The Flame That Burns the Fetters

At midday, the sun poured down like molten fire upon the ancient forest. The tall canopies suddenly trembled violently, followed by a great crack echoing through the sky: a dry, rotten branch snapped from the treetop, dragging down a mass of dried leaves. In an instant, flames erupted from the horizon, rolling like a giant serpent, swallowing everything in its path. Black smoke billowed thickly, the hiss of burning wood and the snap of breaking trees shook the entire forest.

Amidst this sea of fire, a bhikkhu walked with his alms bowl. He had just left the monastery, intending to return to the Buddha to explain that the practice method given to him did not suit his capacity. For many months, he had meditated diligently, yet his mind remained only as still as a calm lake, unable to enter deep meditative concentration. He thought, "Perhaps I am not suited for this topic; I must ask the World-Honored One to teach me another method."

As he walked, he suddenly saw a blazing red sky ahead. The fire had spread, surrounding him on all sides. He hurried up a bare hill where only dry earth and rocks remained. Standing at the peak, looking down, he saw a vast ocean of fire consuming the forest below. Ancient towering trees and dense bushes were swept away by the flames, leaving only ash behind.

A strange emotion rose within his heart. He thought, "My fetters, ignorance, and accumulated mistakes are piled high like that dense forest. If only they could be burned away completely like this fire!" This thought was so powerful that suddenly, his mind settled and entered meditative concentration. The surroundings vanished, leaving only absolute stillness.

At that very moment, amidst the smoke and fire, the Buddha appeared. He stood there, his eyes filled with compassion, gazing at the bhikkhu, and then recited a verse:

"Delighting in heedfulness, fearing heedlessness, the bhikkhu advances like a raging fire, burning away fetters, both great and small."

Upon hearing this, the bhikkhu attained enlightenment right there, without needing to return to request a change in his practice topic. He understood that the method the Buddha had given was already suitable; it was simply that the conditions (dependent origination) had not yet been sufficient. It was the forest fire itself, and that intense emotion, that served as the good condition for his mind to awaken.

However, each person has different conditions (dependent origination). There was once a bhikkhuni who followed the Buddha for twenty-five years, never entering meditative concentration or attaining any fruit of enlightenment. She felt despair, seeing everyone around her attain the path while she remained an ordinary being trapped in suffering (dukkha). In her extreme desperation, she took a rope into the forest, intending to hang herself. Just as she placed her head in the noose, she suddenly attained enlightenment. She pulled her head out and recited a verse: "For twenty-five years I have left my family, living a simple life, yet I have never experienced even a single moment of purity. And yet, when suffering reached its peak, I realized the path."

This story sounds strange, but it was unique to her alone. There are also meditation masters who suffer from drowsiness or fall asleep during sitting meditation. They sit on the edge of a precipice, where a slight nod would send them falling into the abyss. Driven by the fear of death, they become alert, overcome drowsiness, and attain enlightenment. But others imitate this, sit there, and fall to their deaths. History records only those who succeeded, while those who failed are forgotten.

It is like buying lottery tickets; everyone knows the jackpot winner, but no one speaks of the countless people who buy tickets endlessly without winning. We should not imitate the conditions (dependent origination) of others. Instead, trust firmly, practice steadily, slowly but surely. Do not put a rope around your neck.

The Meaning of the Story

This story teaches us that each person has unique conditions (dependent origination) for practice; no two paths are alike. Do not become discouraged if results do not appear immediately, nor should you copy another’s method of cultivation. Be patient, diligent, and trust that when the conditions (dependent origination) are complete, the flower will bloom.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang