The Masked Knight and the Four Soldiers

In a remote mountain forest, the wind blew through dense treetops, and the rustling leaves seemed to whisper mysterious things. A strong man wearing a brown monk's robe sat at the base of an ancient tree, his eyes gazing into the distance. He was a skilled martial artist, but he was on the run, having been wrongly convicted. In his heart, one thought always lingered: "There are still so many people in this world who are wronged as I am. Who will save them?"

One day, he heard that an innocent villager had been unjustly arrested by officials and was about to be escorted to the provincial capital to be beheaded. The martial artist could not sit still. He planned an ambush for the escort party. As the soldiers passed along a narrow path through the forest, he masked his face, leaped down from a tree, swift as lightning, and struck down the soldiers one by one. In mere moments, four soldiers lay unconscious on the ground. The prisoner was untied, and he led the man away in silence.

The rescued man was deeply grateful, but he never saw his benefactor's face. From that day on, the image of a mysterious knight was engraved in his heart, and whenever he recalled it, an unceasing feeling of admiration and affection arose within him.

As for the four soldiers, when they awoke, they found the prisoner had escaped. They were severely punished by their superiors, beaten mercilessly with whips. Their hearts filled with hatred for the one who had struck them down, even though they never saw his face. That hatred followed them through many lifetimes, becoming a grievance that was difficult to resolve.

Many lifetimes later, that martial artist became a monastic, spreading the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) day and night to save sentient beings. The man who had been rescued, though he did not recognize him, felt a strange surge of love when he heard the monastic's name. He came to listen to the teachings and took refuge. As for the four soldiers of the past, when they heard the monastic's name, anger and aversion naturally arose in their hearts. They even cursed and reviled him, without understanding why.

This story teaches us that every action we take, no matter how small, can create wholesome conditions (dependent origination) or karmic grievances with sentient beings. As a martial artist, he saved one person, but he also harmed four others. For this reason, in the spiritual life, there are people who feel admiration upon hearing our name, and there are also people who feel aversion upon hearing it. This is the result of our past actions.

The bodhisattva understands this, and so they are always careful with every word and every deed. They do not wish to create karmic grievances with anyone, knowing that every person we harm is a person we cannot save in the future. Therefore, they always remain humble, serving and loving, in order to plant wholesome conditions (dependent origination) with all sentient beings.

The Meaning of the Story

This story clearly illustrates the law of cause and effect (karmic law) in forming connections with sentient beings. Every good or bad action leaves an imprint on the mind, creating wholesome conditions (dependent origination) or karmic grievances in future lifetimes. Those who practice the bodhisattva path must always be cautious, avoiding harm to anyone, because once a grievance is created, it is very difficult to transform that person later on. Always remain humble, serve and love, in order to plant wholesome conditions (dependent origination) with all beings.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang