The Person Who Does Good Deeds Without True Understanding

During a dharma talk, a middle-aged man stood up with an agitated voice. He said, "Venerable teacher, I feel this is so unfair! Why are others wealthy while I am poor? I have heard about cause and effect (karmic law), but how can I correct my past when I do not know what I did in previous lives?"

The assembly fell silent as everyone looked toward the teacher. The teacher replied gently, "Precisely because you do not know, you have the opportunity to create true blessings from merit." The man was surprised and asked, "Why do you say that? If I do not know, how can I make amends?"

The teacher explained, "If you clearly knew that you committed evil in a past life, your current good deeds might only be motivated by fear of karmic retribution or a desire for personal gain. That would not stem from genuine love. However, when you do not know your past, yet you see others suffering and your heart moves with natural compassion, helping them without hesitation, that is true compassion."

The man pondered for a moment before asking, "Is it wrong to do good deeds while hoping for rewards?" The teacher answered, "It is not necessarily wrong, but it lacks true spiritual principle. When one does good deeds seeking profit, the resulting blessings from merit are small, and the mind remains selfish. But when one acts out of love for others, without calculating karmic results, the blessings from merit are vast, and the mind becomes pure."

Suddenly realizing the truth, the man nodded slowly. He recalled times when he had donated money, only to find his thoughts centered on what he could get in return. Feeling ashamed, he resolved to change his way of living, learning to give out of love rather than expectation.

From then on, he participated in charitable activities with a different mindset. He no longer calculated gains and losses but simply wished to share the burden of suffering (dukkha) with others. Strangely enough, his life became lighter and more peaceful, even though his wealth did not increase significantly. He understood that true blessings from merit lie not in material possessions, but in the tranquility of the mind/heart.

The Meaning of the Story

Doing good deeds without true spiritual principle, merely for personal gain, does not constitute genuine blessings from merit. True blessings arise from loving-kindness and natural compassion when witnessing the suffering of others, free from ulterior motives or calculation. It is precisely because we do not know our past lives that we have the chance to express compassion in its purest form.

Compiled from the dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang