My Mother Passed Away While Having a Money Envelope to Perform Merits of Building Edifice Pillars

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Case study

I pay my highest respect to you Luang Phaw.

I’m a Dream in Dream Kindergarten student. I helped my mother by reminding her of her merits she had done for years during her last moments. Thus, I would like to tell you about my mother’s story as follows:

My mother used to live in China with my father. Both of them worked to improve themselves but then China was changed to become Communist. As a result, all of their properties were seized by the government. The family was then very poor until they almost had nothing to eat. So, they had only taros and potatoes to eat. My mother was fed up with them. Even though she had moved to Thailand, she wouldn’t eat any kind of food cooked with taro or potatoes.

My mother was a very good wife. She took care of the house and 6 children. My mother often gave alms. She liked to go to the Joss House (a holy center of worship) and ate vegetarian food. In the last period of her life, she suffered from heart disease, kidney disease and Parkinson’s Disease. Her hands shook. When we talked to her, we had to wait several minutes for her to reply. She also had severe pain in her knees. She cried from distress and couldn’t walk. She just sat in a wheelchair for many years.

After I have studied Dhamma from the DMC Channel (the Dow Dtham Satellite - www.dmc.tv), I knew that only merits could help her. Therefore, I told my mother to cultivate merits continuously and I also explained to her about performing merits as much as possible. I let her study Dhamma from Dream in Dream Kindergarten through MP3 because she had cataracts and she couldn’t watch TV. I asked my mother to accrue merits of Kathina (Bhikkhu’s Robe Offering Ceremony) and every merit continuously.

She practiced until we found a miracle that caused her Parkinson’s symptoms and severe knee pain, which she has suffered with for a long time, to become better and she was almost cured. She had chronic kidney disease, for which she never needed dialysis for during her life. Then, too, I was confident that it was due to her merits. One thing I noticed was that every time I invited my mother to cultivate merits, she would be very happy and she always repeated, “Every time you perform merits, don’t forget to take my money to join with your merits.” That statement showed that my mother was always rejoicing with regards to accruing merits and she knew more about the benefits of merits according to the Dhamma.

Later, her body lost the vitality as when she was normal and healthy. Her kidneys didn’t function, so she was worse until she nearly had no strength. She could only lie down in bed, but she still had consciousness. Thus, I thought that her last moment was coming. I repeated regularly every merit she had done saying, “Mom…we have accrued merits of Kathina for next year already and also merits of building edifice pillars around the Maha Dhammakaya Cetiya (a holy structure of worship at the Dhammakaya Temple). We have donated for many pillars. Now, you may be suffering…but you know that angels in Heaven aren’t suffering like us. They live in a better condition than us. They have celestial food and many celestial followers to serve them. They have beautiful big celestial mansions. Do you want to go to Heaven Mom? If you want to go, you have to remind yourself of all of your merits you have done all the time. Anything that will trouble you, don’t think of it. You should think only of merits and make a resolution to sleep and wake up in your own Heavenly mansion in the highest level of Heaven you wish to go to….Now is the time of usurping the world. Don’t send your mind away from merits…Mom.”

While I was talking to my mom, my siblings and her grandchildren were crying of sadness because they knew that my mother’s last moment was coming. There was only me who could restrain tears because I held my mind with the Lord Buddha arising in the center of my body. At that time, I didn’t know how to solve the situation. I knew that if everyone was crying so much like that, my mother would be worried about us. Her anxiety would delay her to depart from us. And if she died at this time, then she couldn’t go to a good place.

While I held my mind with the Lord Buddha within me, a wise answer appeared for me to tell her; “Mom… Don’t you worry about anyone here. Be happy. We are crying because we are happy that you will transform to become an angel. When you are an angel, you won’t be in pain. You will be even better than you are now. Now, you have only one thing to do. It is to be happy. The tears come from my eyes because I’m also happy for you… happy that you will be an angel in Heaven. Now, you just think only of your merits.”

After having told her, I tried my best to make her concentrate on merits as much as possible by putting a money envelope into her hands and saying, “I give you this money for you to perform the merits of building edifice pillars around the Maha Dhammakaya Cetiya. When the construction of this edifice is finished, there will be 300,000 Bhikkhus from all around the world invited to be here and about 1,000,000 people from our Buddhist community all around the world will come to visit and utilize this holy site. They will come to perform merits of offering alms. And for 1,000 years, while you are in Heaven, you will receive these merits all the time. So, you should make a resolution.” My mother held the money envelope, as it seemed as though she was conscious. Then, her pulse became faint. She left us at the age of 80. After her last breath, I chanted the Lord Buddha’s prayer for her to hear. If her astral body was present, her mind would be in merits continuously.

Today, I feel that my connection with the Dhammakaya Temple is quite belated because I came to the temple when my mother was already in a wheelchair. So, she had no chance to come to the Dhammakaya Temple. However, I feel that I have done my best to lead my mother’s mind to be in merits and also I have helped her to cultivate big merits until the end of her life.

My father had died before I earnestly came to the Dhammakaya temple. Thus, I didn’t have a chance to lead my father to remind him of the merits he had accrued before dying as my mother did. And I wasn’t with my father when he passed away. But while he was living, I lead him to accumulate merits frequently. Since he died, I regularly dedicate merits to him.

