..續本文上一頁 of the holidays, there would be noise and bright lights for seven or fifteen days at a time. The monks and novices whose minds still lacked resilience would be especially bothered by this.
Whenever they”d bring this to Luang Pu”s attention, they”d always get the same response:
"Why waste your time being interested in those things
It”s the nature of light to be bright. It”s the nature of noise to be loud. That”s what their functions are. If you don”t focus on listening, that”s the end of the matter. Act in a way that”s not in opposition to your surroundings, for that”s just the way they are. Simply reach a genuine understanding with them using deep discernment, that”s all."
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78. Sometimes what I heard amazed me
One of my weaknesses was that I liked to talk with Luang Pu half in jest. This was because he never took offense, and was always approachable to the monks and novices who lived close to him. Once I asked him, "In the texts they say that devas came by the tens of billions to listen to the Buddha. Would there be enough space to hold them all
Was his voice loud enough for all of them to hear
"
When I heard Luang Pu”s answer I was stunned and amazed, for I had never read anything like it in the texts and had never heard anyone say such a thing before. On top of that, I heard him say this only when he was seriously ill and nearing death.
He said,
"There would be no problem even if the devas gathered by the millions of billions, for the space of one atom can hold up to eight devas."
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79. Even this sort of question
That insoluble problem that people — whether children or adults, intelligent or stupid — argue about uselessly and without ever coming to an agreement, is this: Which came first, the chicken or the egg
For the most part, they argue about this only in jest and can never come to any conclusion. Still, there were people who would bring this question to Luang Pu, thinking that he probably wouldn”t answer a question of this sort. But eventually I heard him give an answer like nobody else”s when one day Phra Berm came to massage his feet and asked him, "Luang Pu, which came first, the chicken or the egg
"
Luang Pu answered,
"They came at the same time."
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80. A scolding
There were times when Luang Pu seemed almost annoyed with people who, having hardly meditated at all, asked him how to push things along so that they could see results right away.
He would scold them,
"We practice for the purpose of restraint, for the purpose of abandoning, for the purpose of unraveling our desires, for the purpose of putting an end to suffering, not for the purpose of seeing heavenly mansions. We don”t even make it our goal to see nibbana. Just keep on practicing calmly without wanting to see anything at all. After all, nibbana is something empty, without shape. There”s no foundation to it, and nothing to which it can be compared. Only if you keep at the practice will you know for yourself."
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81. Letting go of one thing to get stuck on another
One of Luang Pu”s lay students came to pay his respects and to report proudly on the results he had gained from his practice, saying, "I”m really glad to see you today because I”ve been practicing in line with your advice and have been getting results step by step. When I start meditating, I let go of all external perceptions, and the mind stops its turmoil. It gathers together, grows still, and drops into concentration. All other preoccupations disappear, leavin…
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