September 18, 2546 B.E.
Earnest Practice Brings About Success
Twenty-three days are now left of this Rains-Retreat which has been designated as the season for attaining the Dhammakaya. It means that one must endeavor to practice meditation no matter what and even when one is tired, busy, sick, in debt, or whatever else. One must not try to come up with any excuses for not practicing meditation.Sixty-seven days of this Rains-Retreat have already gone past. Theprogress made in one’s meditation practice depends on how earnest and diligent one has been.
If one is truly diligent and earnest, one is likely to have made some progress, and one’s experience is likely to improve daily. If the level of one’s progress is low, then one must endeavor to increase it. If the level of one’s progress is high, one’s experience will continue to improve that much more.These last twenty-three days must be spent practicing meditation to the fullest extent. Everyone already knows how to practice it correctly. This way, one will be proud that one has spent this Rains-Retreat accumulating merit by practicing alms-giving, observing the Precepts, and practicing meditation every day without fail. It will be the Rains-Retreat that will remain in one’s memory for a very long time to come.
