The Meritorious Worker

In the late afternoon at a small temple in the western region, golden sunlight stretched across the brick courtyard. A monk in his forties sat in the guest room, holding a tea cup, his gaze distant. The temple bell chimed softly in the breeze.

That monk was well known in the monastery of old. He was a very poor student. During chanting sessions, he often misread or stumbled over the words. He would listen to dharma talks and then forget them, unable to recall even a single sentence to share with others. The other monks thought, "This one will surely spend his whole life doing manual work as merit."

But he was not sad. He recognized he had no academic talent, so he poured all his energy into work. He would tackle any difficult task. Mending roads, sewing robes for the brothers, pumping water to irrigate the garden – he refused no chore. On days of torrential rain, he would wade through the muddy garden to pull weeds, his robe soaking wet, his face smeared with dirt, but still smiling.

A fellow monk – now another teacher – seeing him work so hard, bought a beautiful notebook and a fine pen, and wrote a dedication: "To the venerable teacher, please study more and work less." He held the notebook, looked at it for a long time, and then put it in a cabinet. Yet he still could not bring himself to study. He only worked, and worked, and worked.

Years later, he left the monastery due to karmic conditions. No one had any news of him. Until one day, his old friend happened to meet him again in a province in the west. He was now a dharma lecturer, teaching at a temple, with a crowded audience. Everyone admired him, praising his eloquence and profound explanations.

His old friend sat down, looked at him, and said, "In the past, no one thought you could ever teach the Dharma."

He smiled gently, "Even I didn't think so. But merit has transformed into wisdom. I only knew how to work, giving my whole heart to it, not thinking of anything else."

The two sat in silence, gazing at the temple courtyard, where golden leaves were drifting down.

**The Meaning of the Story**

Merit (phước đức) can give rise to wisdom (trí tuệ). When we diligently perform selfless work, indifferent to fame or gain, our spiritual abilities will naturally unfold. Never underestimate anyone, for each person has their own path to fulfillment.

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