Date: 12/27/2025 12/28/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Talk
The Residents of Nara Remove Illness by Practicing Good Deeds
When the Buddha was teaching the Dharma in the Bamboo Grove Monastery at Rājagṛha, there was a settlement named Nara, whose residents often lost their lives to plagues and severe illnesses.
In fear and helplessness, the residents worshipped heavenly gods and begged for protection, hoping the calamities and epidemics would disappear.
However, no matter how abundant the offerings or how countless the prayers, the disasters did not lessen. The people, tormented in body and mind, could only sigh helplessly!
At that time, in the settlement lived a lay disciple who faithfully believed in the Buddha’s teachings. He told the people:
“The compassionate Buddha possesses sovereign power and virtue. He can enable beings to be free from calamities and obtain benefit and peace.
Everyone should now wholeheartedly recite ‘Namo Buddha,’ and beg the Buddha to relieve us, so that the epidemic may subside.”
When the people heard this, it was like drowning persons suddenly grasping a floating log.
They all knelt sincerely and recited with utmost devotion, “Namo Buddha,” hoping that the Buddha’s great compassion would pity them and save them from danger and the suffering of illness.
The Buddha observed that the residents of Nara were suffering greatly from affliction, so he led his disciples to the settlement, taught the people, and guided them to abandon evil, practice good deeds, and accumulate great merit.
Because of these wholesome actions and the power of merit and virtue, the epidemic retreated, and the people’s bodies and minds returned to peace.
Grateful for the Buddha’s kindness, the residents not only prepared food in every household, but also swept the roads, erected banners, hung precious bells, and scattered incense flowers on the ground to respectfully invite the Buddha and the monks to receive their offerings.
The Buddha compassionately accepted the invitation and expounded various essential teachings for the people who longed for the Dharma, enabling them to gain clarity and understanding.
Some attained the first fruit, some the second fruit, some the third fruit… and some even generated the unsurpassed Bodhi mind.
A disciple nearby found all of this extraordinary and asked the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! What merit did you plant in the past that allows you now to eliminate epidemics and receive offerings from the masses?
We earnestly request the World-Honored One to compassionately explain the causes and conditions.”
The Buddha said:
“In the distant past, a Buddha appeared in the world named Sun-Moon-Light.
One day, the Buddha Sun-Moon-Light and his disciples traveled to the kingdom of Brahma-Ma to spread the Dharma.
The king held a feast to make offerings to the Buddha. After the meal, the king knelt and requested the Buddha to compassionately relieve his people from the suffering of epidemics.
The Buddha then gave the robe he was wearing to the king.
The king had the robe fastened atop a banner and sincerely made offerings.
At that time, the epidemic disappeared, and the people were able to live peacefully and work happily.
The king was overjoyed and generated the unsurpassed Bodhi mind, vowing to protect the Buddha’s teaching.”
“The Buddha Sun-Moon-Light bestowed a prediction, saying:
‘In future lifetimes, you shall attain Buddhahood and be named Śākyamuni, who will broadly liberate beings beyond measure.’
At that time, King Brahma-Ma was my previous life, and the monks in the assembly today were the king’s ministers.
Because of making offerings to the Buddha, I did not fall into evil destinies for immeasurable lifetimes, and continually enjoyed happiness in heavenly realms and human worlds, until in this lifetime I accomplished Buddhahood and received offerings from humans and devas.”
When the great bhikkhus heard this supreme causal story, joy arose in their hearts, and they practiced according to the Buddha’s teachings.
