My Beloved Grandmothers

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CASE STUDY

With great respect to Luang Phaw.

I might not have had the opportunity to know Luang Phaw and the Phra Dhammakaya Temple, if 14 years ago I had not read about Khun Yai’s life and meditation practice in a magazine. I was very impressed that she had been able to help her father in hell. So I wanted to meditate like Khun Yai.

And then one day, with my mind was resting at the center of my body, when my mind became still, it was as though the force of gravity was pulling me to the center of my body continuously. Many golden images of the Lord Buddha appeared, like numerous Dhammakaya Buddhas in my stomach. Sometimes these images would expand and become crystal clear, beautiful as diamonds, their intense brightness surrounding me. When I entered the center of these images, I saw bright Dhamma spheres appear one by one, until a new image of the Lord Buddha arose. This occurred continuously. In the end, I saw a Dhamma sphere as bright as the sun.

I felt as though I had been freed. My mind was very light and relaxed, as though I had died and been reborn. I felt safe, secure, not afraid of dying. And I thought that if I had not had the Great Teachers, I would not have known anything. So if there is some I can do for them, I must do it in the best manner possible. So I have fully devoted myself to making merit without end. [song] I have a story about myself and my loved ones upon which I would like to respectfully ask Luang Phaw to Dream-in-Dream compassionately.

There were 5 children in my family. I was the oldest. My father came from China and earned a living as a merchant. He was very hard-working and built up a secure family. But he hardly spoke so the duty of raising the children fell upon my mother. Every night she taught the children how to chant and pay respect to the Lord Buddha before going to bed. When she was 47, her menstrual periods ended, but she still had some bleeding. So she went to see a doctor.

The doctor found that she had third-stage uterine cancer and that the cancer had spread to her brain. This made her mind and senses slow. But she still understood us.

Everyone in our household knew about my mother but they did not tell me because I was studying nursing at Khon Kaen University. Once I had graduated and heard about her condition, I returned home to care for her. I looked after her all day and all night for 3-4 days. Her condition continually worsened until all she did was lie motionless. She would not eat and required an intravenous feed. She died at the age of 48.

One year after my mother’s death, my father started to have numbness at the tips of his hands and feet. His arms and legs weakened and he could not walk. The doctor gave the diagnosis that his bones were pressing on his nerves and that he needed surgery. After the surgery his condition did not improve. So we consulted another doctor who specialized in neurological disorders. He was diagnosed with polyneuritis which was not something that could be cured.
So he took medicine continually to address the symptoms of his disease. He had to wear shoes with springs. When he took a step, the springs would uncoil so he was able to walk a bit. He also had physical therapy until his symptoms improved and he was able to walk on his own. He lived like this for another 10 years, then became sick again with bleeding in his digestive system because the blood vessels around his liver burst. He died at the age of 70.

My maternal grandmother was Chinese. She earned a living making snacks and raising pigs and chickens for sale. She was kind. She liked to give her grandchildren money during the Chinese New Year or on our birthdays. So she was much loved by all her children and grandchildren.

She did not know how to pay respect to the Lord Buddha or chant. She only made merit when her children and grandchildren told her. When she was 80 years old, she fell and fractured her pelvis. So she had to sit in a wheelchair until her death at the age of 92.

My mother-in-law is kind. She likes to pay respect to the Lord Buddha, chant, and make offerings during monks’ morning alms rounds on Buddhist holidays. When she grew older, she had diabetes and had to lie down due to paralysis for many years. Once she had a small wound on her toe but instead of healing, the wound spread continuously until her flesh had died. She had both her legs amputated.

One of her daughters found a spiritual medium for Tao Shinabanchara. He said my mother-in-law was the granddaughter of Tao Shinabanchara. My mother-in-law had reached the natural end of her life so she should request to extend her life at Phra Gan Shrine in Lopburi. He said she should let her hair grow long. Her children did the same thing and my mother-in-law lived for almost another 10 years. She died at the age of 84.

While arranging her funeral ceremony, an older sister-in-law who was alone in Los Angeles had an experience while sleeping. She was startled awake because the bed was shaking. She thought it was an earthquake but there was nothing on the news about an earthquake. My mother-in-law’s relatives guessed that the spirit of my mother-in-law had probably shaken the bed because this sister-in-law was not on good terms with her at all. They argued about almost everything.

My father-in-law loved to support education. He opened his house to for his nephews and nieces to stay until many of them had graduated. He had good health and never went to the hospital. At the age of 78, he felt pain in his knee. The doctors found that his knee was worn out and his prostate was enlarged.

One day when he was staying at the hospital, while his son was feeding him, he started choking, pushed his son’s hands away, and fell unconscious. The doctor took him to the ICU but could not revive him. After that, my husband dreamt that his father did not have clothes to wear so he was very concerned about his father. I suggested that he meditate, wish, and perform loving-kindness meditation for his father every day. So my husband felt more at ease about this.

Now I live in America. When I had just arrived in America and rented an apartment, I dreamt that I saw my mother who had already passed away at that time. She told me “Go, go” and I did not understand why she was telling me to leave. After I had moved out of that apartment, I found out that the building was located on the site of an old cemetery which had been demolished to construct it. The people there tended to smell a nasty odor, as though a spirit was always there. And soon after, the owner of the building died when his car exploded.

I and my husband had 2 children, a son and a daughter. When our son was a child, he would hit his head loudly against the floor or walls when he got angry. He had a short attention span and could not stay still. When he was in first grade, his teacher had to have him sit alone because he was over active and would disrupt the class. His friends thought something was wrong with him. He had the same suspicion.

When he turned 20, when he became frustrated, he would become very agitated, often get headaches, and could not formulate a coherent thought. And he would break out in pimples all over his body.

My son and my husband would always have conflicts and argue. There was a person knowledgeable in mental power meditation as taught by Phra Rajchaphrommayan. This person meditated and said they were associated from making demerit with one another in their past lives. My husband had once been a Chinese emperor. Our son had been a prisoner who had been punished by being whipped until he swore revenge. In this life he was born as our son and caused trouble for us.

My husband works at a gas station. In 1980, he heard a loud noise outside and went to see what it was. He saw a car coming at him. He jumped to get out of the way but tripped first. So the car hit him and his right leg was broken. He sued for damages and received a sum of money. People around him said he had received too little but we did not want to pursue the matter further. We thought it was demerit.

My younger sister-in-law had lupus. She treated it for many years but was never cured. One day, she thought about committing suicide. She consumed a lot of sleeping medication. My younger brother found her and helped her in time. In the end, she died of lupus at the age of 38.

Questions

1. What demerit caused my mother to have uterine cancer which spread to her brain? Where is she? Did she receive the merit made from building a personal Buddha image for her?

2. Why did my father receive the wrong diagnosis and have surgery as a result? Why did he have polyneuritis for 10 years? What demerit caused him to have bleeding in his digestive system and die? Did he receive the merit made from building a personal Buddha image for him?

3. What demerit caused my maternal grandmother to fall and fracture her pelvis? Where is she? Did she receive the merit made on her behalf?

4. What demerit caused my mother-in-law to be paralyzed, have diabetes, and have both her legs amputated? Did letting our hair grow long and requesting to have a longer life at the Phra Gan Shrine enable her to live for another 10 years? Did my sister-in-law feel her house shake because my mother-in-law was shaking it? Where is my mother-in-law now? Did she receive the merit made from building a personal Buddha image for her?

5. What demerit caused my father-in-law to have his knee wear out and have an enlarged prostate? Why did he die? Was it because of choking on the food his son fed him? Where is he now? Did he accumulate merit from opening his house to his nephews and nieces until they graduated? Did he receive the merit made from building a personal Buddha image for him?

6. Why did my son bang his head against the floor and walls? Why is he over-active, have a short attention span, think slowly, and have headaches often? What demerit causes him to have pimples all over his body? We have treated this condition for a long time without success? How can we cure him?

7. What demerit caused my husband to be hit by a car and break his leg? Did he accumulate demerit from suing the driver of that car? Are my husband and son associated from making demerit with one another in their past lives as the expert in mental power meditation said? How can he reduce this demerit?

8. My younger sister-in-law had lupus. Did she accumulate merit from trying to commit suicide? Where is she now? What demerit caused her to have a short life because of her illness?

9. I had an older person named Uncle Gu that I greatly respected. He liked to conduct ceremonies in which he paid respect to things he thought were holy. He did this to get more customers to buy his goods. Where did he go when he died? Did he receive the merit I made on his behalf?

10. Did my mother appear in my dream to tell me to leave the apartment because it was built on the location of an old cemetery? Why was I not bothered by that spirit?

11. I now have 2 tumors in my uterus. Each one is 2 cm. in size. I also have allergies. If I am exposed to chemicals, my skin itches and peels. It has been like this for more than 10 years. What demerit is causing these problems? Have the various forms of merit I have made helped me? Both my children have allergies. Is this due to the same demerit as me? How can this demerit be reduced?

12. How did I, my husband, my son, and my daughter make merit with the Dhammakaya community in our past lives? How can I attain the Dhammakaya in a short time? How did my younger sister, my younger brother, and my husband’s younger sister make merit with the Dhammakaya community together?

With great respect to Luang Phaw.

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)

1. Your mother had uterine cancer which spread to her brain. This is due to her past demerit from adultery and from killing animals for food. She would kill them by hitting their heads often.

Initially after her death, she became a common earth spirit. When she received the merit made on her behalf, she became an earth spirit at a good level and gained additional celestial treasures such as food, clothing, and a residence.

2. Your father received the wrong diagnosis and had to have surgery. He had polyneuritis for 10 years. This is because in his past lives he was a hooligan. He liked to fight with others until they were seriously hurt. And sometimes he hurt his helpers. This heavy demerit caused his doctor to misdiagnose him

Your father had bleeding in his digestive system and died. This is because of his demerit from killing animals for good in his past lives and because he had reached the natural end of his life.

He became an earth spirit at a good level, like your mother after she had received the merit made on her behalf. He is in the same earth spirit village as your mother.

3. Your maternal grandmother fell and fractured her pelvis. This is because of her demerit from a past life when she raised dogs at her house. These dogs bit her neighbors often. This made her angry so she took a stick and beat them in their mid-sections until their pelvic bones fractured and they were disabled. This is combined with her demerit from selling slaughtered animals or selling animals to be slaughtered. Sometimes she tied up the legs of animals.

She became a common earth spirit. When she received the merit made on her behalf, she became an earth spirit at a good level in an earth spirit village.

4. Your mother-in-law became paralyzed and had diabetes. She had both her legs amputated. This is due to the demerit from her past lives when she killed animals for food regularly. And in one life she liked to cook by using animals’ legs. She would tell the butcher to keep the legs for her after the animals have been killed.

There was no relationship between your mother living another 10 years and your letting your hair grow long and requesting a longer life at Phra Gan Shrine. She had not reached the natural end of her life and she had not used up her demerit, the demerit I just described.
When your sister-in-law fell her house shake, it was not due to your mother-in-law shaking it.

Your mother became an earth spirit at a good level, due to the merit she made in Buddhism. When she received the merit made on her behalf, her condition improved in all aspects. For example, she grew younger and more beautiful, she had more food, more clothing, and other treasures.

5. Your father-in-law had a worn out knee and an enlarged prostate. This is due to his demerit from tying up the legs of animals so they could not walk easily. This led to his knee problems. He had light demerit from adultery which led him to have an enlarged prostate.

He died because he had reached the natural end to his life. Whether or not he had been fed by someone else, he had to die.
He became a common earth spirit. When he received the merit made on his behalf, he became an earth spirit at a good level.

6. Your son banged his head against the floor and walls. He is over-active, has a short attention span, thinks slowly, and has headaches often. This is because of the demerit from his past lives when he liked to drink alcohol and had fun by singing songs all night long. Sometimes when he was drunk, he argued with others and broke the container of alcohol on their heads.

He has pimples all over his body because when he was drunk in those lives, he always liked to insult others.

To reduce this demerit, he must accumulate all forms of merit and dedicate this merit to those people that he harmed. And he must wish to be free of this demerit.

7. Your husband was hit by a car and broke his leg. This is because in his past life, he argued and fought with the driver of that car until he hurt him. And he sued this person until that person had to pay damages. This caused them to be connected in demerit.

When suing someone legally, if there is not anger that creates a desire for revenge, there will not be any demerit.
Your husband and son were not associated in demerit from their past lives. They argue in their present lives because they want to win. Your husband expects that his son will do as your husband wants.
But your son wants something else so they have conflicts and will not compromise. So this is new demerit for both of them. To reduce this demerit, they must adjust their understanding of one another. They must both remain calm. They must meditate a lot until their minds become still and they find internal happiness. Then everything can be resolved.

8. Your younger sister-in-law had lupus. She tried to commit suicide but did not succeed. This is a pattern that will follow her. When she encounters a problem, she will think about committing suicide. She had lupus because of her past life demerit from killing animals for food and for sale. This is combined with demerit from corruption.

She died and was born again as a human being. So she cannot receive merit made on her behalf.

9. Uncle Gu became an common earth spirit at a Chinese shrine. He received the merit made on his behalf and this improved his circumstances. But he is still at the shrine.

10. You dreamt that your mother told you to leave the apartment because it was built on an old cemetery. This was just a mental artifact from your love and strong connection with your mother. This was combined with the abnormal condition of your body at that time which made you dream like this.

11. You have 2 tumors in your uterus and you have had allergies for more than 10 years. This is due to your past-life demerit when you were a man who committed adultery. This is combined with demerit from killing small animals and demerit from bad speech when you liked to argue with adults and elders in a stinging and disrespectful manner.

Both your children have allergies as well. This is because of your pas life demerit from killing small animals, combined with demerit from bad speech similar to your mother’s.
To reduce this demerit, you must make all forms of merit: make offerings, keep the precepts, meditate, release animals and fish into the wild, use good speech, and chant and pay respect to the Lord Buddha often. And you must dedicate the merit to those that you have hurt and wish that you will be free of this demerit.

12. You, your husband, your son, and your daughter made merit with the Dhammakaya community as supporters. Sometimes you did this to the fullest degree and sometimes according to your mood. Sometimes you devoted your full energies, sometimes it depended on your available energy. If you want to attain the Dhammakaya, you must have the strength and perseverance to constantly meditate and act in accordance with the Vijja Dhammakaya.

Your husband’s sister, your sister, and your brother made merit in their past lives with the Dhammakaya community as supporters. Sometimes they did it continuously, sometimes they did not. So in some lives, they meet one another and in some lives they do not.

In this life we meet again and diligently make all forms of merit to the fullest degree. Make the resolution that when you pass away we will all go to Tusita together. Let us not miss this opportunity.