The High-Ranking Official and the Suitcase of Money

**Summary:** A high-ranking official refuses a bribe in a suitcase worth millions of dollars, saying he only needs three meals a day.

The fluorescent light in the high-ranking official’s office still shone brightly, even though it had grown dark outside. The familiar scent of paperwork blended with the faint aroma of tea. He sat behind the large wooden desk, back straight, his contemplative gaze fixed on the pile of documents. The clock ticked, each second a reminder of the responsibility on his shoulders. The quiet room was suddenly broken by the hurried footsteps of his assistant.

“Sir, someone is here with a suitcase, wishing to see you.”

He looked up, frowning: “What suitcase? Tell them to leave. I don’t accept gifts.”

The assistant drew closer, speaking softly: “They said it is a gift, but it seems very heavy. It looks like it’s all US dollars.”

He rang the bell and had the person shown in. A stranger placed the suitcase on the desk, quickly opened the lid, and stepped back. He glanced at it and knew immediately it was a suitcase of money, entirely hundred-dollar bills. He did not touch it and coldly told his assistant: “Take it out of my office immediately. I will not accept it!”

The assistant carried the suitcase out, secretly filled with admiration. Later, when reporting the incident, he said: “Sir, judging by its weight, that suitcase must have held at least three million dollars in bribes.”

Upon hearing this, many curious colleagues asked him: “Why didn’t you accept such an enormous sum? A comfortable life, all your children provided for—wouldn’t that be good?”

He smiled gently, his hands resting lightly on the desk, his eyes serene: “In a day, I only eat three meals. If my children had too much money, they might become spoiled and ruined—it is not necessary. My needs are just three meals. Why would I embrace a suitcase of money? Taking it would only create a crime, and how could I hide it from the eyes of the world?”

He continued to explain, his voice firm: “Even if you take a lot, you still only eat three meals. If you don’t take it, you also eat three meals. You won’t go hungry either way. But if you take it, your judgment in directing work will be skewed because of the influence of money. By not taking it, I can act with impartial conscience, caring for the nation and its people.”

The suitcase was returned, but the story spread as a testament to a person of moral integrity. He did not need to boast; he simply lived quietly according to the body’s basic needs, not letting greed lead him astray.

Later, when he retired, he still ate three simple meals, and his children were independent. The people of that region remembered him as an upright official who never traded his conscience for material gain.

**Meaning of the Story**

Everyone has material needs, but one should consume according to the body’s requirements, not according to blessings from merit or greed for assets. A person of virtue knows contentment, does not let money cloud their eyes, and maintains an impartial conscience in all matters.

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