Date: 01/03/2026 01/04/2026
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Talk
The Drunken Old Man Receives the Five Precepts and Attains Liberation
During the time of the Buddha, about seven li away from the Jetavana Monastery, there lived an old man who was addicted to alcohol. The Buddha’s disciple Ānanda often went to advise and admonish him. The old man said, “I cannot bear such restraints, so I do not go to the monastery.” He did not listen to Ānanda’s exhortations and continued drinking as before.
One day, the old man was again staggering drunkenly along the road on his way home. Carelessly, he kicked a tree root by the roadside, fell to the ground, and suffered intense pain.
Faced with this sudden agony, the old man felt deep regret and thought to himself, “Venerable Ānanda often urges me to draw near to the Buddha, but I refused to listen. Now my whole body aches beyond words.” After returning home, the old man told his family that he wished to go to see the Buddha. Everyone was quite surprised, thinking, “Why has this old man, who has always refused to go and see the Buddha, suddenly changed his mind?”
When the old man arrived at the gate of the Jetavana Monastery, Ānanda quickly reported to the Buddha, “That old man who is addicted to alcohol has come to the monastery.” The Buddha asked, “Was he dragged here by five hundred white elephants?” Ānanda replied, “He came by himself.”
The Buddha said to Ānanda, “In fact, those five hundred white elephants are already within him.” Then, under Ānanda’s guidance, the old man paid homage at the Buddha’s feet and said, “Great Buddha! I have long heard that you teach the Dharma here, but because of my foolishness I failed to come and see you earlier. Please compassionately forgive my karmic offenses.”
After listening to the old man’s request, the Buddha asked him, “Tell me, if one has accumulated five hundred cartloads of firewood and wishes to burn them all with fire, how many cartloads of fire would be needed to burn them completely?” The old man replied confidently, “There is no need for a great fire at all. Just a flame the size of a bean would be enough to burn them all to ashes.”
The Buddha then asked the old man, “How long have you been wearing the clothes you have on now?” The old man answered, “It has been more than a year.” The Buddha continued, “Then how many years would it take to wash away the dirt on these clothes?” Without hesitation, the old man replied, “World-Honored One, with just one measure of pure ash lye, the dirt could be washed away in an instant.”
After hearing this, the Buddha instructed the old man, “The karmic offenses you have accumulated are like those five hundred cartloads of firewood, and like the grime on clothes worn for more than a year. As long as you uphold the Five Precepts, you can attain purity.” The Buddha then taught him the Dharma, and the old man’s mind opened in understanding. He immediately attained the irreversible Bodhisattva fruition.
