..續本文上一頁morial to a relic of the Buddha kept in heaven]. They all seemed very proud of their success in their practice of vipassana.
Luang Pu said,
"All the things that appeared for you to see are still external. You can”t take them as a substantial refuge at all."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Stopping to know
In March, 1964, a large number of scholarly and meditating monks — the first group of "Dhamma Missionaries" — came to pay their respects to Luang Pu and to ask for teachings and advice that they could use in their work of spreading the Dhamma. Luang Pu taught them Dhamma on the ultimate level, both for them to teach others and for them to put into practice themselves so as to reach that level of truth. In conclusion, he gave them a piece of wisdom for them to take and contemplate:
"No matter how much you think, you won”t know.
Only when you stop thinking will you know.
But still, you have to depend on thinking so as to know."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Advancement or destruction
On that occasion, Luang Pu gave an admonition to the Dhamma missionaries, at one point saying,
"When you go out to disseminate and proclaim the Buddha”s teachings, it can either lead to the advancement of the religion or to its destruction. The reason I say this is because the person of each Dhamma missionary is the determining factor. If, when you go, you behave in an appropriate way, keeping in mind the fact that you”re a contemplative, with manners and behavior corresponding with what”s proper for a contemplative, those who see you, if they don”t yet have faith, will give rise to faith. As for those who already have faith, your behavior will increase their faith. But as for the missionaries who behave in the opposite fashion, it will destroy the faith of those who have faith, and will drive those who don”t yet have faith even further away. So I ask that you be consummate both in your knowledge and your behavior. Don”t be heedless or complacent. Whatever you teach people to do, you yourself should also do as an example for them."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. On the ultimate level there”s no desire
Before the Rains retreat in 1953, Luang Phaw Thaw, a relative of Luang Pu”s who had ordained late in life, returned from many years of wandering with Ajaan Thate and Ajaan Saam in Phang-nga province to pay his respects to Luang Pu and to learn more about meditation practice. He spoke with Luang Pu on familiar terms, saying, "Now that you”ve built an ordination hall and this large, beautiful meeting hall, you”ve probably reaped a really huge amount of merit."
Luang Pu replied,
"What I built was built for the general good, the good of the world, of the monastery, and of the religion, that”s all. As for reaping the merit, what would I want with merit like this
"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Teaching him a lesson
Six years after the Second World War was over, the legacy of the war remained in the form of the poverty and difficulties caused by the shortages of food and materials that affected every home. In particular, there was a great shortage of cloth. If a monk or novice had even one complete set of robes, he was fortunate.
I was one of a large number of novices living with Luang Pu. One day Novice Phrom, another one of Luang Pu”s nephews, saw Novice Chumpon wearing a beautiful new robe, so he asked him, "Where did you get that robe
" Novice Chumpon told him, "I was taking my turn attending to Luang Pu. He saw that my robe was torn, so he gave me a new one."
When it came Novice Phrom”s turn to give Luang Pu a foot mass…
《Gifts He Left Behind - Dhamma Legacy》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…