CASE STUDY

Good Bye, My Hometown

Dearest Luang Phaw whom I respect,

I am a student of Dream in Dream Kindergarten who is currently working with a Dhammakaya Family named “The house of Friendship” since we have different nationalities-- Chinese, Laotian, Burmese and Thai, yet we still live happily together. Today, we, 3 people, would like to hand Luang Phaw our cases starting from mine.

There are 6 children in my family, and I am the 4th child. My parents named me miss Mountain which made no sense to me why I was named that because I was the smallest child in the family. I was picked on by my classmates and even my teachers thought it was funny. Presently, I’m 16 years old, but I’m only 143 Centimeters tall (About 4 ft. 7 Inches) and weigh only 35 Kilograms (About 77 Pounds). Anyway, I’m very healthy.

I come from a farmer family. My mother, at her childhood, was brought up by another family as a servant since my grandmother died when my mother was very little, and my grandfather had a new wife; therefore, my mother was asked by somebody to be a servant and had to do every work since then.

When she grew up, she met my father and they both fell in love, so she moved out to live with my father. Her parents-in-law were very nice to her since she was diligent. My father’s rice field was smaller than his siblings’, but it produced more rice than others. When his siblings ran out of rice, they’d ask my family, and every time my parents would give them some.

My father smoked regularly. He also drank every day. Some days, some old ladies visited him. At first, my mother didn’t pay attention, but when it happened more often, she couldn’t stand it anymore, so she chased them away. When my father was drunk, she would keep complaining with herself because my father would be quiet and never talk anything back, so it didn’t look like they fought. Currently, I’m being a Kalayanamitra (a good friend) to my father to quit drinking and smoking. Presently, he is strong with his 48 years of age. My mother is strong as well and is 43 years old.

When I finished the 9th grade when I was 14 years old, we didn’t have money to further my education, so my mother let me find a job in Bangkok; therefore, I needed to…..

I came to Bangkok just like my oldest sister who came to Bangkok to work and send money back home, but later she got a Thai husband, so they moved to Amnatcharoen (A province in Thailand) and had 1 child; since then, she didn’t send any more money back home. Then it became my task to make money for the family.

Making a trip from Laos, being seen off at Khong River’s bank by my mother, I had nothing with me but the clothes and shoes that I was wearing. After waiting 1 hour, I was picked up by a long boat with 5 traveling companions.

When the boat met an island full of corn fields at the middle of the river, my companions and I had to get down from the boat and wait under a tree from 3 PM-6 PM. When the sky turned dark, we were picked up by another boat to the other bank of Khong River. We had to spend 1 night at that Thai sailor’s house next to the river bank and each one of us had to pay 200 Baht (About $5).

At 2 AM, pick-up trucks picked us up. At 5 AM, we reached the house of the drivers. These spouses were job agents and they already found a job for me in Bangkok. We stayed there until 2 PM before making another trip with the same trucks to Bangkok, but this time we were divided into 2 groups with 3 people in each group. We arrived in Bangkok at about 2 AM, and then the employers needed to pay 7,500 Baht (About $187.50) to the agents before getting us. You can tell now that I was there to be a servant, right?

There were 4 people in this family—the parents, a son and a daughter. I had to do all housework including being a nanny. That took a lot of time and caused me to be the last person who ate. The children liked to annoy and always scolded me. That usually caused me to cry from sorrow.

My male employer liked to yell at the employees, and even harm us sometimes. Soon the cook was fired, and the male employer hired his real sister to be a cook and treated her just like a servant without any respect.

His sister had to rent an apartment and came to the house in the morning to work and leave back to her apartment at night because the male employer who was her real brother didn’t allow her to live in. Later, I heard that my male employer had to move to Chiangmai with the family, but I didn’t go with them since I was contacted for a new job already. When my employer’s family moved to Chiangmai and their house was advertised for selling, I moved to the new family. And I’m sure you can take the right guess again that my new job was being a servant.

I had to take time to adjust myself to this new family since it was completely different than the last one. My employers liked to go to temples and they had very kind hearts. There were 3 people in the family—the parents and a 9 year-old son. This way, I had a chance to learn about the law of Karma and the truth of life because here DMC was on most of the day. Dhamma teachings were heard through the whole house including the morning and evening chanting and the Cetiya’s homage paying. Since then, I’ve become a new student of Dream in Dream Kindergarten. Other than that, my heart is full of warmth when I see Laotian language appearing on the screen of DMC.

The first time I came to Dhammakaya temple, I volunteered for the welcoming job to welcome Luang Phaw. My heart is always delighted in merit, happy and warm in seeing the great, beautiful temple and Dhammakaya Cetiya. I have a volunteer job and a lot of friends. Nobody yells at me.

