Date: 06/14/2025 06/15/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Talk
The Buddha Converts Five Hundred Young Brahmins
In the past, in a village in India populated by Brahmin followers, there were over five hundred households and five hundred young Brahmins. These youths, full of youthful arrogance, were proud and insolent—not only did they show no respect for their elders, but they also spoke rudely and thought highly of themselves. One day, they gathered together to discuss:
“We’ve heard that the ascetic Gautama claims to be a Buddha, that he understands all worldly and transcendent truths, and that no one surpasses him!”
“Really? I don’t believe it! Why don’t we host a feast and use the opportunity to debate with Gautama? Then we’ll see if the rumors are true, and perhaps we can even leave him speechless in shame!”
So, the five hundred young Brahmins prepared a sumptuous meal and invited the World-Honored One to accept their offering. The Buddha compassionately accepted their request, hoping to use this opportunity to transform them. Thus, the Buddha brought his disciples to the Brahmin village to receive the young Brahmins’ offering.
At that time, an elderly couple in the village was begging for food by the roadside. The Buddha, knowing that they had once been very wealthy and had held high office, intentionally asked the young Brahmins:
“Do you know that elderly Brahmin couple begging over there?”
“Of course we do! They were once ministers of the king and had countless wealth!”
“If they once had endless riches, why must they now live by begging?”
“Because they lacked restraint and squandered their wealth, so they ended up like this—beggars! They brought it upon themselves.”
The Buddha said to the young Brahmins, “Are you not the same? You are proud and disrespectful to your elders. You must understand that there are four matters in life that must be approached with caution. If you are mindful of them, you will naturally possess blessings and avoid poverty. You will not meet the fate of that elderly couple. What are the four? First, in the prime of youth and strength, do not be arrogant. Second, in old age, be diligent and not indulgent in sensual desires. Third, when you possess wealth and treasures, practice generosity. Fourth, associate with wise teachers and accept others’ advice and admonitions. That elderly couple failed in these four aspects. They assumed everything in the world was constant, that wealth would never disappear. They never considered how quickly fortune can turn. Once their property was exhausted, they were like swans guarding a dried-up pond—forever unable to catch fish.”
Then the Buddha recited a verse for the assembly:
“Idle day and night, aged yet lustful still,
Wealthy but not giving, ignoring the Buddha’s will.
These four obscurations are self-inflicted harm,
Old age arrives suddenly, beauty turns to decay.
Pleased in youth, trampled in age,
Neither cultivating purity nor possessing wealth.
Old like white swans guarding a barren pond,
Neither preserving nor accumulating,
Old and weak, strength exhausted,
How can one attain what one longs for?
Old like autumn leaves, conduct defiled and shameful,
When death strikes swiftly, regret comes too late.”
The Buddha then said to the young Brahmins, “You must realize, if one diligently cultivates the path during the four periods of life, one can be free from all suffering: first, when young and strong; second, when prosperous and wealthy; third, when encountering the Triple Gem and sowing fields of merit; and fourth, when contemplating the impermanence of all things, and the gathering and scattering of people and things. If you can seize these four opportunities and diligently cultivate, your wishes will be fulfilled, and your spiritual practice will be accomplished.”
The Buddha then recited another verse:
“Life fades day and night, seize the time to strive.
The truths of the world are impermanent,
Do not be deluded and fall into darkness.
Learn to light the lamp of the mind,
Train yourself and seek wisdom.
Be free from defilements, unstained by impurities,
Hold the lamp to illuminate the path of truth.”
When the Buddha finished this verse, his body radiated great light, illuminating the whole earth. The five hundred young Brahmins suddenly awakened in mind and heart. They bowed at the Buddha’s feet and wished to become his disciples. The World-Honored One compassionately accepted them, saying, “Welcome, monks!” Instantly, their robes appeared and their hair fell off on its own. These five hundred young Brahmins at once attained the fruit of Arhatship.
The villagers, upon hearing the Buddha’s teaching, were filled with Dharma joy and resolved to follow the Buddha’s instruction and uphold the righteous Dharma.
