The Healer and the Flame of Anger

In a quiet forest, beneath the canopy of ancient trees, a group of monks was preparing for the rains retreat. At the center of the circle, the Venerable Chudapala sat with dignified presence, and in a warm, deep voice he instructed the brothers:

"During these three months, each of you should make a vow to practice a discipline suited to you, so that you may strive diligently and not waste this time."

One monk said, "Venerable teacher, I vow to keep the daily recitation of the sutras."

Another added, "I vow to sit in meditation two extra hours each night."

When it was his turn, the Venerable Chudapala spoke slowly: "As for me, I vow to keep only three postures: walking, standing, and sitting. I will not lie down for the entire rains retreat."

The monks were astonished by the elder's iron will. And indeed, from that day on, the Venerable never lay down. Even when sleeping, he would only sit or stand, keeping his mind always awake and alert. But before long, his eyes began to redden and swell. At first it was only a mild discomfort, but it grew worse and worse, until he needed someone to guide him when he went on his alms round.

The villagers, filled with compassion, brought a healer who specialized in treating the eyes. The healer examined him carefully and then said:

"This illness is not serious. It can be cured. But you must apply the medicine to your nose before lying down to sleep, so that it can slowly travel up to your eyes. You must never apply it directly to your eyes."

The Venerable silently nodded. A week later, the healer returned and found that the monk's eyes were still as swollen as before. He frowned and said:

"My medicine has never failed. You must not have followed my instructions. Have you been lying down?"

The Venerable remained silent. The healer pressed him again and again, until at last the truth came out. The healer shook his head and waved his hand:

"If you do not lie down, the medicine cannot travel upward to your eyes. This illness is beyond my help. It is not my fault."

With that, he walked away. The Venerable remained firm in his vow never to lie down. And then, his eyes became completely blind. Even so, within the pain and the darkness, he continued to practice diligently, without a single word of complaint.

When the rains retreat ended, the monks brought the Venerable back to the monastery and told the Buddha everything. They asked:

"World-Honored One, an elder who practices so genuinely and so diligently—why must he bear the karma of blindness?"

The Buddha looked at the Venerable with eyes full of compassion, and then recounted a previous life:

"Long ago, there was a poor mother raising three children. She suffered from an eye disease and had nearly lost her sight. A healer came to treat her. She said, 'I have no money, but if you restore my eyesight, my three children and I will serve you in gratitude.' The healer agreed. After a week of treatment, her eyes could see again. But once she was healed, she broke her promise and refused to serve him. The healer was furious. In his anger, he applied a different medicine that made her blind forever. That healer was the past life of the Venerable Chudapala. Because of a mind of hatred, he created evil karma and had to endure the fruit of blindness for many lifetimes. Even though today he met the Buddha and practiced so diligently, the old karma still had to be repaid."

The monks fell silent. The Buddha gently spoke this verse:

"Mind precedes all things. Mind is their master and maker. If one speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows, just as the cart follows the ox that pulls it."

The Meaning of the Story

Anger is a dangerous defilement of the mind, capable of pushing a person to create evil karma in a single moment. The fruit of a mind of hatred follows us like a shadow follows the body, and it cannot be escaped. Therefore, always keep the mind pure, and never allow anger to control your actions.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang