A Broken Motorcycle and the Obstacles on the Path of Practice

Wishing to go hear the Dharma, some people get a ride (smooth conditions), while others, with sufficient resolve, have their vehicle break down to increase their merit through overcoming hardship (adversity).

Early in the morning, mist still hung along the path to the temple, and the distant sound of a bell echoed. A Buddhist practitioner stood at his gate, fingers turning a prayer bead rosary, his heart restless: today the temple was hosting a Dharma talk, he had to go. But his home was far, his motorcycle had broken down the day before, and the sun was beginning to beat down on his shoulders. He sighed, walked out into the yard, and looked up at the sky:

"May the celestial beings protect me. I want to hear the Dharma, but I have no way."

The phone rang. A friend called:

"I'm heading to the temple to hear the Dharma, are you coming?"

He replied quickly:

"I want to go, but I have no vehicle."

His friend laughed on the other end:

"I have a vehicle but don't know the way. You know the way, so let's go together."

And so, he was picked up. This is the smooth path: a bodhisattva uses gentle circumstances to guide a person toward the Dharma.

But for another person, the scene was different. That same morning, another devoted man locked his house, mounted his motorcycle, and started the engine with a roar. He had been determined for a long time, thinking firmly: "I must hear the Dharma today, no matter what." He had ridden halfway when the engine suddenly sputtered and died completely. He kicked the starter again and again, but it wouldn't fire. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his hands gripped the handlebars tightly, and his heart filled with frustration: "Why does it break down now?"

In truth, the celestial beings had caused the motorcycle to break down—through adversity. Because they saw he had sufficient resolve. A passerby told him:

"You poured in the wrong gasoline mixed with water and toxic alcohol; it's no wonder the engine stopped."

Gritting his teeth, he pushed the motorcycle into a parking lot, took a parking ticket, and flagged down a motorbike taxi:

"Take me to the temple, quickly!"

The motorbike taxi sped off, and he arrived at the temple just as the chanting began. Sitting under the eaves, he sighed, but his heart brightened: just now, he had overcome difficulty. His willpower increased, his merit increased.

Later, whenever he encountered adversity, he did not complain to the heavens. He remembered the day his motorcycle broke down and understood: the bodhisattvas tested his strength through hardship to make his resolve stronger. He faced every obstacle on his path of practice with a cheerful heart.

**Meaning of the Story**

For those who do not yet have sufficient resolve, a bodhisattva uses the smooth path (gentle assistance) to guide them. For those who have already generated a strong aspiration, they use the path of adversity (difficulties and obstacles) for the person to overcome, thereby increasing their merit and willpower on the path of practice.

*Compiled from a Dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang*