Someone asked: in the early days of practice, Luang Phor taught us to recall the crystal ball and the Dhamma body, but later he began teaching us to constantly recall Luang Pu instead. What's the difference between visualizing the crystal ball and recalling Luang Pu — which is better, and how?

Why We Are Taught to Recall Luang Pu

We are taught to recall Luang Pu so that we become familiar with him, so that our minds naturally hold him within. We need faith in the founder of the special sphere of merit. When we bring Luang Pu to mind, we become bright at his center, and he becomes bright at ours. Constantly possessing sacred knowledge, he works to resolve our karmic obstacles, our struggles with Mara, and all manner of misfortune, and connects the threads of our merit and prosperity so we can accomplish good and see our work flourish. There is nothing we ask of him that he will not provide — whether it happens sooner or later depends only on the defilement still within us.

Luang Pu is a being of immeasurable power — the only person able to bring the Buddha's sacred knowledge back into the world during an era when Buddhism had declined. No one but the Buddha himself could achieve this. It is our great fortune to know him and belong to his special sphere of merit. The more often we recall him, the more he is able to help resolve things for us, because our minds are connected. Even a brief moment of recollection allows him to apply the sacred Dhammakaya knowledge to help us as much as that moment allows. If we recall him constantly, our lives become easy, because someone behind the scenes is continually resolving things for us. For heavy matters we're unaware of, he resolves them first; for anything else we want help with, we simply need to tell him directly.

Is It Wrong to Donate Money When One's Spouse Disapproves?

Someone asked: if I donate my own money or business funds, but my husband is upset that I give so much, is this a sin or a breach of precepts?

What matters most is our own inner feeling. If we're clear that the portion we donate is truly ours, we'll feel at ease, and the wholesome system can overlay us. But if we feel uneasy, the unwholesome side can possess the mind and create resentment. The key issue is honesty and sincerity — no concealment, no pretense. If we know for certain that it is truly our own share, we can explain ourselves without worry. The quality to uphold is contentment with little — there's no need for greed even in wanting to give more. Giving is only the most basic form of merit-making; don't let it become an obstacle or a source of trouble. Give whatever you have, no more — don't let giving cause distress. The scriptures record that spreading loving-kindness for the duration of a single finger-snap carries greater merit than seven days and seven nights of continuous giving. What matters most is overcoming stinginess and having a generous heart, not the amount given.

Why Do Some Memories of Merit Resist Fading Even With Age?

Someone asked: elderly people who have given generously often can't recall smaller acts of giving as their memory declines, yet they remember especially difficult, large acts of merit with striking clarity. Is this related to how deeply moved (pleum) they were at the time?

When the three natures compete for control of the mind, each side erases memories that would benefit the other. The wholesome side erases painful memories so we won't suffer over them; the unwholesome side erases memories of goodness that would draw merit toward us. But merit that was especially difficult to achieve — requiring great wholesome strength to overcome deep-seated stinginess in order to give away a large sum and build a great act of generosity — becomes, once accomplished, sealed as a radiant sphere of merit. This memory is stored protected by that sacred merit, making it resistant to the usual erasure, and it will shine forth clearly, especially at pivotal moments of life.