Living A Short Life Making Merit Better Than A Long One Without Any

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Case study

I would like to pay high respects to Luang Phaw,

I'm a student of Dream in Dream Kindergarten. I follow Luang Phaw's program regularly. I will tell you about my story and have questions that I would like to ask Luang Phaw.

My maternal grandmother was kind and warmhearted in helping others. She sold fruits at Sri Praya and her business was very good. She decided to ordain as a Buddhist nun when she was 62 years old at the Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen Temple. She helped out in the kitchen until she died at the age of 72 due to bone cancer. She was in great pain prior to her death and she was wailing miserably. The doctor injected her with morphine at 8am and she died at 6pm on that day in 1978.

My maternal grandfather came from China. He had a job of inspecting rice grains. He had a good personality and loved his daughter very much. Normally, the Chinese love sons more than daughters but it was the opposite for my grandfather. He made merit according to the Chinese tradition. He had stomach cancer and went for an operation at the hospital. During that time he was fed through a tube and sick for about 6 months. He died at the age of 58.

My paternal grandfather and grandmother were farmers. My grandfather died of old age at the age of 82. My grandmother died of throat cancer at the age of 72. The villagers loved both of them. On Buddhist Holy day, they went to the temple and observed the Buddhist precepts and they were continuously making merits on religious occasions.

My mother was my grandmother's second daughter. She had made merit at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen since my grandmother was alive. She had the opportunity to continuously make merits throughout her life. In 1992, she came to Wat Phra Dhammakaya because my brother came to ordain as a monk. At that time, my brother persuaded her to do the Kathina (robe offering) merit. That was the first time she became the vice-chairman for Kathina Ceremony. Since then, she made merit in the Kathina ceremony every year. She accrued lot of merits and devoted herself to it, not only at Wat Phra Dhammakaya, but also at other temples. My mother was benevolent and loved to help others. She also donated some funds for building other public projects, for example the monks' hospital etc.

My mother was healthy and did not have any symptoms of any illnesses. My mother, siblings and I once went to see a Muslim fortune-teller. We were told his fortune telling was very accurate. He predicted that my mother would live till 69 years old and my brother and I would be short-lived. In July 2004, my mother died at the age of 70. Before her death, she had a digestive problem and suffered from indigestion. The doctor diagnosed that she had stomach cancer. Then, she began to actively accrue more merits. One day before she went to the hospital for the surgery, she offered 108 monks' robes to the monks at Wat Phra Dhammakaya. She was the Vice-Chairman for Kathina ceremony in 2004, but she couldn't attend the ceremony because she had to go to the hospital for treatment.She couldn't eat throughout the three months of her treatments. She vomited all that she had eaten; hence she was fed through a tube instead.

During that time she still continued to make a lot of merit. Everyday, I would bring the alms food for her to make resolution before I offered the alms to monks for her. I switched on the chanting for her to listen as well. Besides these, I also invited some monks to the hospital so that she could personally offer some alms to them. She also donated some funds for Kathina ceremonies with 10 other temples. My mother passed away peacefully on Loi Kratong Festival day, 26th November 2004 at 3am.

I'm the eldest daughter in the family. I was married to my husband when I was 39, and we've been together for six years already. However, I am childless, and I'd like to have a baby. My doctor advised me to try to conceive a baby through a test-tube baby procedure. Unfortunately, so far it has been unsuccessful.

Questions:

1. What merits did my maternal grandmother do that made her become a nun in this life? What retributions caused her to die of bone cancer? Where did she go after she died? How is she now? Did she receive the merits that we dedicated to her?

2. What retributions caused my maternal grandfather to suffer from stomach cancer? Where did he go after he died? How is he now? Did he receive the merits that we dedicated to him?

3. Where are my paternal grandparents now? How are they? What retributions caused my paternal grandmother to die of throat cancer?

4. What had my mother accrued her merits with our community? What retributions caused her to have stomach cancer and she couldn't eat for three months? What was her dying vision?

5. How did the merits of offering 108 monks' robes and the Kathina affect her ()? Does she have any messages for her children and family? What merits should we do so that she would receive the most merit?

6. Before my mother died, my brother and I went to ask for forgiveness. Has she forgiven us?

7. My uncle is now 68 years old. He is paralysed, can't walk, can't speak clearly and can't remember things. What kamma caused it? Will he have any chance to recover?

8. My mother had a close friend. Both of them loved each other very much, and always persuade each other to do merits. When my mother was sick and she wanted to eat something, no matter how far, this friend would always bring her the food, even if my mother could only chew and would throw it all out. How did they pursue perfections together in their past lives?

9. What past kamma caused me to be childless? Is there any chance for me to have a baby?

10. How did my brother and I pursue perfections with the community? Is it true that we will be short-lived as the fortune-teller predicted? If it's true, is there any way that could extend our lives so that we could continue to pursue perfection with Luang Phaw? If my family and I want to pursue perfection with Luang Phaw until the uttermost Dhamma, what must we do?

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. In her previous lives, your maternal grandmother had an inclination to become a nun or monk depending on her gender at that time. Consequently in this life she became a nun when she was old.

She died of bone cancer due to the remnants of her past kamma when she was a man. She was a high-ranking government official who embezzled the country's fund.

After her death, she became a female angel at Tusita (4th level of heaven) in the special merit zone for ()supporters. She had a strong conviction in Luang Pu Wat Paknam and had accrued merits with him for many lives. She is now in the meeting at the heavenly mansion of the Great Divine Angel.

She has received the merits that were dedicated to her and her conditions are gradually getting better.

2. Your maternal grandfather had stomach cancer because he was a courtier in his past life; there was a struggle for the throne between two princes. He backed up one of them and sent someone to poison and kill the other prince.

After his death, he became an Earth Sprite. Initially, he was hanging around the house. After he received the merit dedicated to him, he then became the air sprite.

3. After your paternal grandparents' death, they went to Tavatimsa (2nd level of heaven) phase 3. They have a heavenly mansion that is right next to each other due to their love and attachment for each other.

Your paternal grandmother had throat cancer because in her past life, she was born as a woman in an agricultural society; she ordered her subordinates to slit the animals' throat, in particularly those big animals such as cows and buffalos, and also she had verbally abused her workers and slaves.

4. You mother had accrued merits with the community for many lives. Sometimes, she met the community and she was a supporter.

She had stomach cancer because in the past life she was the Prince, your maternal grandfather supported () to succeed to the throne. She sent someone to poison and kill the other Prince. Hence, in this life, she and your maternal grandfather were very close.

The kamma caused both of them to have stomach cancer and they also had adultery kamma.

Your mother's death was like sleeping and then waking up in her golden mansion in Tusita (4th level of heaven), special merit zone for the supporters. This was because of her relationships with Luang Pu Wat Paknam and your maternal grandmother. She thought of the Buddha before she died.้

our mother met the community in only some of her lives. Hence, she has the tendency to make various merits widely. Sometimes, she accrued merits with the community. Sometimes, she didn't, she made merit as according to her mood. Sometimes, she thought that the temple was rich so she decided to accrue merits elsewhere.

5. She got very great merit through taking part in Kathina Offering in 2005 with Luang Phaw and building the Crystal Pillar of the Grand Meditation Stadium. These merit sent her to Tusita (4th level of heaven).

She is currently very excited with her heavenly treasures. She has a message for everyone that she is now in the special merit zone in Tusita and so do not worry. And everyone should live to accrue merits wholeheartedly with the Dhammakaya community. She'd like everyone to know those merits that we accrued throughout our lives will really come to fruition in the afterlife. The merit doesn't go away; we'll () receive merit if we continue to make it.

6. She is not angry with you or your brother. She really forgave you both and was wishing both of you happiness and prosperity.

7. Your uncle is paralysed, can't speak clearly, can't walk, and can't remember things because of his kamma from slaughtering animals for food and fighting and beating his enemies in his past lives. The remnants of past retribution of lying from several lives also came to fruition and caused him to lose his memory. It would be difficult to recover in this life.

8. Your mother and her close friend were very much attached and love each other because they were also close friends in their past lives. In some lives, they were siblings or relatives.

9. You don't have any children because you are older now. Also in your past lives when you had a difficult child, you resolved to be childless in future lives, when you had a good child then you wanted to have more in future lives. You were fickle minded.

You can still have children but it would be difficult because you are older It's alright if you don't have any children. Just continue to pursue perfection wholeheartedly with your husband. With the merits, you could be close to your mother in Tusita, the special merit zone, after your death.

10. You and your brother have pursued perfection with the Dhammakaya community for several lifetimes as supporters.

It doesn't matter whether you are long or short-lived. Everyone must die. Even if you are 100 years old and don't accrue merits, you are not better than a person who is short-lived but make merit wholeheartedly.

Keep doing the ten home works daily as taught in the Dream in Dream Kindergarten. You should pursue perfections wholeheartedly, so that you can meet with the community again in every lifetime until the uttermost Dhamma.