A Beautiful Day for the Lottery Ticket Seller

The sun blazed like fire, and the stifling heat of Saigon pressed down upon the sidewalk, turning the asphalt into a scorching mirror. In that intense heat, an elderly woman with a bent back sat huddled by the roadside, a neat stack of lottery tickets before her. Her eyes were clouded, yet she strained to look closely at every passerby, hoping someone would stop. Sweat trickled from her forehead down her wrinkled cheeks, but she dared not call out, fearing she might lose a customer.

She had been selling lottery tickets for many years. Since her husband became bedridden due to illness, followed by her children—one paralyzed on one side, another suffering from a severe condition requiring constant medication—she alone bore the burden of the entire family. Each ticket yielded only a few thousand dong in profit, yet this was all the hope she had to buy rice and medicine for her loved ones.

Every day was the same; she left home before dawn and returned only when darkness fell. On rainy days, she still sat there, soaked through, yet striving to keep her stack of tickets dry. On days when she sold nothing, she returned home with an empty stomach, yet forced a smile for her husband and children, claiming she had sold well.

One afternoon, as the streets grew quiet, she noticed a sanitation worker clearing trash nearby. She rose, picked up the litter around her spot, and placed it in the public bin. Then she walked a few steps further, collecting more trash. The worker looked at her and smiled.

From then on, whenever customers were scarce, she went to pick up trash. Sometimes she saw a lost traveler and offered directions. Other times, seeing road workers exhausted by the heat, she used her meager earnings to buy soy milk for them. They thanked her, and she smiled, feeling warmth in her heart.

Many people shook their heads when they saw her actions. "Madam," they said, "you are already suffering enough. Why worry about others? Keep your money for your family."

She simply replied, "I know my own suffering, but if I can help anyone, I will. I believe that making merit will eventually bring blessings."

Then came a beautiful day. As she sat selling tickets as usual, a well-dressed woman stopped before her. The seller felt familiar with the face but could not recall who it was.

The woman smiled and said, "Yesterday, I accidentally bought a ticket from you. I did not check it until later and discovered it won the jackpot of three billion dong. I know this is your luck, so I wish to share one billion with you."

The lottery seller stood stunned, unable to believe her ears. Trembling, she accepted the check from the woman’s hand, tears rolling down her wrinkled cheeks. She was speechless, able only to express gratitude.

Her life changed thereafter. She had funds to treat her husband and children and support her family. Yet she never forgot those difficult days. She continued selling tickets, picking up trash, and helping others. She understood that her endurance through hardship, and her choice to respond with generosity, had brought her to this moment.

The Meaning of the Story

This tale illustrates that amidst life’s hardships, the only way to escape suffering is not to flee or practice letting go in despair, but to accept and transcend it by giving more. When we choose the harder path of service, we overcome our own pain. Often, patience and compassion in the most difficult circumstances bring unexpected gifts—a truly beautiful day.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang