21/08/2026
"You must have finished paying respect to the Buddha and everything, right?
Excuse me, I would like to request a Dhamma talk.
What kind of request?
A request for Dhamma, Venerable Sir.
Requesting Dhamma means sitting in peace. Luang Pu doesn't let us talk much. If there is peace, Dhamma will come. if there is noisy sound, Dhamma will fly into the forest.
Taking peace as an invitation (Aradhana)... do you know what peace is? There is no other happiness greater than peace. Sometimes, after making the invitation, you go off chanting 'Bhomma ca Loka...' over that way again. It becomes disconnected from the Magadha language. Turning into Sarabhanut chanting, it becomes playful over that way again. It strays from Magadha—the Magadha language, the Magadha language. You must speak in Magadha. Even without an invitation, I can still speak, Luang Pu says. Once you make a formal request, it becomes fearful of sounds. Like wild fowl or wild animals in the forest, they are afraid of noise; they search for food with caution. Monks who preach must also preach with caution. Expressing Dhamma must be done with care. Without care, they would all be caught and killed.
Wild fowl that are accustomed to people are easily caught and killed. If they stay in the forest, it’s hard to catch them. When monks enter the village... if they speak too often, preach too often, their Dhamma runs out, and people use it all up.
Haven't you heard? When Luang Pu Thet preached... Luang Pu Thet was silent throughout the entire Rains Retreat—no one heard a word from him. But the devotees would say, 'Venerable Brother, Venerable Father, no one is taking care of the factory! No one is looking after Father's factory!' As soon as the Rains Retreat ended, he disappeared.
Do you know what 'disappeared' means? Their alms bowls were seen far away. Venerable teachers used to deliver strong Dhamma sermons during the Rains Retreat.
Why was that? Because of this very reason. There was only the sound of talking and chatting, no real practice. If we are hungry for food, 'Devotees, if you are hungry, please eat. Eat your food, devotees.' Once you eat, you are full. But if you just complain, 'I'm hungry, I'm hungry,' or 'I want merit, I want merit,' no matter how much you say it, if you don't practice, will you get it?
'Inviting Luang Pu to preach about making merit'—isn't that preaching? 'Thesa' means throwing away. After speaking, it's thrown away; after speaking, it's thrown away. They don't put it into practice. You must practice it yourself! I remind you every single time: observe your in-breath and out-breath. Observe your in-breath and out-breath. Sit up straight, left hand on the lap, right hand over left hand, close your eyes gently.
Close your left and right ears, close both eyes, close your mouth, and sit observing merit.
Now, take a look.
Time is limited. I speak according to my duty—the duty of fulfilling this invitation to preach for Luang Pu, asking devotees to make merit.
This morning, we already did it—both making merit and giving alms.
Last time, Luang Pu was busy with affairs and couldn't come for the morning meal, so the Dhamma instruction wasn't given. That’s why I came this time.
Last year, the official who brought Luang Pu up thought Luang Pu wouldn't survive. But seeing that I’m better this year... I don't know if they are just flattering Luang Pu or what. They say Luang Pu has improved and gotten stronger. Whether I'm strong or not depends on what you say. If you say I'm strong, then I'm strong.
Therefore, making merit is a light matter. Committing sin is a heavy matter, a troublesome matter.
I heard people from the Northeast region speaking this morning. Devotees said, 'Going to make merit, going to make merit.' Are you going to 'make' or to 'take'? To 'give' merit or to 'take' merit? There are two different concepts here.
If you go to 'make' merit, you go with a full tiffin carrier and return with an empty one. If you go to 'take' merit, you go with an empty tiffin carrier and return home with a full one.
That’s how villagers put it. But in the Buddha's teachings, going to take bad deeds... anything heavy is a bad deed. A heavy body can be endured, but a heavy mind is difficult to bear. See? It weighs on the mind. Food and offerings overflowed from the monks' bowls. When devotees were about to leave, they said, 'Luang Pu, I'm taking my leave now.' 'Have you eaten yet?' 'There is no food, Sir.' See that?
Luang Pu, as the presiding monk, felt like hiding his head in the ground out of embarrassment in front of the devotees. There was so much food—where did it all go? I already preached to the devotees, the sermon was finished. Yet upon returning home, they still had no food to eat.
Where did the food go? Is it right to 'take' merit or to 'make' merit? People do not sacrifice and do not understand the word 'merit.' Merit is peace, see? Sin is trouble and chaos. Whatever I compare it to, I’ve explained it every time: love and greed lead to hell.
If you want to see heaven, observe your in-breath and out-breath. Seeing heaven means seeing merit.
If we don't look, will we see it? I emphasize it over and over again. Every time, it comes down to this point. Practice lies within the mind. The mind belongs to us; the physical body decays, rots, grows old, and belongs to our parents. Why do you pamper it so much?
Protecting and preserving it... the Buddha revealed so much, do you still not know? The Buddha showed us through Dhamma over these past two years—what they call COVID-19. See how many have died? How many died in this world? Can it be hidden? Can it be prevented? Even today, they are still trying to prevent it.
They built factories to make fools out of people, to get things to protect themselves. 'Protect it, protect it!' I don't know what it is; Luang Pu can't remember—the mask over the nose.
The Buddha allowed us to breathe freely, so why cover it up? It makes children cold-hearted and cruel. Because their faces are covered, they run around stealing and robbing each other, taking this and that. Why? Because the mind has become coarse and thick.
Because of this, covering the face makes people take whatever they want. The Buddha taught us to open our eyes and see.
Open your eyes to see hell, open your eyes to see heaven—heaven in the chest, hell in the heart. The Buddha didn't teach us to see heaven and hell only after death. He taught us to know the present. If you know the present, you see the present. If you don't look, you won't know or see.
What do you say, then? When making merit, are we actually making merit or not? Ask your own heart. No need to ask the Buddha anywhere else; the Buddha is in your heart. 'Buddha' means 'the One Who Knows.' Know good and know bad. The body belongs to the realm of badness.
We obtain what we need from the body, but it should be just enough. Nowadays, it’s excessive. Devotees and young people should feel ashamed nowadays. Good eyebrows aren't kept; they draw new ones. Good nails aren't kept; they style new ones. Everything is artificially altered. They sue each other over plastic surgery, going to cosmetic clinics to alter this and that. When anesthesia goes wrong and someone doesn't wake up, they sue each other, don't they?
Is it because of ambition over a body that rots, grows old, and belongs to parents? We are born, grow old, get sick, and die, but our true self is the mind.
'Punyani paralokasmim...' the mind carries us toward merit; bad deeds are also carried by the mind. Every mind is originally radiant—'Pabhassaram cittang'—as I’ve mentioned before. The nature of our mind has no physical body; it is clear and pure. Once it has a body, it becomes chaotic. 'Bharahave pancakkhandha'—the five aggregates are a heavy burden.
Do you understand what the five aggregates are? Earth, water, wind, fire. Combined with the knowing element—the mind—it becomes complete. Isn't it a heavy burden? Whether it's heavy or light, those with wisdom know in their hearts. Without wisdom, one remains entangled with what rots and decays.
Foolishly admiring oneself as a human... the body is like a ghost, yet why rejoice in it? Inside, it's foul-smelling and heavy, yet one falls in love and embraces it—blind, foolish, and overwhelmed by passion. Why not love the Dhamma and morality?
How do you love Dhamma and morality? I just showed you earlier, didn't I? No matter how much is taught, it's the same teaching. The Buddha attained Enlightenment by observing the in-breath and out-breath—Anapanasati.
The teachings in the Tipitaka are the words of the Buddha. You can memorize as much as you want, but can you practice it?
Can you practice meditation? That’s all. We don't need to study complex texts; we just take the word that led to the Buddha's Enlightenment. The Buddha did not memorize the Tipitaka to attain Enlightenment.
He made a single vow of truth (Sacca). Practicing for six years without a vow didn't work, so he said, 'This time, I must make a vow.' After floating the tray, he vowed that if he were to become a Buddha, he would sit right there under the Bodhi tree without leaving. In Thailand, some monks go to spend the Rains Retreat in India.
The place where the Buddha sat—the Vajrasana seat—is the seat for those with a heart of diamond. Ordinary minds cannot cut off defilements. Sitting there with love and greed still in the heart, no matter how many years or months you sit, love and greed still fill the heart.
What can be said? Hell burns in the heart. Eventually, heaven cannot enter the heart. When passing away, according to one's intentions, did you actually look? Intending to come look at merit, to make merit... the guardians of hell are waiting on the path to heaven and hell, asking, 'Grandfather, Grandmother, have you returned?'
You intended to go make merit, to see heaven and Nibbana. Have you ever looked? You can't answer. But for those who practice, 'Yes, I look every day, I listen to Dhamma every Uposatha day, every Sunday,' and so on. If you’ve seen it, you know it. 'Go ahead, go where you’ve seen.' If you’ve never seen it, you can't answer. 'Grandfather, Grandmother, you’ve never seen or known it, so where did you come from?'
Where did you come from? From the world of love and greed, which is hell. 'Go back down to hell again! Born, aging, sickening, dying.' Do you remember how many times you’ve been carried around the funeral pyre?
As a co**se, how many times have you been carried around in the cycle of existence (Vatta)? Born, aging, sickening, dying... countless lifetimes and eons, beyond measure. If you observe the mind, you’ll know. If you don't observe the mind, you can't count—you’ll just remain deluded by decay, endlessly searching for physical things. No matter how much you gather, it’s never enough. No matter how much you beautify it, it’s never enough.
That comes from blind belief. We are Buddhists, so we must emphasize this firmly. Especially in our place here...
There was a monk who sat in meditation straight to Nibbana—Venerable Father Lee. That’s why we continue his legacy as disciples and followers. We should follow the path of our teachers.
Why were they so brave and resolute? Why can't we even sit for a little while? 'My back hurts, my waist hurts, my legs hurt.'
Before even sitting, you’re already afraid of pain. You’re afraid of dying. Covering your face, afraid of death... No matter how afraid you are, you will still die. Our duty... why do we recite: 'Jaradhammohi Jarang Anateeto'—We are subject to aging, we cannot escape aging. We are subject to illness, we are subject to death, we cannot escape death. Our death is certain. Do we just say it for fun without taking it to heart?
If it reaches the heart, we will not be negligent. Just sit and practice, observe the in-breath and out-breath. It doesn't cost a single Baht—it is food for the mind. Where do you have to buy it? Where is it heavy to carry?
Just focus on observing it. Why can't you do it? Beautifying hair, nails, skin, teeth...
Is there anything filthier than a human body? Let’s observe from the day we were born—if we never cut our hair or nails, and let nature take its course, would it be pleasant to look at?
Even a chicken looks prettier than a human!
Try observing from the day you were born—what would your fingernails look like by now?
A chicken's claws aren't even that long; they wear down naturally. But humans keep trimming and altering them. If left untouched from birth, what would it look like? Is there anything filthier than a human? Decay, foul odors—that’s human nature.
If elderly people are told by children, 'Oh, Grandma smells old,' they get angry and scold them, complaining that the children are disrespectful. But if we accept reality, 'Oh, child, you’re right. Grandma does smell old and decaying,' and then raise our hands in Anjali and say 'Sadhu,' there would be no problem.
'How dare you disrespect me!'—and then trouble starts. See that? They speak the truth, but people refuse to accept it.
How much did the perfume cost that your children bought for you? Perfume smells good, but does the human body smell good? Once breath stops and you're in a coffin for less than an hour, without protection, nothing smells worse than a human co**se.
