Incense Sticks Along the Dangerous Road

A stretch of road only a few kilometers long had claimed dozens of lives in just a few months, until a prayer ceremony was established.

The road in a northern province was only about a few kilometers long, yet the air around it felt heavier than on ordinary routes. Vehicles still passed through, people still came and went, but whenever the screech of sudden brakes was heard, the nearby households would startle and look outside. In just a few months, dozens of people had died in this area.

At first, each accident was seen as an isolated incident. People could attribute it to speed, carelessness, or a moment of misjudgment. But when deaths kept repeating along such a short stretch of road, the worry was no longer confined to the families of the victims. It spread throughout the community, so that anyone passing by carried a sense of unease.

Among those who lost their lives was the wife of a provincial deputy chairman. This terrible news left everyone even more shaken. No one knew who the next victim would be, and the road could not simply be closed off and travel abandoned. Local residents, along with some Buddhists, came to the teacher, hoping for an additional way to bring peace to this stretch of road.

One Buddhist said: "Venerable Sir, this stretch of road is only about one or two kilometers long, yet in recent months far too many people have died here."

The teacher asked:

"Do accidents happen scattered elsewhere, or do they keep occurring in this stretch?"

"Mostly here. Everyone who passes through is afraid."

"If there has already been so much loss, we cannot simply stand and watch. Let us establish a ceremony of chanting and prayer for those who have passed, and pray for this road to be at peace."

The preparations were carried out. A ceremony was established in solemnity, and everyone chanted sutras together, directing their hearts toward remembering the victims. There was no curiosity or display in the atmosphere; only deep sorrow for the dozens of lives that had ended so abruptly.

After the ritual, the teacher draped his robe, took up the incense sticks, and walked along the stretch of road. The distance was not long if traveled by car, but walking step by step under the sun and wind, amid the roar of engines, it felt vast and desolate. The teacher walked forward, then back again, praying as he went.

Someone following him said anxiously: "There are so many trucks passing back and forth. Please walk closer to the edge, Venerable Sir."

The teacher kept his slow, steady pace:

"Everyone must be very careful. We pray for peace, but we must not take present safety lightly."

Someone else asked:

"Will you walk the entire stretch of road?"

"I must walk and pray for this whole area. May those who have passed be liberated, and may the living encounter no more accidents."

Red trucks drove back and forth. Some drivers slowed down, glancing at the monastic walking along the road with incense in hand. From inside their vehicles, they may not have understood the ritual taking place; they only saw an unfamiliar sight on a road famous for its accidents.

The teacher did not stop because of those gazes. Step followed upon step, the fragrance of incense drifting and quickly dissolving in the wind. The whole group kept their hearts in prayer, not only for those they knew, but for anyone who would pass through this place in the days to come.

The ceremony eventually came to an end. People gathered their things and departed, and the road returned to its everyday sounds of traffic. No sign suddenly changed color, no surface was transformed. Outwardly, the stretch of road looked exactly as it had before the ritual began.

Yet as time passed, the stream of terrible news suddenly ceased. There were no more fatal accidents following one after another as in the previous months. The local people watched day by day, then month by month, and realized the road had become peaceful.

That turning point led those who attended to believe even more deeply that when a place has accumulated too much loss, beyond ordinary safety measures, sincere prayer is also something that should not be overlooked. Even so, prayer does not replace traffic laws, driving skills, or each person's responsibility. It goes together with these things, reminding people to be humble before the fragility of life.

From then on, the story of the monastic in his robe, walking back and forth with incense in hand beside the red trucks, was recalled as a special memory. What is worth remembering lies not in the fact that outsiders saw him as some kind of ritual master, but in the heart that refused to let dozens of deaths be treated as mere numbers and fade into oblivion.

The stretch of road that once kept people in constant fear finally knew months of peace. Vehicles passed through without carrying terrible news; those who left home could return to their families. This outcome reminded everyone that peace must be preserved through awareness, moral integrity, and sincere prayers for one another.

## The Meaning of the Story

In places where accidents frequently occur, people need to work together in many ways: observing safety, deepening responsibility, and praying with sincerity. Do not be indifferent to the lives that have been lost, or to the dangers facing the community.

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