Everybody welcome me so well that I didn’t feel left out. I felt like I was in a warm familiar place. I loved making merit and loved going to the temple without missing any single merit. I joined the ceremony of casting personal Buddha image on the last April 22nd, 2005 (B.E.2548), and I was so delighted when I visited the broadcasting room of DMC during the time of Dream in Dream program and Luang Phaw asked “Is any Laotian here to cast personal Buddha Images?” and turned on the music “Smile” in Laotian version. That way, I was sure that Luang Phaw must have seen me. Yes, I did and I’d like to welcome every Laotian child of mine.

At the house I’m living in now lives a lady who is the girlfriend of my male employer’s brother. I’d like to call her briefly the girlfriend of my employer’s brother. She is from Nongkhai (A province of Thailand). After finishing grade 12, she came to Bangkok and worked 12 hours a day in a factory and that ruined her health.

She likes to make merit and go to temples. Later she met my employer’s brother and he was the one who leaded her to know Dhammakaya temple, and she felt right away that it was the right place where she longed for. Soon after being together as a boyfriend and a girlfriend, she decided to move into this house of friendship, but they haven’t got married yet.

Another friend of mine in this house of friendship is from Kalasin (A province of Thailand). When she was in her mother’s womb, her mother wanted to work as a prostitute, but her father didn’t allow her to do it, so they fought and her mother was beat by her father everyday until she got to go to a hospital. This situation happened in a row until my friend was given birth. As soon as she was born, her mother left her at the hospital. Her grandmother had to bring her up later, and her father didn’t care about her. He preferred drinking and gambling.

Her father told everybody not to meet her mother; therefore, my friend has never met her mother. When she turned a teenager, she lived with her father who was by that time working in Bangkok and she got to know a tomboy in that area. Finally, they lived together. Anyway, they fought a lot because that tomboy was scared that some guys might be interested in her. Moreover, sometimes, they even harmed each other. It happened many times.

that tomboy. She gave her father a call and asked him for help, but he didn’t care and told her not to come back. She was so sad that her father didn’t give her any hand, so she bought alcohol and drank it with her boyfriend and that caused them to have sexual intercourse and she was finally pregnant.

While being pregnant, she was always encouraged by the female owner of this house of friendship and was told not to have an abortion because the female owner would help her take care of the baby and her boyfriend could work here. Presently her boyfriend is working here and the baby was already given birth and now she is about 2 months old and is loved by everybody in the house. Whoever who sees her would like to hold her.

I’d like to ask for Luang Phaw’s mercy to answer our questions as follows.

1. Why am I so small, but very healthy? Is there any solution for this retribution not to happen to me again in my next lives, and what is that solution?

2. What retribution caused my mother to be a servant and had a very difficult life since her childhood? What can she do to get rid of this retribution?

3. My father usually smokes and drinks, yet he had a short-term ordination before. What retribution is he going to get and how can I help him?

4. What merit or demerit that caused me to be a servant of the first family that was not virtuous at all?

5. What merit inspired my friend to ask me for working with this family, but she always saddened me with her words and finally she herself quitted the job? What merit did we make together in our past lives that caused us to meet in this life? Should I contact her? If she thinks that I don’t make any remuneration for her favor, would I get any retribution from that and how?

6. The girlfriend of the house owner’s brother would like to know if living with her boyfriend before getting married breaks the 3rd precepts, and if it is, what can she do to solve it, but they both observe 5 precepts.

7. The girlfriend of the house owner’s brother would like to quit the job at the factory to have more time for making merit. Does she have enough merit to start her own business?

8. What retribution did my friend from Kalasin have that inspired her mother to have mind for being a prostitute and leave her first-born baby? Does she have any chance to meet her mother in this life?

9. That she didn’t give an abortion to the baby did curtail the retribution that caused her to be left by her mother at the hospital since her first birth? How can she solve the retribution of being left by her mother?

10. What retribution caused her to live with that tomboy, but she could finally live with this current boyfriend? Is that because they had relationship before in their past lives? Why has her baby been loved by everybody since before she was delivered? Who was she before she was born, and what did she do that caused her to be loved?

11. We all in this house had to leave our hometowns. Even the house owners are not from here. I’d like to know why we have to take care of ourselves without being taught by any seniors. What were our deeds that caused us to live happily together with hearts of merit?

12. I finished only the 9th grade, but I have good faith to work for the temple. Is it possible for me to do it? How did the girlfriend of the house owner’s brother, my friend from Kalasin and I pursue perfection with our merit-making group? How were our meditation experiences?

I’d like to ask for Luang Phaw’s mercy to give me the answers.

Luang Phaw's Dream

I closed my eyes, dreamed and woke up with these answers.
When you tell anybody the story like a tale, it will make anyone know more about retribution (Law of Kamma)

1. You are small but strong because of the speech retribution from your past life. In that life, you joined the merit activities with our merit-making group in which there was a small elder person who also joined the merit activities and you picked on her with no intention that “How old are you, little girl?”. That made her upset so she told you back “If you want to know, try being small then.” This retribution took action.

To solve it, you need to be careful with your speech. Say only beautiful words, consume proper nutrition, take enough rest and cultivate every merit then make a wish to be free from this retribution.

2. That your mother had to be a servant and had a difficult life since her childhood was because of a deed from her past life. In that life, she liked to tell her parents to do things for her, even though she grew up and had children, she still habitually told them to do things for her without caring about their feeling. This retribution and the retribution of stinginess took action together.

To solve it, she needs to quit being stingy and make every merit and then transfer this merit to the parents she offended.
If she can do this way, this retribution will be less serious or even be all gone.

3. Your father smokes and drinks but he got a short-term ordination before. If he still doesn’t quit it, he might take a chance to go to Ussada Hell (minor hell) or purgatory, and when he reincarnates as a human, he will suffer from Down syndrome or may be dumb or insane or suffer from many diseases, etc.

To help him, you need to be his Kalayanamitra (good friend) by telling him the ill effect of paths of ruins which is not easy. Therefore, presently you need to cultivate every merit and make a wish for him to see the ill effects of these things and quit them.

4. You had to be a servant of the first family that was completely not virtuous because of your own retribution from your past life—in the life that you joined the merit activities with our merit-making group. You, in that life, were a daughter of a well-to-do family and you liked to tell elder companions in the group to do things for you as if they were your servants.

From this deed, other retribution had a chance to take action, i.e. the retribution of stinginess and the retribution of yelling at the servants of your house; including, the retribution of conceit. They all took action together.

5. You were asked by your elder friend to work with this Dhammakaya family because of the merit you made with our merit-making group as I mentioned. When this merit took action, you got to meet somebody who asked you to work with the Dhammakaya family to make merit with our merit-making group again.

But she liked to sadden you with her words and finally she quited the job herself because you had a lot of retribution of speech. That caused you to meet somebody who liked to say something to sadden your mind.
Also it was her habit and she didn’t have merit from associating with wise people.

You and this friend were siblings and relatives in your past lives; therefore, you need to be her Kalayanamitra (good friend) by suggesting her to make merit with our merit-making group, so that she will have merit, and it is a way to remunerate her favor from taking you to pursue perfection with this Dhammakaya family.

6. It’s not appropriate that the girlfriend of the house owner’s brother lives with her boyfriend before getting married. Other than that, if they haven’t reached their majority or are still in the care of their parents, it’s counted as they broke the 3rd precept.

But if they are old enough and can take care of themselves, they will be counted as breaking the 3rd precept only when they cheat on the other one. But the best thing is they should formally get married along the tradition.

But if they are old enough and can take care of themselves, they will be counted as breaking the 3rd precept only when they cheat on the other one. But the best thing is they should formally get married along the tradition. In case that the girlfriend of the house owner’s brother and her boyfriend observe 5 precepts, but they just live together as factual spouses, and they don’t cheat on each other. It doesn’t count that they break the 3rd precept.

7. That she would like to quit her factory job and start her own business, so that she will have more time to make merit, she needs to cultivate present merits as much as she can and start a small business first to gain experiences, and her business will get better along the power of her merit.

8. That your friend from Kalasin was left by her mother when she was first born to be a prostitute was because of her own sensual retribution. In that life she was born a woman like the present life and when she was pregnant, she left her children in others’ care. This retribution took action.

She needs to cultivate every merit, i.e. donation, precept observance and meditation, and make a wish everyday to see her mother. One day when her merit takes full action, she will have a chance to meet her.

9. That she didn’t give an abortion to the baby means she already curtailed her old diagram from giving abortions to her children.

To solve the retribution of being left by her mother, she must not leave her child, and she needs to teach her child to be a good person, also she needs to cultivate every merit, i.e. donation, precept observance and meditation, so that these merits can curtail her retribution. The best thing for her present life is having only this child and this husband. And they all need to observe their 5 precepts purely.

10. Before living with this present boyfriend, she lived with a tomboy before because her sensual retribution from many lives that she was born female took action together.

Her baby was loved since before she was delivered because she had merit from supporting her relatives in her past life and that caused her to be loved and supported in this present life.

11. You and others in this house had to leave your hometowns and live together in this Dhammakaya family, and even the house owners are not from here, and all of you have to take care of each other without being taught by any senior but you still can live happily together with hearts of merit because of the merits all of you made together. No matter where you are from, but when the merit you made together took action, you got to be together.

12. That you finished only grade 9, but you’d like to support the temple’s work, the best thing for you to do is to be a volunteer and live with the Dhammakaya family !

You, the girlfriend of the house owner’s brother and the friend from Kalasin pursued perfection with our merit-making group up to your emotion. Especially, you were a child of a well-to-do family and were careless in your life, so you strayed away from our group for many Buddhist intervals. In this life, the merit you made with our group took action and caused you to meet the group. So, in this life, you shouldn’t be careless in living.

Since we have met again in this life, you need to pursue perfection with all your might and make a wish to follow our group to the special merit zone of Tusita (the 4th level of heaven), the land of Bodhisattva, and never stray away from our group!

Good Bye, My Hometown

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