If you don't observe this, you end up in chaos. People like chaos because they don't look at their own minds. I want you to look at your mind. The mind is ours. We have done the deeds.
Whether guardians of hell wait along the path to heaven or Nibbana, we can stand our ground because we practice every day. That is 'Paccattam'—to be known individually by the wise. Those who come to make merit know for themselves whether they come to make merit or commit bad deeds. Ask your heart. 'Paccattam'—individually known.
If we don't reflect to understand, we will never know.
Foolishly aging while admiring oneself as a human...
Not wanting to grow old, not wanting things to be a certain way... no matter how many stories high a hospital is built, it cannot prevent aging, sickness, or death.
What can prevent it is the Buddha's teaching. Consider this: if you can maintain it, there is no birth, no aging, no sickness, and no death. Don't you believe it? What will you believe if you never look at your mind? If you want to believe, look inside your mind. Ask your mind how many lifetimes and eons it has been through.
You only seek comfort; sitting in meditation, you only want comfort. When the Buddha attained Enlightenment in the forest, how many years did it take? Six years! Was it easy?
When the Buddha made a solemn vow, did anyone tell him that he had become a Buddha? 'Paccattam'—known individually by oneself.
The practitioner knows and sees for himself. The Buddha knew His own mind...
...that this time, his mind was not like before. In the past, there was still something clinging to the heart, causing doubt.
This time, nothing remained; everything was clear, vacant, and fully illuminated.
It manifested as a miracle, radiating light from the Buddha's body—a brilliant light illuminating everything.
The bright light of Enlightenment as the Supreme Buddha.
The brightness within the Buddha's mind manifested externally as a miraculous light from his body for all beings to see and admire, glowing with supreme beauty.
That is the meaning of 'known individually by the wise.' I want all devotees...
...to focus deeply during this Rains Retreat. Focus on practice. How can you fulfill Luang Pu's wishes?
If you want to see merit often, you must have a vow of truth (Sacca) like the Buddha.
'Today is a Dhamma day. We are going to the temple...'
...and keep a single vow: not to talk.
If you don't talk, what do you do? Talk with the Buddha by observing the in-breath and out-breath.
Without a vow, you’ll just gather with friends to chat about love, worldly affairs, anger, delusion, wealth, beauty, and all sorts of chaos. See? Isn't that true? People love chaos. You tell your children you're going to the temple to make merit and keep precepts...
Aren't you ashamed before the chickens? You can lie to others, but you cannot lie to your own heart. When you go to make merit, actually make merit! Merit is food for the mind, as I said earlier. In ourselves, there is physical form and mental form. The mental form is the mind; the physical form is the body. The body comes from our father and mother.
A mother alone cannot create the body; a father alone cannot create the body. That’s why the body is an inheritance from parents, while our true self is the mind. Why don't you look at the mind? After being born, why don't you observe it? Where it comes from and where it goes—you would know it all if you looked.
Try to focus heavily on this point. Nearly a month of the Rains Retreat has passed—what have you gained so far? Soon, the Rains Retreat will end. 'Abstaining from alcohol during the retreat...'
...and 'abstaining from creating bad deeds during the retreat.' Say it!
Do not create love or greed in the heart; strive to cut them away. If you don't understand, the subtle Dhamma of the Buddha is this: 'Seek to remove attachment from the mind.'
Do you know what is in the mind?
Ask your own mind: 'Did we come to make merit today?' Through the power of goodness, may all devotees, children, relatives, and the Sangha who invited Luang Pu to give this Dhamma instruction... may you practice according to the Buddha's teachings. Know, see, and reflect upon it, and set your firm intention to practice according to the Buddha's Dhamma.
If we practice according to the teachings of the Buddha, may all devotees and children attain spiritual clarity to realize the Path, the Fruit, Heaven, and Nibbana in this present life."
