The Beggar Monk and the Lesson on Sensual Desire

As dusk settles, pale golden rays filter through fallen leaves covering the courtyard of Thuong Chieu Temple. The wind carries the gentle scent of dry foliage, mingling with the steady resonance of the evening bell. A few monks walk in meditation, while in a corner, a gaunt figure in tattered clothes kneels before the main shrine. Ancient chants rise in a rhythmic, slightly hoarse voice. This is the beggar monk, a familiar sight to everyone in the temple whenever he comes to ask for rice.

A young monk, seeing him for the first time, approaches with curiosity. He asks why the old man comes every day to beg for food, only to kneel and chant sutras afterward. The beggar does not turn his head immediately. He raises trembling hands in prayer, tears rolling down his hollow cheeks. His feet are muddy, and his robe is torn to threads. After a long pause, he closes his mouth from chanting and looks at the young monk with empty eyes.

Decades ago, this man was also a monastic resident of the temple. He wore the square robe and shaved head, chanting morning and evening prayers. He dedicated thirty years of his life to the path of practice, from youth until his hair turned silver. During those three decades, he maintained dignified conduct and was respected by many as a teacher nearing attainment. However, the seeds of sensual desire inherent in beings of the desire realm never disappear. They merely wait for favorable conditions to arise. Eventually, due to certain circumstances, he decided to return to lay life, marry, and re-enter the world.

On the day he abandoned his brown robe, his heart was torn. One rainy afternoon, he stood before the Buddha altar, fingers moving over his prayer beads, sighing deeply in the silent room. He questioned himself, wondering if thirty years of vegetarianism and recitation would amount to nothing if he left to marry. A fellow monk tried to advise him, warning that he should not let sensual desire drag him down. He urged the man to preserve his merit, which would facilitate future enlightenment.

But the man shook his head, his eyes clouded by ordinary longing. He argued that having connections in life meant forming a family, and he could not remain confined within the temple walls forever. So he disrobed and married. Yet, from the moment he returned to lay life, the merit accumulated over thirty years vanished like morning dew. No one made offerings anymore, and no one showed reverence. He plunged into the struggle for livelihood, facing failure after failure. In the end, he had nothing left. His wife and children departed, leaving him homeless.

During the day, he wandered through alleys begging for leftover rice. Under the midday sun, he stood dazed at the temple gate, his stomach growling with hunger, yet he straightened his posture when passing monks appeared. He clasped his hands and asked for a little rice, offering to chant a sutra in gratitude. The kitchen monk smiled kindly, serving him a bowl of rice with curry sauce. He reminded the beggar that the temple still remembered him as the former senior monk, questioning how thirty years of practice led to such a state.

The beggar buried his face in the bowl, his shoulders shaking. He confessed that he failed to guard his mind, allowing sensual desire to sweep him away until all merit was exhausted. Now, he said, he was merely begging for blessings. The turning point came when Venerable Thich Chan Quang visited Thuong Chieu Temple. Seeing the beggar kneeling and chanting in Pali before the shrine, the Venerable inquired about his background. Standing silently behind a wooden pillar, watching the man’s hunched back, the Venerable realized the profound truth: sensual desire lurks within every being. Without determination, proper guidance, and method, it strikes directly at practitioners, weakening the entire system of cultivation.

From then on, Venerable Chan Quang used this story as a cautionary lesson. Whenever teaching on purity, he recalled this example to remind monks, nuns, and laypeople to commit firmly to their practice. For the beggar, his final years were spent coming to the temple daily. It was no longer just to seek blessings, but to remind himself and others that yielding once to sensual desire can wash away thirty years of effort like plain water.

Although the temple continued to feed him, he no longer possessed the dignity of the respected monastic he once was. He became a beggar for merit, surviving on temple rice and old chants. His life served as living proof of the Buddha’s teachings on the fragility of moral discipline in the realm of desire.

The Meaning of the Story

This tale illustrates that greed, hatred, and delusion, particularly sensual desire, always lurk within every being, even those who have practiced for many years. If one lacks determination, clear direction, and proper methods of practice, a single lapse in mindfulness can cause merit to dissipate completely, leading to spiritual decline. Those committed to the path must remain vigilant in preserving their precepts to hope for liberation from samsara (cycle of rebirth).

Compiled from the dharma talk of Most Venerable Thich Chan Quang