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CASE STUDY
Extremely,Poor
I pay my highest respects to you, Luang Phaw
I am a man from Singapore who came to ordain as an International Dhammadayadaya novice monk at The Dhammakaya Temple this year. Although I have disrobed, my impression of Luang Phaw’s determination is engraved in my mind. Every night that I come to school, I see that Luang Phaw, although not in good health condition, coughing frequently, with leg pain that needs massaging, still comes to teach almost everyday. This made me wonder why Luang Phaw has to endure these difficulties. The kindness of Luang Phaw has raised my confidence and faith to over 100%. If I have trespassed upon you, Luang Phaw, with my body, speech, or mind in any way, I ask for your kindness to forgive me and to please be a guiding light for me and my beloved, as follows.
My grandmother is 100% Tae Jiew Chinese. In China, after my grandfather passed away, my grandmother held her only daughter’s hand (which is my mother) and migrated to Singapore without any belongings and was extremely poor. At the age of 76, my grandmother developed absent-mindedness, sitting still on the sofa all day, not communicating with others at all. Family members looked after her for several months but her condition did not improve. So, we sent her to the hospital. Soon after we returned home, the doctor called to inform us that my grandmother had passed away.
My father was an energetic and furious farmer. He loved to release his energy by yelling at my grandmother and my mother on every occasion. Whether it was the morning, afternoon, or evening, it did not matter. He would yell regardless of the time of day. My mother tried to be patient and acted like a millionaire of courage and good will, which she hoped to transfer to my father so that he could have a good temperament.
In 1976 (2519 B.E.), the Singaporean government recalled all of my father’s paddy fields. Our status was immediately lifted from farming to that of “flats people.” Fortunately, my older brother and sister had jobs to earn salaries so our life became better. My father turned into a person with a good mood all the time, without a bad temper that he used to have. He was a heavy smoker ever since he was a teenager. Although he gave up smoking when he became older, he also began smoking marijuana secretly. So when he got older, he had difficulties breathing. He had an operation to create a hole in his neck to help his breathing. This caused my father a lot of pain and suffering until the doctor said that he would probably not survive. We decided to bring my father home. But before we almost arrived at the house, my father was already unresponsive. We carried him to sleep peacefully on his bed at the age of 85.
My mother had migrated with my grandmother to Singapore at the age of 10. For the security of a girl’s life, my grandmother made my mother marry my father, a Tae Jiew man who also had migrated to Singapore. My father is 10 years older than my mother. After their marriage, my mother had begun her life as a female farmer. She had to get up early at 6 a.m. in the morning, dressed pretty with a nice smile, to go out to carry water, walking with bare feet like in a mini marathon up and down the hills, 10-20 trips daily, approximately 1 k.m. round trip. She picked vegetables with multivitamins from the paddy fields to feed the pigs and she also grew her own organic vegetables for food.
My mother has 10 children of which 4 are males and 6 are females. I am the ninth child of this family. My mother began to live a more comfortable life once all her children grew up. Unfortunately, my mother began to have difficulty walking. She had arthritis. She had an operation to insert silicone but the condition worsened and was aggravated by kidney disease. She had to have kidney dialysis 3 day a week for over 2 years.
My brother-in-law was orphaned in his early childhood. His uncle looked after him. After he married my older sister, he paid respect and treated my mother very well. He drove my mother to the temple, to go shopping, and everywhere else she likes. This made my mother love him as if he were her own son. Whenever I experienced economic difficulties, he was always my refuge. So, I have always been thankful for his kindness. Unfortunately, life is so unpredictable. One day, in the elevator while he leaving the gym with my older sister, he just sat down and fell unconscious. He passed away at the age of 42.
My wife and I have 3 children. When my oldest daughter was 8, my wife and I decided to start a business. We helped each other every day. There were no holidays. We began at 6 a.m. and worked until we returned home late at midnight. After 5 years of hard work, we established 7 stores of our own. But because we focused too much on work; we had less time for our oldest daughter. When we returned home, there were many times when we found our daughter curled up under her bed with fright from being alone. We felt so sorry for her. She sent a nonverbal message to us to give her some time as well. Since then, it was as if we were living in a different world even though we lived in the same house. My daughter is now 26 year old. At home, we only say a few words before she goes out. She looks like a lesbian Tom Boy. She has tattoos all over the body. She has had many accidents and broke the bones in her hands and feet several times.
As for myself, when I was 18, I started studying Mahayana Buddhism. I studied theory for 4 years and practiced chanting with Chinese instruments to transfer merits to the deceased. When I was 38 years old, I felt that although my knowledge of Mahayana Buddhism doctrine taught me to be faithful in Amitaba Buddha and to make resolutions to go back to Sukhavadee, I wished to go back to the heavenly level of Tusita, the temporary residence of Bodhisattas aiming to be reborn and to pursue perfections as human beings on earth. But at that time I had no idea how I could get there. The different vision I had from my previous knowledge kept me away from the Mahayana Buddhism temple for 2 years. During this time, my wife had breast cancer and vertebral subluxation. Our business also subsided and we downsized to only 2 stores.
One day, while I was shopping for books, I found a biography of Luang Pu Wat Paknam printed in Chinese. I was very interested in this book so I brought the book home and recommended to my wife that she should practice meditation according to the instructions in the book. My wife prayed for help from Luang Pu and practiced the meditation followed the instructions in the book. After 2 months, she went back to the hospital. It turned out that she no longer had cancer. This was so miraculous to everyone. More over, her vertebral subluxation also disappeared.
Ever since I had this biography of Luang Pu, I had learned the truth about another aspect of Theravada Buddhism. I began meditating at the Kalyanamitta Center in Singapore and learned more about the Dhammakaya Temple. I have been putting in my efforts, physically, spiritually, monetarily, and have been using my wisdom to support all the merit projects. Although our business has subsided, our spiritual minds have expanded beyond its limits. We borrowed money from the bank to make donations; we took the payments for merchandise and life insurance payments to donate. Knowing that it is not the correct way, we love to do it for fear that if we had not taken advantage of those opportunities, we wouldn’t get the chance to have those special opportunities again. My wife and I agree not to stop making merits. We will do it non-stop, with no intersession or break. Even though we only own one small store, we believe that the good deeds we accumulate will help us through to a better position.
My grandmother is 100% Tae Jiew Chinese. In China, after my grandfather passed away, my grandmother held her only daughter’s hand (which is my mother) and migrated to Singapore without any belongings and was extremely poor. At the age of 76, my grandmother developed absent-mindedness, sitting still on the sofa all day, not communicating with others at all. Family members looked after her for several months but her condition did not improve. So, we sent her to the hospital. Soon after we returned home, the doctor called to inform us that my grandmother had passed away.
My father was an energetic and furious farmer. He loved to release his energy by yelling at my grandmother and my mother on every occasion. Whether it was the morning, afternoon, or evening, it did not matter. He would yell regardless of the time of day. My mother tried to be patient and acted like a millionaire of courage and good will, which she hoped to transfer to my father so that he could have a good temperament.
In 1976 (2519 B.E.), the Singaporean government recalled all of my father’s paddy fields. Our status was immediately lifted from farming to that of “flats people.” Fortunately, my older brother and sister had jobs to earn salaries so our life became better. My father turned into a person with a good mood all the time, without a bad temper that he used to have. He was a heavy smoker ever since he was a teenager. Although he gave up smoking when he became older, he also began smoking marijuana secretly. So when he got older, he had difficulties breathing. He had an operation to create a hole in his neck to help his breathing. This caused my father a lot of pain and suffering until the doctor said that he would probably not survive. We decided to bring my father home. But before we almost arrived at the house, my father was already unresponsive. We carried him to sleep peacefully on his bed at the age of 85.
My mother had migrated with my grandmother to Singapore at the age of 10. For the security of a girl’s life, my grandmother made my mother marry my father, a Tae Jiew man who also had migrated to Singapore. My father is 10 years older than my mother. After their marriage, my mother had begun her life as a female farmer. She had to get up early at 6 a.m. in the morning, dressed pretty with a nice smile, to go out to carry water, walking with bare feet like in a mini marathon up and down the hills, 10-20 trips daily, approximately 1 k.m. round trip. She picked vegetables with multivitamins from the paddy fields to feed the pigs and she also grew her own organic vegetables for food.
My mother has 10 children of which 4 are males and 6 are females. I am the ninth child of this family. My mother began to live a more comfortable life once all her children grew up. Unfortunately, my mother began to have difficulty walking. She had arthritis. She had an operation to insert silicone but the condition worsened and was aggravated by kidney disease. She had to have kidney dialysis 3 day a week for over 2 years.
My brother-in-law was orphaned in his early childhood. His uncle looked after him. After he married my older sister, he paid respect and treated my mother very well. He drove my mother to the temple, to go shopping, and everywhere else she likes. This made my mother love him as if he were her own son. Whenever I experienced economic difficulties, he was always my refuge. So, I have always been thankful for his kindness. Unfortunately, life is so unpredictable. One day, in the elevator while he leaving the gym with my older sister, he just sat down and fell unconscious. He passed away at the age of 42.
My wife and I have 3 children. When my oldest daughter was 8, my wife and I decided to start a business. We helped each other every day. There were no holidays. We began at 6 a.m. and worked until we returned home late at midnight. After 5 years of hard work, we established 7 stores of our own. But because we focused too much on work; we had less time for our oldest daughter. When we returned home, there were many times when we found our daughter curled up under her bed with fright from being alone. We felt so sorry for her. She sent a nonverbal message to us to give her some time as well. Since then, it was as if we were living in a different world even though we lived in the same house. My daughter is now 26 year old. At home, we only say a few words before she goes out. She looks like a lesbian Tom Boy. She has tattoos all over the body. She has had many accidents and broke the bones in her hands and feet several times.
As for myself, when I was 18, I started studying Mahayana Buddhism. I studied theory for 4 years and practiced chanting with Chinese instruments to transfer merits to the deceased. When I was 38 years old, I felt that although my knowledge of Mahayana Buddhism doctrine taught me to be faithful in Amitaba Buddha and to make resolutions to go back to Sukhavadee, I wished to go back to the heavenly level of Tusita, the temporary residence of Bodhisattas aiming to be reborn and to pursue perfections as human beings on earth. But at that time I had no idea how I could get there. The different vision I had from my previous knowledge kept me away from the Mahayana Buddhism temple for 2 years. During this time, my wife had breast cancer and vertebral subluxation. Our business also subsided and we downsized to only 2 stores.
One day, while I was shopping for books, I found a biography of Luang Pu Wat Paknam printed in Chinese. I was very interested in this book so I brought the book home and recommended to my wife that she should practice meditation according to the instructions in the book. My wife prayed for help from Luang Pu and practiced the meditation followed the instructions in the book. After 2 months, she went back to the hospital. It turned out that she no longer had cancer. This was so miraculous to everyone. More over, her vertebral subluxation also disappeared.
Ever since I had this biography of Luang Pu, I had learned the truth about another aspect of Theravada Buddhism. I began meditating at the Kalyanamitta Center in Singapore and learned more about the Dhammakaya Temple. I have been putting in my efforts, physically, spiritually, monetarily, and have been using my wisdom to support all the merit projects. Although our business has subsided, our spiritual minds have expanded beyond its limits. We borrowed money from the bank to make donations; we took the payments for merchandise and life insurance payments to donate. Knowing that it is not the correct way, we love to do it for fear that if we had not taken advantage of those opportunities, we wouldn’t get the chance to have those special opportunities again. My wife and I agree not to stop making merits. We will do it non-stop, with no intersession or break. Even though we only own one small store, we believe that the good deeds we accumulate will help us through to a better position.
Quetions
1. After passing away, where did my grandmother go? Did she receive the merit in casting the Buddha image that I dedicated to her? Is there anything she wants to tell me?
2. What kammic retribution caused my father to have an operation to create a hole in his neck to help with his breathing, to suffer and to be unable to talk? What was the condition of his mind? Did my father die in the ambulance or at home? What realm is he in now? How is his condition? Did he receive the merit of casting the Buddha image that I dedicated to him?
3. What kammic retribution caused my mother to have arthritis and kidney disease when she lives comfortably? I donated to cast a Buddha Image for her and ordained for her. How will she receive the merit?
4. Why did my brother-in-law have a short life? Volunteers from the Mahayana Buddhist Temple came to chant at his funeral and saw a clear lotus on his coffin. Is it true? Where did he go after he died? Did he receive the merit in casting the Buddha image that I dedicated to him? Is there anything he wants to tell me?
5. What kammic retribution caused my oldest daughter to behave like a tomboy, have tattoos all over her body and to broken the bones in her hands and feet?
6. What kammic retribution do my wife and I have together with our oldest daughter? What can we do to persuade her to pursue perfections? My wife and I try to make merit for her all the time. How will she receive the merit? Does she have enough merit to own her own business?
7. My mother-in-law passed away 13 years ago at the age of 56. Where did she go? How is she doing? My father-in-law, her son and I ordained for her. Did she receive the merit? Will she be able to pursue perfections with the community?
8. What kammic retribution caused my wife to have vertebral subluxation and breast cancer? What merit allowed her to receive help from Luang Pu to be cured without taking medication?
9. Why is it that when my wife makes wishes for Luang Pu and Khun Yay to help with everyday problems, the wishes come true, with the exception of wishes that involve money? No matter how we ask, it never comes true. And why is it that when there is a big merit opportunity, our shop does not do well every time?
10. What kammic retribution caused my wife and I to have similar characters and thoughts and now we have the same money problems, such as being in debt, being sued, being defrauded and not getting money back when we lend money out? What can we do to be free of debt and have money in this life?
11. Why do I want to go to Tusita Heaven while Mahayana Buddhism teaches for its followers to go to Sukhavadee?
12. How have my wife, our two sons, and I, pursued perfection with the community? How have the two sons made merits with my wife and I? Do they have merit in ordaining for life? Why do my wife and I tend to have misunderstandings in our fellow perfection pursuers? What behaviors do my wife and I need to improve?
I thank you deeply, our great teacher, with great respect.
Luang Phaw's Dream
I closed my eyes, dreamed and woke up with these answers.
When you tell anybody the story like a tale, it will make anyone know more about retribution (Law of Kamma)
I closed my eyes, dreamed and woke up with these answers.
When you tell anybody the story like a tale, it will make anyone know more about retribution (Law of Kamma)
1. Your grandmother died and has already been reborn as a human being. She cannot receive merit at this time and does not have any messages for you.
2. Your father underwent surgery to create a hole to help him breathe, which caused him to suffer and not be able to talk. This is because of kamma from his past and present life. He had cut up animals and pierced animals at their neck, for food. Also, the kamma from smoking cigarettes and the kamma from speaking badly with his parents and other elders, combined with the other kamma.
- He died ever since he was in the ambulance. His astral body returned to the house with the ambulance.
- When he died, his mind was neither cloudy nor clear. He wandered aimlessly at the house for 7 days, and then the officers of hell took him to the Purgatory of the 5th Major Hell, because of the kamma of smoking cigarettes, before being punished for other kamma.
- Right now, he is being buried by hot ashes. He is suffering very much. He has received the merits you dedicated to him. His punishments have decreased but not completely. You should make more merits and dedicate them to him, because he wishes to be free form this suffering in Purgatory.
3. Your mother has arthritis and kidney disease because of kamma from her past life. She had overworked animals and slaves. Also, she was stingy, causing her to work very hard during the first part of her life. This caused her to have arthritis. This is combined with the kamma from loaning money at a high interest rate, causing her to have kidney disease.
- Your mother will receive the merit from casting the Buddha image and the merit from your ordination. This will help to close hell and bring her to heaven.
4. Your brother-in-law had a short life because of kamma from his past life. He has been a middleman who sold animals, such as cows, buffalos, pigs, and chickens, so that others could kill them for food. But he has merit from caring for his relatives and for the welfare of society, causing him to die without having to suffer, but with a heart attack.
- The volunteers from the temple who came to chant at his funeral saw a clear lotus on my brother-in-law’s coffin. This is true. But what they saw was not real. It was a positive image that they saw when they had faith in what they believed in. And they knew your brother-in-law was a good person, which caused them to see these images.
- Your brother-in-law died and became an air sprite, because of the merits he made in supporting his relatives and society, and in merits he made according to his beliefs. He has received the merits you dedicated to him and this improves his condition. He wishes to thank you for dedicating the merits to him, because he is now even happier. At this time, he is having a pleasant time in his realm.
