The Old Fox and the Answer That Brought Liberation

The dharma hall of Master Baizhang was as full as usual that morning. Early sunlight slipped through the doorway, casting long streaks of light across the cool brick floor. His voice, deep and warm, taught steadily about the truth of impermanence (anicca), about the birth and passing of all things. At the far end of the hall, an old man with snow-white hair and beard sat quietly, eyes fixed upward, not missing a single word.

This old man had come to hear the teachings many times. But today, as everyone left one by one, he remained in his old seat, looking as though something of great weight were struggling inside him. Master Baizhang looked at him with eyes both gentle and piercing, and knew this was no ordinary person. He spoke:

“Who are you? Why do you remain here?”

The old man rose trembling and bowed his head.

“Venerable Abbot, I am not a human being. I am a fox from behind this mountain. Five hundred lifetimes ago, in the time of the Buddha Kashyapa, I was a practicing monk. One day someone asked me: ‘Does an enlightened person still come under the law of cause and effect (karmic law)?’ I answered, ‘No.’ Because of that single wrong answer, I fell into the body of a fox for five hundred lifetimes, and still I do not know where I went wrong.”

The old man paused, his voice choked with feeling.

“I beg the Venerable Abbot, out of compassion, to give me a turning word, so that I may understand the truth and be free of this fox body.”

Master Baizhang looked at him and said slowly:

“Ask me the question again.”

Joining his palms, the old man reverently repeated the question of long ago:

“Venerable Abbot, does an enlightened person still come under the law of cause and effect (karmic law)?”

Master Baizhang replied in a clear, steady voice:

“The enlightened person is no longer mistaken about the law of cause and effect (karmic law).”

In that very moment, the old man suddenly awakened to great enlightenment. His aged eyes shone as though he had glimpsed the truth after so many years of darkness. He knelt and bowed three times.

“So I am freed from the body of a fox. I ask the Venerable Abbot to hold a farewell rite for me, according to the ceremony for a monk who has passed away.”

With that, the old man vanished. At midday, Master Baizhang gathered the assembly and announced that a rite would be held to send off a monk. Everyone was astonished, for no one around the monastery had recently died. He led the community around behind the mountain to a small cave, where they uncovered the body of a dead fox. He ordered it brought back and cremated with full honors, following the rites for a monk.

The disciples looked at one another, and little by little they understood: that old fox had been the monk who once answered wrongly about the law of cause and effect (karmic law). For a single mistaken sentence, though spoken without any intent to deceive, he had fallen into the body of a fox for five hundred lifetimes. The turning word of Master Baizhang had shattered his wrong view and released him from the bondage of his karma.

The Meaning of the Story

This story reminds us of the danger of wrong view and careless speech. An enlightened person is not someone who escapes the law of cause and effect (karmic law), but someone who understands it thoroughly and no longer creates mistaken causes. A single false word, however small, if it arises from misunderstanding, can lead to grave consequences. May we therefore always be careful with our words, live truthfully, and study the true Dharma with right understanding.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Senior Venerable Thích Chân Quang