Date: 04/26/2025 04/27/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Talk
Mahālū Accepting Offerings
In the past, in India, there was a monastery where more than a hundred monks resided. Not far from the monastery lived a devout Upāsikā (a laywoman who had taken the Five Precepts). She was deeply devoted to the path and enjoyed studying the scriptures. She also made a vow to offer daily meals to a monk.
Each day, one monk from the monastery would take turns going to her house to receive the offering. Since this diligent Upāsikā would also take the opportunity to ask about the meanings of the scriptures, many monks who considered themselves to have shallow knowledge were reluctant to go.
One day, it was the turn of an elderly monk named Mahālū to receive the offering. Mahālū was already advanced in age and had not been ordained for long. He had yet to gain deep understanding of many Buddhist scriptures. The arrival of this day made him extremely uneasy. However, since he did not know how to decline the invitation tactfully, he had no choice but to brace himself and drag his heavy steps forward.
The Upāsikā had been waiting at home for a long time and thought, “The time for the midday meal has already passed, why has the monk from the monastery not arrived yet?” She opened the door to take a look… At that moment, she saw an elderly monk walking calmly and steadily toward her house.
Seeing that the elderly monk walked with such a composed and steady gait, the Upāsikā believed that this elder must be a wise and deeply meditative practitioner. She became even more eager, hoping that she could gain insights from his teachings.
Upon entering the house, the elderly monk suppressed his inner anxiety, secretly wondering how he should respond next. One thought followed another—his eating pace was noticeably slower than usual.
However, despite the long wait, the Upāsikā’s sincerity in seeking the Dharma remained unwavering. After the midday meal, she respectfully invited the elder monk to ascend the seat and give a teaching.
Seeing the Upāsikā’s deep reverence, the elderly monk became even more uneasy. He thought to himself, “I am already so old, yet I only recently ordained. I do not understand the profound principles of the Dharma very well. This is truly shameful and distressing.”
Feeling this deep lamentation, he sighed and said, “Ignorance and lack of wisdom—this is truly a great suffering!”
Hearing these words, the Upāsikā carefully contemplated their meaning:
Ignorance and lack of wisdom—is this not the very root of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination?
Because one lacks clear wisdom, the deluded mind constantly grasps at external objects, leading to endless cycles of birth and death.
This is indeed a great suffering…
As she repeatedly reflected on this truth, she suddenly attained the fruition of Sotāpanna (Stream-entry).
The Upāsikā was overjoyed. She turned to enter her storeroom, intending to take out a precious woolen blanket to offer to the elderly monk as an expression of gratitude.
However, the elderly monk, who had been feeling restless all along, took the opportunity to step down from the seat and hurriedly ran back to the monastery.
When the Upāsikā returned, she found that the elderly monk was no longer there. She stepped outside but could not see any trace of him. She thought, “Perhaps this venerable elder has flown away using supernatural powers.”
Determined, she took the woolen blanket and went to the monastery to personally offer it to the elder monk.
After returning to the monastery, the elderly monk hid inside his room, too embarrassed to come out.
His teacher, however, was an Arahant with complete mastery of supernatural powers. Observing the entire situation with his divine vision, he called out to Mahālū to come out and accept the offering.
Then, the teacher explained the doctrine of Dependent Origination to Mahālū.
Upon hearing his teacher’s discourse, Mahālū suddenly gained great insight.
At that very moment, as he eradicated his defilements, he too attained the fruition of Sotāpanna (Stream-entry).
