The following are some of Luangpu's teachings addressed to laypeople:
Acquire Dhamma
"To be born human is very difficult indeed. To be born human and come upon Buddhism is even more difficult. This is great blessing! Don't let this blessing go to waste. Acquire the knowledge of Dhamma. Practice it. Use it to benefit yourself and others. This will make you wise and complete."
Don't be reckless in life
"Impermanent are all created things. Strive on with awareness." These are the final words of the Lord Buddha.
Be mindful of the impermanent nature of being. Where there is growth there is decline. Everything that exists must expire. Our bodies are in a constant state of deterioration. No one can escape aging, sickness and death. Death can come upon us any time, without warning. Remind yourself of this truth so you won't be reckless with your life. Time and tide wait for no one. Make every minute count. Strive to study hard. Workhard. Do good deeds. Establish yourself in the proper way. Accomplish meaningful things for your life.
Embrace 'Virtues of a Civilized Man' (Kusalakammapatha)
Preserve the qualities that make you human. Observe the 'Tenfold Wholesome Course of Action', otherwise known as 'Virtues of a Civilized Man'. They are the Dhamma of the householders comprising of ten righteous conducts, namely:
Wholesome Bodily actions (3): Abstain from killing, stealing, and sexualmisconduct.
Wholesome Verbal actions (4): Abstain from lying, malicious speech, harsh language, and frivolous talk.
Wholesome Mental actions (3): Abstain from covetousness, ill will, and wrong view.
Embrace these virtues wholeheartedly. Put them into practice. Set good examples for your children. Teach your children to understand them and to observe them. Avoid any actions that are contrary to these righteous conducts.
Embrace 'Four Divine States of Mind' (Brahmavihara)
'Divine States of Mind' are a series of four Buddhist virtues consisting of Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic joy1 and Equanimity2 (1sympathetic joy: joy in the accomplishments of others) (2equanimity: learning to accept loss and gain, praise and censure, sorrow and happiness with detachment). These virtues are antidotes to negative mental states such as greed, ill will, vengefulness, jealousy and pride. Brahmavihara literarily means "abodes of Brahma". Cultivation of these virtues along with regular meditation has the power to cause the practitioner to be reborn into a Brahma realm.
Extend universal kindness and love to your fellow man. Wish everyone to be happy and well, free from suffering. Feel happy for others when they do well. Maintain a neutral state of mind, not to be affected by the ups and downs of life or situations. Anyone who practices these virtues is sure to find happiness in this life and the next.
Embrace 'Four Bases of Sympathy' (Sangahavatthu)
Living in this world requires one to have good relationships with others: your family, friends, colleagues, and those around you. The virtues that foster bonding and friendships are called 'Four Bases of Sympathy'. They consist of:
Sharing -- sharing of food, lodging, wealth, knowledge, etc. Sharing makes the world go round. If your parents don't share food and other necessities with you, you would not last more than a few days. The world cannot exist without sharing.
Kind Speech: You can influence more people with words than with actions. If you know how to communicate with people in a nice, pleasant, and useful manner you will win more friends and make fewer enemies. Know how to use your verbal communication in a way that is beneficial to yourself and to others.
Useful Service: Support and help one another. Support your own children as a priority. Give them education and a means to establish themselves. If you are a smart parent you should make every effort to send your children to college. A grateful child with a college degree has a better chance of earning a good living, and can support you for the rest of your life.
Proper Behavior: Behave properly in all circumstances. Be thoughtful. Never of fend anyone with your speech or behavior. Respect the rules, cultures, customs, and laws of the people and places you live in or visit. By so doing, you will be welcome anywhere.
You are your own island, your own refuge
Rely on yourself. There is no need to seek sanctuary from anywhere but within yourself. Some people think money or wealth is their refuge. But after they die they can take none of these with them. Some seek to find a wife or a husband, or have children, thinking that their spouse or children will take care of them at old age. Ask an old person how this concept has worked for them. More times than not, you will be disappointed with the answer. After everything is said and done, you will find out that the only person you can truly rely on is no one but yourself.
To make yourself worthy of a good refuge, you must establish yourself not only materially but also spiritually. Live a life of purity. Make yourself pure like an unsullied, clean white cloth.