When he was alive, he often had accidents involving his left leg. For example, he was injured by fragments of a bomb in World War II. Consequently, he had a motorcycle accident. The doctor amputated his leg. Because of having diabetes, his wound had been very difficult to heal. He had an infected wound until he died. He died of diabetes, lung cancer that spread to his brain, and bed sores.

My twin sons have very different characters. When they were young, they were very close. But since they have grown up they usually fight with each other. I’m very worried about them because I love both of them very much. I never compare the 2 of them. That might cause them to have an inferiority complex. But others always draw comparisons between them saying that the younger twin is better than the older one from many aspects. That is the reason that has caused the older twin to be more aggressive, moody and tight-lipped. The different thing between both of them is that the younger twin likes to cultivate merits more than the older one.

Questions:

1. What kammic retribution caused my mother to have cataracts, kidney disease, Parkinson’s Disease and knee pain, but later, she could recover from Parkinson’s and knee pain?

2. Before my mother passed away did she remember all the merits that I reminded her of before dying? How was her mind while she was holding the money envelope for making a resolution until she passed away? What is her situation now that she has been reborn? Did she receive the merits of Kathina in the year of 2005 and the merits of building the edifice pillars? How is she? And does she want to say anything to us?

3. What kammic retribution caused my father to lose his left leg and have many accidents involving his left leg? What retribution caused him to have cancer and have it spread to his brain? Did my father receive all the merits that I dedicated to him? Where is he? Is there anything that he wants to say to us?

4. What kammic retribution caused my parents to live in China while there was a revolution and what caused them to have their properties seized thus causing them to have a very difficult life and nearly have nothing to eat?

5. Why do my twin sons have very different characters? What kamma caused my older twin to be compared to his brother causing him to have an inferiority complex? He always gets hurt. I love both of them. How should I handle this situation or how should I advise them?

6. What kammic retribution caused my third brother to be the only one in my family to be Christian? Has he a chance to come back to be Buddhist and pursue perfections with our community? What should I do?

7. Had my sons and I cultivated merits with the Dhammakaya community before? How? And if we would like to pursue perfections with our community in every life until we attain the utmost level of Dhamma, how should we do it?

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 cataracts because of her kamma of detaining animals in a dark place. For example, she had detained fish in a jar in a dark place for keeping them as a food.

She had kidney disease but didn’t need kidney dialysis, had Parkinson’s Disease and knee pain because of her kamma of killing animals for food in her past life when she had been born into an agricultural society.

2. Your mother could recall all of her merits according to your repeating them to her before she died. Thus, her mind was bright. When you gave her the money envelope to make a resolution of cultivating merits, she could hear it somehow even though she was fatigued but her mind was bright.

The fruit of the merits of Kathina in the year, 2005 and the merits of building the edifice pillars sent her to be a celestial musician (Gandhabba) in Catummaharajika (the first level of Heaven) near your father in a heavenly mansion because of love and bondage. Actually, she could go higher than that.

But in her innermost mind, she always thought of your father. Thus, she is there. But, however, these merits you made for them caused your father’s middle sized Heavenly mansion to become bigger and brighter.

3. Your father had his left leg amputated and had an accident with his left leg because in his past life he had been a hunter. He usually had laid traps for animals. So, the animals’ legs had had been injured.

Sometimes, they were trapped for days until their legs had become infected. When your father had seen their infected legs, he had amputated them. This kamma of killing animals made him have cancer that spread to his brain.

After passing away he became a celestial musician (Gandhabba) in Catummaharajika (the first level of Heaven) having a golden Heavenly mansion near your mother who just arrived.

Both of them are very happy to see each other. They are very thankful to you because you always cultivate merits and dedicate those to them. That is the reason why they met each other, so they sent a thank you to you.

4. In China, your parents’ properties were seized. They had a difficult life because in their past life, your father and mother had been a rich couple. They had had many lands. Later, there had been some poor villagers who trespassed on their land to farm and build houses.

When they had discovered that, they had waited for the crops to fully grow. Then, they drove out the villagers without mercy. They also had seized villagers’ houses and belongings. They had beat villagers off without allowing them to take anything.

5. Your twin sons were born to be twins and have different characters because in their past life, they had been born to be your children. They had loved you very much. You usually had invited them to cultivate merits with you until you nearly died. Both of them had made a wish to be reborn as your sons again.

Your older twin son usually had been moody more easily when performing merits. For your younger twin son, his mind had been brighter. These characteristics have come from that life. Also at the present time, it’s also because of their age.

Thus, you should tell everyone in your family to not compare the 2 of them. That will only make the older twin feel hurt. Admire the older twin frequently. Then, that behavior will be corrected.

6. In the past life, your third brother had been Buddhist but he hadn’t studied the Dhamma seriously and hadn’t accrued merits of wisdom. Therefore, even he was born into a Buddhist family, but he didn’t study the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha causing him to be persuaded to Christianity easily.

You should advise him to study Buddhism for he will understand Buddhism clearly. He can study from the Lord Buddha’s biography, the Lord Buddha’s Teachings and from followers who practiced according to the Lord Buddha’s principles and he will see how it is beneficial. Then let him make the decision by himself.

7. Your sons and you had been important provisional supporters of the Dhammakaya Community continuously. You should keep on cultivating merits more and more. Then, you should make a resolution to go to Tusita Heaven (Dusit Buree or the 4th level of Heaven) in the Special Merits Zone (Vong Boon Pisit, Dusit Buree, and Boroma Bodhisattva Region) together and never stray. You should often make a wish. So, you will have chance to follow us.