5. Your oldest daughter is like a tomboy, has many tattoos all over her body, and tends to break the bones in her hands and feet because of the kamma from being adulterous in both the past lifetimes when she was born a woman and when she was born a man, combining to send its effects for her to be a tomboy. She has tattoos all over her body because of kamma from one of her past lives. She had been a boy who was talented in drawing, and tended to draw words on walls and ceilings in public places. This kamma sent its effects. In her past lives, she also liked to have fist fights with others until they were injured. She did this on a regular basis. This resulted in the bones in her hands and feet breaking.
6. You, your wife, and your oldest daughter do not have any particular kammic retribution together. But you all have accumulated merits together in your past lives. This is why you were born as father, mother, and daughter. But in this lifetime, mother and father tend to focus more on making a living rather than spending time with the daughter. This causes her to have little thoughts in her mind that her parents do not love her.
- Therefore, you should adjust your understanding because your oldest daughter has a good heart as a foundation. Just tell her that when she was young, the two of you had to make a living in order to create a secure environment for the family. This caused the both of you to be apart from her but it does not mean that you do not love her. All it takes is for her to understand that the two of you love her, and because of that, you both put all your efforts into making a living for your daughter. Adjust this understanding on a regular basis, when everyone is feeling happy. It will not be long before she understands. Your daughter has enough merit to be an owner of her own business. She will receive a part of the merits that you both have done but not fully.
7. Your mother-in-law died and was reborn as a human being. She cannot receive merits at this time and does not have any messages.
- It depends on your mother-in-law’s merits, whether or not she will come to pursue perfections with the community, because she has pursued perfections somewhat with the community in her past lives.
8. Your wife had vertebral subluxation and breast cancer because of kamma from her past life. She had overworked her employees and animals until they suffered in pain. This sent its effects for her to have vertebral subluxation. And leftover kamma from being philanderous caused her to have breast cancer.
- She completely recovered, because in her past life, she had offered medicine to Luang Pu and the monastic community. This merit combined with the merit in meditating in her present life and the power of Luang Pu, helped her to recover without having to take any medication.
9. My wife made wishes for Luang Pu and Khun Yay to help, bringing success except when it has to do with money. This is because in your past lives, you and your wife were millionaires. You had pursued perfections with the community. But at the beginning, you had intended to accumulate merits in different ways with the community. Then there were conflicts with some people in the community. This caused you to be dissatisfied and cancelled your intention to make merit and kept yourself away from the community for a period of time. Later, you returned to pursue perfections again with the community with all your might. Therefore, in this lifetime, this kammic retribution from taking a break from pursuing perfections caused other kamma to have a chance to intervene. For example, you had cheated people out of money, causing you to be cheated out of your money. Therefore, you should continue to be patient and find a new business path. You will become richer than you are now.
- As for the whenever there is a large merit project, your business tends to subside because of the aforementioned kamma retribution and Mara’s retribution preventing you from pursuing perfections.
10. You and your wife have the same habits because you both have made merits together as husband and wife in your past lives. You have accumulated merits and sins together in both your past lives and present life.
- You should accumulate every merit by being generous (dana), observing precepts (sila), and meditating (bhavana), and think of all these merits that you made and make resolutions for you to find a business that will make you rich. Make resolutions in this manner every day and one day you will achieve success.
11. You want to go to Tusita Heaven because of the merits that you have made with the community before you were born, because you came from Tusita Heaven. You’re acting as if you forgot!
12. You, your wife, and your two sons have pursued perfections as supporters, sometimes with all your might, sometimes depending on your mood, sometimes you do fully what you can do, and sometimes depending on you can do. Both your sons have ordained for a short period in their past lives. If they were to ordain for a long period, it will take a lot of will power.
- Your two sons have been born as your and your wife’s children. You have all encouraged each other to accumulate merits together, just like in this lifetime.
- Your and your wife’s previous plan have followed you both, when you had been in conflict with others who pursue perfections in the community. For example, you thought too much; you felt regret; sometimes you felt unsure. This caused the words that came out to create conflict. Therefore, you should correct this outright by not caring too much about this and forgiving others. When you speak, think about others’ hearts, and diligently meditate so that your mind will be clear. Spread loving kindness to everyone. You should also smile, be patient, praise others, be flexible, and give in sometimes. And everything will improve.
- Having met with the community in this lifetime, you should strongly intend to pursue perfections with all your might in every merit and make resolutions to follow the community to the special merit zone of Tusita Heaven, in the Bodhisatta area. Do not allow yourself to stray.
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