Generate worldly wealth
To exist and survive in this world, one has to generate worldly wealth. It is not good to be poor. When you are poor you don't have enough means to perform good deeds in full. Poverty may compel you to kill animals for food instead of buying it, thereby violating a precept. Also, it is hard for you to meditate and achieve a still mind when you are preoccupied with making a living to make ends meet. It is necessary to have some wealth if you wish to pursue Perfections without obstacles.
Merit is the force behind every success and prosperity. To gain wealth you mustcultivate merit. If you have abundant merit you will succeed in whatever you do. But without merit you are prone to run into obstacles at every turn.
Merit is generated whenever a good deed is done. Charitable giving is an effective way to generate merit that links directly to wealth. The more you give the more merit you gain, and the more wealth you will possess. Charitable giving can be in the form of money, material, food, knowledge, useful service, and forgiveness. To maximize your merit, the act of giving must be done in earnest with a radiant mind. Your intention must be pure before, during, and after the giving. Focus your radiant mind at the center of your body during the act of giving. This will add power and intensity to your purpose. Constantly reflect on the merit that you have performed, never to feel regretful afterwards. This way, you are creating conducive conditions for your merit to flourish.
Practice generosity
Charitable giving is something everyone should do. But giving must be done without any ulterior motive. If you give food to a cat so it can catch mice for you, that is not true generosity. If you keep a dog just to frighten thieves away, that is also not true generosity. But if you give food to relieve their hunger and want nothing in return, then that is generosity.
Your actions in the past make you who you are today
Luangpu explained how a person's meritorious acts in the past life can determine the person's financial conditions in the present life. Take a look at these four scenarios:
1. Those who are wealthy and also have plenty of attendants and supporters. These are the people who have regularly made charitable contributions in their past lives and have also persuaded others to join them in their charitable activities. They are born wealthy in this life, are leaders of people, and have many subordinates and followers.
2. Those who have wealth but without attendants and supporters. These are the people who have made charitable contributions in their past lives but did not persuade others to join them in their charitable activities. They are born wealthy in this life, but are not leaders of people, and have no subordinates or followers.
3. Those who have attendants and supporters but no wealth. These are the people who persuaded others to make merits in their past lives; they donated their own labor and time to meritorious causes but not their money. They are born poor in this life but have plenty of people who help or support them.
4. Those who have neither wealth nor attendants. These are the selfish types who were stingy, never made or pursuaded others to make charitable contributions, and never donated their labor or time for meritorious activities in their past lives. They are born poor in this life and have no one who will help them.
If you want to have perfect wealth in your future life, complete with helpful family, friends and attendants, you should give charitable contributions and also persuade others to do the same.
Know how to tap into your pool of merit
Merit is the force behind every success and good thing in life. Every time you perform a meritorious act, the transcendental energy of your merit will build up in the 'Dhamma Sphere3 located at the center of your body (3Dhamma Sphere: a bright clear sphere the size of an egg yolk that exists within every human being. It appears at the center of one's body during an advanced stage of meditative absorption.). It works somewhat like putting fuel in your car. The more merits you make the more "fuels" you add to your Dhamma Sphere. You can tap into your pool of merit at the time of need. If you run into problems in your life or your business, or encounter obstacles, call upon your merits to come to your assistance. Maintain a still mind and bring it to the center of the Sphere, reflect on all the good deeds you have performed, and implore upon your merit to help you overcome these problems or obstacles. Merit has a way of making things happen for you. There is nothing more reliable in this world than your own merit.
Spend money the right way
Learn how to make your money work for you, not the other way around. Work hard when you are young. Save money for your old age. Be frugal (but not overly thrifty). Don't spend money on things that are unnecessary or that you cannot afford. Save a portion of your earnings for future growth. Once you have accumulated enough money don't just let it sit idle. Put it into income-producing investments such as an in-terest-bearing account, an income-producing business, or making safe interest-bearing loans (backed by collaterals). Little by little, your money will grow into a meaningful income.
Create an auspicious environment that attracts good things. A bright and peaceful mind has a way of attracting auspicious things to your life. Practice meditation. Maintain a bright and radiant mind at the center of your body at all times. Create anenvironment of love and harmony for members of your family. A family that quarrels all the time drives away auspicious things.
When you have made enough money, don't be so stingy that you are afraid to use it even for the necessary things. Otherwise, you work for your money instead of letting your money work for you. Having money this way is like having no money at all. What is the point of working hard all your life to make money and not enjoy it? If you are a parent, use your money to invest in your children's future. Send them to college. If you are not married, or have no children, save money for your old age. Reserve a portion of your money for merit-making. Merit is the force behind success and prosperity. Without merit, nothing will work for you.
Refrain from drinking alcohol
There is nothing more harmful than alcohol. Alcohol makes a good person bad, a mindful person mindless. Alcohol can destroy your personality and also your sense of goodness. When drunk, a person loses control of his awareness and his behavior; he can commit any wrongdoing, including harming his own parents, his own spouse, his own children, anyone, without being aware of what he has done. Of all the moral precepts that one practices, the precept against drinking alcohol is the most serious one. If you drink alcohol you are prone to violate all other precepts.
Don't over-indulge in food
Don't be obsessed with food. Eat to live, not live to eat. Don't eat more than what your body requires. Stop eating when you feel that one more bite will make you full. Leave that last bite to make room for water. This will facilitate digestion. Overeating is detrimental to your health. It causes obesity and other illnesses. Eat healthy. If you have to be choosy about food, choose food that is good for your body.
Make good use of what you own
Be prudent in the way you spend your money. Even if you have plenty of money, spend it only on things that are necessary or useful. Make good use of things that you own. Don't let them go to waste. Keep your possessions and belongings in good shape. If something needs fixing, fix it, whether it be your house, your tools, your clothes, or anything at all.
Be aware of the perils of television
In around 1954, the first television broadcast was made in Thailand. The event was one of national importance. The evening's program had both news and entertainment. A disciple of Wat Paknam brought the new invention to the temple for Luangpu to see. As soon as Luangpu saw the show he slapped his knee and exclaimed:
"Evil genius! Mara4 is winning again! The damage of the television outweighs the benefits (4Mara: evil, both as a concept and as a personification. In Buddhist cosmology, Mara is a supra-natural being responsible for hindering people from performing meritorious deeds. Mara can also mean obstacles for doing good deeds.). We Thais are already lax in our Precepts. Nowadays, monks are confined to the temples, not exposed to temptations from the outside. This thing will deliver vices right into our bedrooms, inside the mosquito net and onto the bed. Mara has defeated us again!"
Promote harmony
Harmony is synonymous with unity and orderliness. It gives rise to happiness. A family that is harmonized is a happy family. A society that is orderly is a peaceful society. A nation that is united is a strong nation. With harmony, a monk, a novice, a nun, a householder, can live happily with one another. For societies to be peaceful, people must learn to respect one another and co-exist with each other harmoniously. Without harmony, tension, arguments and conflict take roots. When disharmony hap pens in a family it destroys the family; when it happens in a workplace, it robs the spirit of that workplace; when it happens in a society, it breaks down that society.
Exercise patience
Control your temper instead of letting your temper control you. When you get angry, learn to stay quiet. Never let others see your anger. Wait a few moments until your anger cools before you say anything. Temper comes quickly but it can also go quickly. Ability to suppress emotions requires a great deal of patience and practice.
Patience is one of the Ten Virtues (Parami) that a Bodhisatta has to perfect before he can become a Buddha. Cultivate the virtue of patience if you wish to attain Nibbana.
Persevere
Dig your well in search of the spring. Keep on digging, never rest. Dig shallow, and no water is to be found. Dig deep, and the water flows.
Never look down on people
To look down on others, seeing others as inferior, speaking disrespectfully to them, is like burning down the roof by the fire from below. Even the smallest fire will spread to the roof. In the same way, the resentment of a lower person can destroy those above.
Nourish your life with Dhammakaya
The power of Dhammakaya is like the nutrients that nourish a tree. If you want a tree to bear fruit you must water and fertilize it. If you want your life to be fruitful you must nourish it with Dhammakaya. Practice meditation until you attain the ultimate Dhamma.
'Stop' is the key to success
A mind that is still even for an instant flap of an elephant's ear, or the flick of a snake's tongue, generates more merit than building ten temples.
