A Coin to Cross the River

In the sweltering heat of a summer noon, cicadas droned among the trees lining the riverbank. The murky water raced past, carrying red-brown silt. An old Zen master, thin and gaunt, leaned upon a bamboo staff worn smooth, standing quietly as he waited for the ferry. He showed no trace of hurry, only gazing gently at the current, as if contemplating a law of nature.

Suddenly, from the far bank, a figure came sweeping toward him. It was a magician in dazzling robes, his eyes full of arrogance. He stopped before the Zen master and called out in a challenging voice:

"What are you standing here for?"

The Zen master smiled kindly and replied:

"I am waiting for the ferry to cross the river."

The magician frowned, puzzled by such composure. He pressed on:

"How long have you been practicing?"

"Fifty years," the Zen master answered sincerely.

Hearing this, the magician gave a scornful laugh, a smile laced with pity and vanity:

"Oh! Fifty years of practice, and you still have to wait for a ferry just to cross the river? Then watch me, Master!"

With that, he drew in a deep breath, and his whole body suddenly turned weightless. In the blink of an eye, he soared into the air, gliding over the smooth surface of the water like a bird, and landed majestically on the far bank. He looked back and called across the water:

"Come on over and join me, Master!"

The Zen master remained exactly where he stood, his gaze unshaken. He looked toward the far bank, where the magician stood swelling with pride, and asked in return, his voice warm yet keen:

"And how long have you practiced?"

The magician beat his chest and answered proudly:

"Only thirty years, and already I can fly across the river."

Only then did the Zen master slowly draw a small coin from his robe and drop it to the ground, where it rang out with a clear chime. He spoke, each word steeped in wisdom:

"Then all I need is one coin to hire a ferry across the river. You spent thirty years of hard training to attain what a single coin can settle in a few minutes."

The words fell like a bucket of cold water upon the magician's proud ego. He stood frozen, no longer daring to boast. The Zen master stepped onto the boat, leaving behind a costly lesson about how time should be spent, and about the true nature of power.

The Meaning of the Story

This story stands as a challenge to the worship of miracles and supernatural powers. It shows that extraordinary abilities are often far less effective, and far more costly, than ordinary means, like a single coin. Chasing after miracles can easily lead people to forget the law of cause and effect (karmic law), to lean on outside forces rather than striving to build their lives with their own hands and wisdom.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Abbot Thích Chân Quang.