A Teacher’s Advice to a Child at the Threshold of Studying Abroad

On an autumn morning, the temple courtyard was shaded by the bodhi tree, and the scent of incense drifted through the cool breeze. A parent in simple clothes, holding the shoulder of a child wearing a new backpack, hurried into the teacher’s room. The child looked up with wide eyes at the Buddha statue, feet hesitant on the stone steps. The mother spoke with a choked voice: “Teacher, I have brought my grandchild before going abroad to study. Please give us some advice.”

The atmosphere was still, broken only by the gentle chime of wind bells.

The child was about to go overseas for education, a trend that was rising rapidly at the time. Parents worried that distance from home would lead their children to be swept away by foreign lifestyles and forget their roots. For several nights, the mother tossed and turned, wondering what they would teach there and if her child would remain Vietnamese. So she came to the teacher today, seeking guidance before crossing this distant threshold.

The teacher sat upright, looking directly at the child with eyes that were kind yet stern. The mother held her child’s hand, which trembled slightly. The teacher began: “When you go abroad, people may teach you many things that are not taught here at home.”

The child nodded, curious. The teacher continued: “But surely, they will not teach you to love your own country, nor will they teach you to preserve traditional Vietnamese culture.”

Tears fell from the mother’s eyes as she nodded in agreement. The teacher added: “If you do not teach yourself these values, when you return, you will become someone else. You might easily betray your homeland, and I will lose my affection for you.”

The child shrank back, heart tightening. Though not fully understanding, he felt the weight of the words. He asked softly: “Teacher, I am afraid of forgetting.”

The teacher smiled and patted his shoulder: “You must vow to preserve them. The farther you are from home, the more you should love it. This is fundamental morality.”

The mother bowed deeply, feeling somewhat relieved.

The core message of the meeting was the teacher’s emphasis: loyalty to one’s roots is loyalty to the Dharma. Buddhist disciples later shared this wisdom whenever sending young people abroad.

Years passed, and the child departed. Even while studying in a foreign land, he kept the habit of bowing to his parents, speaking Vietnamese at home, and joining student groups wearing the ao dai. When he returned, he was not a stranger but carried new knowledge to help his homeland. Conversely, those who forgot their roots often became unprincipled, losing their place among humanity.

The story concludes by showing that amidst a chaotic world, preserving patriotism and culture is preserving foundational morality. Those who achieve this are like fragrant flowers wherever they may be.

The Meaning of the Story

Revering one’s roots, loving one’s country, and preserving culture are foundational moral duties. Loyalty to one’s origins prevents betrayal of the homeland and maintains integrity amidst life’s changes.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Most Venerable Thich Chan Quang