A student asked the teacher to expand on a teaching: "Whatever obstacle we face, we work through it and keep going. But whatever obstacle it may be, we must guard our heart and keep it clear. Don't worry too much — worrying only wastes our strength, suffering for nothing, and it isn't a path toward merit either; it only accumulates more gloom. If there's nothing we can do yet, simply stay neutral, stop, stay still, and hold our ground, keeping the heart neutral. That very neutrality is what connects us to merit — the stream of merit we've accumulated across past lives resides at the center of our body, and that's exactly where merit finds its opening. If we grow anxious, merit rarely finds that opening — but demerit will."

Human life is a realm for consuming the leftover results of past kamma, which is why problems can't be avoided

He explained that every human is born already carrying an arrangement of merit and demerit destined to be experienced from birth to death, unavoidably, because human life is a realm for consuming results — specifically, the leftover portion of karmic result not enough to send us to either a higher or a lower realm. This leftover is exactly what creates the problems and crises of life, and the amount differs from person to person. Whoever abides within the wholesome system receives help resolving it, through a system watched over by the Triple Gem, with Nibbana supporting from behind. But because we don't understand this, we fear the consequences and grow anxious — and in truth, that very anxiety arises because the unwholesome has possessed the mind precisely while the karmic result is being given.

The giving of that result happens at the center of the body, like a timer set to go off; the competing for control of the mind is a separate matter, happening at the heart. Even while demerit is giving its result, if we abide within the wholesome system, letting it become the house-owner during that time, the wholesome system will help correct things — from heavy to light, from light to gone, or even, should death come, ensure a good passing. This is why the elder said: whatever obstacle arises, we work through it and keep going, because it cannot be avoided once the timer has already been set.

Keep the mind clear, don't worry excessively — worry is a tool of the unwholesome

The mind becomes clear only when the wholesome system overlays it, bringing a wholesome state of mind to purify the gloom that's causing the problem, lightening it. We set our intention on clarity and brightness because wholesome Dhamma's very quality is clarity and brightness — we can aim directly at that quality, or aim at the accompanying state: relaxed ease, bodily awareness, awareness of posture, or staying with a meditation object. Don't worry excessively, because worry only wastes our strength in pointless suffering — it isn't a path toward merit, and it accumulates further gloom, because worry itself is a tool of the unwholesome. Once the unwholesome seizes its turn and becomes house-owner, it overlays worry — a dark sphere — onto our mind, and the mind grows dark, unable to find any way out.

The unwholesome can only establish itself once we unknowingly accept its overlay, and worry arises automatically as a result. Correcting this means breaking free from the unwholesome system entirely — turning every thought positive, refusing to let the mind grow gloomy, refusing to dwell on anything bad. Discouragement, hopelessness, despondency, distraction, irritation, tightness, resentment, and confusion are all tools of the unwholesome — they are the path toward demerit, not toward merit, and they only cloud the mind further.

If nothing can be done yet, simply stay neutral — that very neutrality is what connects us to merit

If there's nothing we can do yet, simply stay neutral, stop, and remain still — don't worry. Our mind can hold only one state of Dhamma at a time; once one is established, no other can arise alongside it. As long as we abide in that neutrality, the guiding voice of the unwholesome has no way to guide us, because it cannot arise while we remain neutral, refusing to take in or respond to whatever is being pushed onto us. Once the sphere of stopping and stillness is established, every other system halts; the mind's vibration lightens, and excitement and suffering gradually settle and still on their own.

That very neutrality is what connects us to the stream of merit. The sphere of stopping, stillness, and neutrality is itself a sphere of wholesome Dhamma; once established, mindfulness arises, drawing pure energy in through the brightness at the center of that sphere, within mindfulness and clear comprehension. As that stream of merit flows in, new merit connects with the old, flowing through together to refine and clear away every impurity — because merit itself is purity.

Why merit sometimes finds its opening and sometimes doesn't: it depends on which "software" our mind is running

Beyond simply receiving experience, our mind also functions like a device capable of drawing energy in — whatever "software" is running determines what kind of energy gets drawn. If wholesome software is running, the mind draws in the pure energy called merit continuously. We should therefore never let unwholesome software run — worry, restlessness, boredom, stress, irritation, weariness, discouragement, hopelessness, despondency, distraction, tightness, resentment, or negative thinking of any kind — because doing so draws in the energy of demerit, capable of destroying our purity and our stored treasures, since misfortune always accompanies the sphere of demerit and goes on to destroy our assets.

If our thoughts, speech, and actions turn bad, we draw in the energy of impurity — demerit, along with the misfortune that comes with it — clouding the mind. This is the opposite of merit, whose nature is purity, which clears impurity and brightens the mind. The energy of demerit is the energy of darkness, consuming goodness and the wholesome energy of life until it's exhausted, releasing gloom and oppressive tension — states that must be endured, and endured with great difficulty. This is why we need to study this principle carefully — as in the teaching given to the young novice Rāhula: whatever action does not cause distress to ourselves or to others may be done; whatever causes distress to either side should not be done.

The five faculties build mastery over oneself, giving us the power of purity strong enough to overcome defilement

Another essential matter is building mastery over ourselves through the five faculties: mindfulness, faith, wisdom, concentration, and effort. These five qualities of Dhamma give us mastery over ourselves, making us the sovereign of our own heart, like a king. But having mastery over ourselves isn't enough — we must also accumulate the power of purity; otherwise we end up knowing right from wrong yet unable to resist committing wrong anyway, because our power of purity isn't strong enough to overcome the impurity, which outweighs it.

The remedy is to cultivate right mindfulness, staying continuously aware without forgetting; pure energy will then be drawn in continuously, like ocean waves crashing endlessly onto the shore, until every impurity is eventually cleared away. As we continue to hold this awareness, mindfulness becomes firmly established; faith is the confidence that the wholesome system will surely triumph and can resolve our problems, reinforced by that faith; then wisdom becomes the tool we use to solve the problem itself. But clearing away obstacles requires the knowing presence within, which in turn requires firmly established concentration for effort to arise. Every activity needs concentration to drive it forward — if that activity belongs to the unwholesome side, the concentration that forms is wrong concentration, letting the unwholesome continue uninterrupted; but if the activity belongs to the wholesome side, right concentration forms instead, letting the wholesome system carry through to success. In the course of that continuation, the effort needed to create the cause arises, and the knowing presence overlays to refine and help us reach the goal of that activity. Upon success, we obtain a pattern of accomplishment, sealed within the completed sphere of merit — containing that pattern, the pure energy called merit, and the treasures that accompany it — all three stored within the completed sphere of merit, ready to be placed on the timeline of both the near and distant future.