The Monk in the Dewdrop: A Lesson in Diligent Practice

Venerable Yongning, a monastic residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, shares his encounter with a spirit trapped within a dewdrop. This interview, recorded on June 19, 2023, details the karmic consequences of a monastic life lived without diligent practice and the subsequent deliverance of the spirit through the compassionate intervention of Practitioner Su.

Venerable Yongning speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Yongning. It was a quiet morning when I first heard it—a voice, incredibly faint, barely a whisper against the stillness of the dawn. I stood still, focusing my attention, carefully tracking the direction from which the sound originated. It was coming from a single drop of dew clinging to the edge of a leaf.

A Voice from a Fragile World

This dewdrop had formed in the cool hours of the early morning. It had already slid to the very tip of the leaf, trembling as it prepared to fall. In just a few seconds, it would drop to the earth, seep into the soil, and vanish forever. Yet, it was from within this tiny, ephemeral sphere that a spirit was speaking to me. He had been compressed into a size so minuscule that he occupied the space of that single drop of water. His spirit was trapped inside.

I asked the spirit within the dewdrop, 'How did you come to be in this dewdrop? How long have you been trapped inside?' The spirit replied, 'In the space of a dewdrop, there is no concept of time as you know it. But now that you ask, I look back, and the number that surfaces is three hundred and twenty years. I am shocked myself. How could so much time have passed in the blink of an eye, and yet I am still here, confined within this drop?'

The Illusion of the Monastic Life

'When I reflect on the reasons why I ended up in this state, I feel a profound sense of shame. In my past life, I was a practitioner. I lived within the Buddha’s gate, yet if you were to ask me how much I had truly let go of, the answer is nothing. I did not let go of anything at all. I simply resided in the temple, following the routine of reciting the Sutras and chanting Namo Amituofo, but my heart remained entirely attached to the world. I was particularly obsessed with my own body, taking great pride in my handsome appearance. It is clear now that I had not truly let go of anything.'

'Since I could not let go, why did I choose to become a monastic? In my foolishness, I believed that by simply entering the monastic life, I would be shielded from the reach of karma and that, upon death, I would ascend directly to the Western Pure Land. I chose to become a monastic primarily out of fear—fear of death and fear of suffering. These thoughts were incredibly ignorant, but that is exactly how I thought. Even when my fellow practitioners advised me to practise diligently and honestly, I remained attached to my delusions, believing that the Buddha would surely help me simply because I was his disciple.'

The Weight of Unpaid Debts

'For nearly thirty years, I lived the life of a monastic in appearance, but my days were spent in a state of drowsiness and aimless living. In the temple, no one monitored how long I slept. As long as I appeared for the daily practice of morning and evening lessons, the rest of the time was mine to arrange. Whenever I felt drowsy, I would find a place to hide and sleep. I would tell myself it was just a short nap, but before I knew it, an entire morning or afternoon had passed. My days were consumed by this lethargy.'

'Because I wasted my time, I accumulated a massive amount of sins. Everything I ate and used came from the ten directions—it was the result of the Generosity of countless lay practitioners. They provided these offerings to help me focus on my practice and develop the ability to help other beings. Instead, I only consumed without giving anything back. Day after day, I incurred a debt. The universe knows everything, and the moment I breathed my last, the time for repayment began.'

The Path of Retribution

'Such a practice inevitably led to illness. I had only one disciple. He was willing to follow me because I had once saved him, but once he began to follow me, he realised that I was not a true practitioner. Despite this, he practised diligently himself, and out of compassion and moral duty, he remained by my side to care for me when I became gravely ill.'

'After I passed away, my spirit immediately entered the hells to suffer retribution. There is no doubt about this; I knew it in my heart. In fact, even before I had breathed my last, parts of my soul were already being punished in the hells, which is why I became so severely ill. In my final months, I had lost all consciousness and awareness; I had no ability to chant Namo Amituofo. My sins were heavy. I spent over a hundred years in the hells, and I thought my retribution had ended, but it had not. After my spirit left the hells, I was cast into this dewdrop. This space was meant to show me how short life is and how, despite being a monastic, I failed to cherish it. My life vanished like a dewdrop, yet I had created boundless sins. The debt I owe is far from repaid. If Practitioner Su had not saved me, in less than ten years, I would have been reborn as an animal to pay my debts. The image of a cow had already appeared before me—that was to be my next place of suffering.'

Deliverance and the Grace of Practitioner Su

'After the monk in the dewdrop finished speaking, I saw him, through the compassionate Chao Du of Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body, receive the illumination of the Buddha’s light. He was released from the space of the dewdrop. He respectfully prostrated and knelt before Practitioner Su, his heart filled with gratitude. He vowed that he would certainly help other beings, and even if he were to be reborn as a poor person in the future to repay his debts, he would never forget the grace of the Buddha.'

Today, I share the story of this monk in the dewdrop to encourage all practitioners. Diligent practice is our responsibility; it is a duty we cannot shirk. Everything we receive must be used to benefit other beings. Through the dedication of this body, we must help all beings achieve liberation and leave suffering behind.

Namo Amituofo."