The Poor Man Who Aroused the Thought of Non-Self (Anatta)

As dawn broke, on a small path beside the market, a middle-aged man with a weathered face walked heavily, holding a thick stack of lottery tickets. His shirt was frayed at the shoulders, his trousers patched in countless places, yet his eyes still glimmered with something remarkable — not despair, but a burning faith.

His name was Minh. Three years earlier, his wife had left him because he was too poor. Whenever it rained, his thatched roof leaked from every side, and water spread across the earthen floor. He had wept, he had fallen into despair, but then one day, by chance, he wandered into a temple and heard a dharma talk about meditative concentration. From then on, every evening after a weary day of selling tickets, he would sit in meditation beneath his leaking roof, paying no mind to the rain dripping beside his ears.

But tonight, he felt a fierce struggle within. He was sitting in meditation, yet his mind kept drifting back to his poverty. "Am I worthy of practicing? I am so poor, who would even notice me? Others are wealthy, with fine houses and cars, while I am just a ticket seller — no different from a speck of dust on the road?" He sighed, his trembling hands clenched tight. Looking up at the small Buddha statue on the shelf, his eyes welled with tears: "World-Honored One, I am so poor. Am I truly worthy of walking the path?"

The next day, he went to the temple to find the teacher. The teacher looked at him and smiled gently: "Do you know, my child, that when a person in poverty arouses the thought of non-self (anatta) — seeing that this body is not the self, and this mind/heart is not the self — then in that very instant, you step into a different rank? You are no longer a poor person. You are one who is sowing the seed of enlightenment."

Minh's heart lit up. He asked: "Venerable teacher, but I am so poor. Do I carry sins? I am afraid that in my next life I may become an animal, or fall into hell."

The teacher replied: "If you can arouse the thought of non-self (anatta), then even if you carry karma to repay, you will not fall into the three lower realms. For that thought belongs to the noble ones, to enlightenment itself. It closes the doors of hell, of the hungry ghosts, and of the animal realm. You will only repay your karma within this human life."

Minh burst into tears. He knelt and bowed to the teacher, then bowed to the Buddha. From that day on, whenever he sat in meditation, he no longer thought of poverty or wealth. He simply repeated in his mind/heart: "This body is not the self. This mind/heart is not the self."

Little by little, an extraordinary peace filled his soul. He no longer felt small when he saw the wealthy driving past in their cars. He no longer felt ashamed in his tattered clothes. He simply felt that he was walking the noble path, and that celestial beings and bodhisattvas were watching over him, protecting him along the way.

One day, while sitting in meditation beneath his leaking roof, Minh felt his mind/heart become empty and luminous. He no longer saw this body as himself. He felt like a gentle breeze drifting freely through space. He smiled as tears rolled down his cheeks. He knew he was no longer a poor man. He had become a child of the Buddha, entering the stream of the noble ones.

From then on, Minh's life transformed completely. He still sold lottery tickets, but his heart was light and joyful. He often shared with other poor people about the thought of non-self (anatta), and about meditative concentration. Many who listened were deeply moved, and they began practicing together. His leaking house became a gathering place for those who were poor in possessions but rich in faith.

The Meaning of the Story

The thought of non-self (anatta) is the seed of enlightenment. However poor or burdened we may be, once this thought is aroused, we step into the rank of the noble ones, escape the three lower realms, and receive the protection of celestial beings. Meditative concentration is not merely the calming of the mind/heart in purity; it is also the path that leads to non-self (anatta) and liberation.

Adapted from a dharma talk by the Venerable Thích Chân Quang.