A Small Joy Exchanged for Great Glory

The Buddha explained the origin of the wondrous phenomena that occurred when he saved the land of Vesali, tracing it back to the karmic law of making offerings to a stupa of a Solitary Buddha in a past life.

The city of Vesali was steeped in sorrow. A prolonged drought cracked the fields open, an epidemic spread and claimed thousands of lives, and ghosts and demons haunted the minds of the people. The king of this land, though virtuous, could find no cause to repent. Prince Mahali, a disciple who had attained the fruit of Stream-Entry, advised the king to invite the Buddha to come and save them.

The Buddha agreed. The moment he set foot on the banks of the Ganges River, within the territory of Vesali, a magnificent miracle occurred. The gloomy sky suddenly cleared, then dark clouds gathered and poured down refreshing showers of rain. The rainwater filled the parched fields, washing away dust and disease. Celestial flowers fell like snow, and fragrant perfume filled the air. The Naga King appeared in the middle of the river, presenting lotus flowers as offerings. The splendid scene made the king and the people kneel down in reverence at the Buddha's power.

After leaving Vesali and returning to the Bamboo Grove Monastery, the monks talked eagerly about these wonders. They believed the Buddha had used supernatural powers to display his might. Hearing this, the Buddha smiled and denied it:

"It was not supernatural power, venerable ones. This was the result of cause and effect (karmic law)."

He then told the story of a past life. In that time, he was a father with a talented son. The son asked his father's permission to go and study the teachings. Unexpectedly, the young man encountered the teachings of a Buddha of the past, practiced and attained realization, and became a Solitary Buddha. Sadly, this Solitary Buddha's lifespan was short, and he passed away very early. The people built a stupa to honor him.

The father, the Buddha's former self, went searching for his son, and when he arrived, his son had already passed away. He was overcome with grief, but instead of leaving, he stayed beside his son's memorial stupa. Day after day, he swept it clean, decorated it, scattered flowers, and burned incense, making offerings to that stupa with all the devotion and reverence of a loving heart. He sought neither fame nor gain; he simply cared for the resting place of his son.

The Buddha concluded:

"It was precisely because of the merit of making offerings to that memorial stupa in a past life, that today, when I saved Vesali, such glory appeared—favorable rains, celestial flowers, and heavenly fragrance. That was the auspicious fruit of a small but deeply sincere act."

He then recited this verse:

"Letting go of a small joy, one gains a greater joy. The wise abandon small pleasures in search of a joy that is boundless."

The lesson lies in this: small, persistent wholesome actions in the past, when performed with a pure mind/heart, accumulate into great and radiant fruits in the future. The Buddha did not boast of supernatural powers, but simply pointed out the precise and fair operation of cause and effect (karmic law).

## The Meaning of the Story

The story affirms the importance of cause and effect (karmic law) in Buddhism. Wonders do not come from magical supernatural powers, but from the merit of practice and wholesome action. "Giving up small joys" (such as comfort and laziness) in order to "gain great joy" (liberation and abundant blessings from merit) is the philosophy of life of the wise. Every wholesome action today, however small, plants seeds for a radiant future.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang.