of Repentance

One afternoon after school, the playground was empty, save for the relentless chirping of cicadas among the bare trees. A boy of about ten years old, wearing a worn-out backpack, stood before his house gate. His big toe peeked through a hole in his shoe. In his pocket lay a fifty-thousand-dong note he had asked his parents for that morning. It still felt warm, just like the lie he had spoken, which hung in the air like fading smoke.

In those days, his parents valued education deeply. Whenever teachers requested funds, they gave without hesitation. The boy knew this well, so he invented stories about school fees. In reality, he used the money to treat friends to snacks or games. As these incidents accumulated, he spent freely, feeling no guilt in his heart.

One day, sitting before a meal with his aging parents, memories of the past suddenly returned. His heart tightened, and his hands trembled as he held his chopsticks. He thought silently, "I have deceived my parents too many times." Then, he spoke softly to his mother, saying, "Mom, when I was little, I lied to take money for playing." Surprised, she asked, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He bowed his head and replied, "I am full of regret. I loved you, yet I deceived you."

When he grew older and encountered the Buddha's teachings (Dharma), he sat in meditative concentration with fellow practitioners. With a choked voice, he said, "I wish I had not lied back then." A friend asked, "What do you plan to do now?" He answered, "If only I had focused on studying and loved my parents more." His friend nodded gently, saying, "Acknowledging your mistake is the beginning of correction." The boy continued, "I vow to become a filial child in my next life."

A turning point came when he reflected on cause and effect (karmic law). He realized that lying was unwholesome karma, while his parents' love for him was a source of blessings from merit. This understanding awakened him, transforming his old sadness into strength.

From then on, he lived with filial piety toward his living parents and helped those around him. In his next life, just as he had wished, he was born as a good child who never engaged in deceit.

His life became peaceful and joyful. The mistakes of his childhood had transformed into wholesome causes thanks to his sincere repentance.

The Meaning of the Story

Regretting past mistakes, combined with the sincere wish not to repeat them, creates positive conditions for the future. This process generates wholesome karma, helping to transform one's next life into something better.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Most Venerable Thich Chan Quang