The Ordination Multiplier: A Handful of Merit Becomes a Mountain

For a layperson, doing merit worth a handful earns merit worth a handful. But when a monk does merit worth a handful, it earns merit worth a mountain — the difference lies in the sanctity of this monastic status. Whatever wholesome act is done in it — giving, keeping precepts, meditating — yields immense benefit, and the stream of merit and treasure we gain from it is correspondingly vast.

Making the Most of These Ten-Odd Days of Ordination

Because this time is so precious, we need to make the very most of it. We have only a little more than ten days — so in these ten-odd days, let's use every single second to build goodness. That immense merit arises through giving, keeping precepts, meditating, or simply sitting and receiving the continuously pouring stream of merit — all it takes is clearly knowing.

The Foundation of Right Mindfulness: Knowing Body, Feeling, Mind, and Dhamma

Here's another sentence we must remember about cultivating meditation. The Lord Buddha taught: "Monks, you should clearly know body, feeling, mind, and mental objects, in order to remove covetousness and grief regarding the world." Monks, you should know clearly — you must direct your attention. If you don't, some other force will direct it for you, bringing no benefit at all — worse, it brings suffering, if that force happens to be unwholesome. When you follow that unwholesome direction, a great deal of suffering results.

He taught us to know clearly — knowing is mindfulness, clarity is comprehension. Mindfulness attends to the topic in general; once we go into detail, that becomes the work of clear comprehension, which extends into every detail. He had us know clearly the body, feeling, mind, and mental objects, in order to remove the world's covetousness and grief. Covetousness is delight; grief is sorrow — the aim is to remove the world's delight and sorrow entirely.

The World Arises Through Contact at the Senses

The world is sights, tastes, smells, sounds, and touch. We perceive the world through eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body, making contact with sights, tastes, smells, and sounds — the world is built up entirely through what we perceive at these sense-doors, gathered by body and mind into sights, tastes, smells, and sounds, giving rise to work, family, and countless other affairs — all of it built from sights, tastes, smells, sounds, and touch perceived through the five senses. If any one of these senses is impaired, that portion of "the world" simply doesn't appear to us at all.

Once we perceive the world this way, sights, tastes, smells, and sounds inevitably stir the mind — delight breeds craving, and when things don't go as wished, aversion and irritation follow. So if we want to avoid greed — wanting more and more — we also need not let anything stir up irritation; without delight there's no sorrow, without anger there's no cause for delight either. This is why the Buddha taught us to let go of both delight and sorrow, and rest instead in equanimity — holding the mind still, neutral, neither favoring nor resisting, as we practice knowing clearly.

Close Your Eyes Gently, Resting at the Doorway Between the Outer and Inner Worlds

We come to know the inner world. There are two worlds — the inner world and the outer world. The inner world is the world of Dhamma. If, upon entering the inner world, we feel dizzy, dazed, or entranced, gently close the eyelids just enough that a little light can pass through. In this state of gently closed eyes, we rest between the inner and outer worlds, not yet fully within the inner world. Once we go deeper into the inner world, the unwholesome side is waiting; going in too deep brings on that dizzy, dazed, entranced feeling, so we come back out to "the doorway" and practice there instead, taking up the recitation and the visualized image.

As we settle on the crystal sphere, resting the mind still, we recite Samma-Arahang, counting along to check how long we can sustain steady mindfulness — this tells us how long our mindfulness can hold. If we lose count, we simply begin again: Samma-Arahang, one; Samma-Arahang, two — counting onward. As we approach a point where we've lost count before, we take extra care there, strengthening our mindfulness, and we're able to get past that point.

Counting Samma-Arahang to Check Our Mindfulness, and Working Through Finite Defilement

Every obstacle and problem arises from defilement. Where there's defilement, there's naturally difficulty — but defilement and difficulty exist only in a finite amount. As we use it up through practice, it steadily diminishes. As long as we don't give up, and keep practicing again and again, we'll get past the obstacles that defilement has placed in our way; returning to the practice each time brings steady improvement.

Recite with a relaxed mind, open and at ease. As we practice this way, mindfulness — the sphere of knowing — becomes established, and it draws pure energy called merit to flow continuously into the brightness at its center. This pure energy, as it flows in, drives the wholesome system, gradually clearing away the defilement, suffering, and misfortune that weigh on us.

Receiving the Stream of Merit and Treasure, to Benefit Our Life and Family

Within this sphere of merit rests every kind of treasure — treasure of form, wealth, virtue, retinue, honor and renown, the path and fruit of Nibbāna, and the Dhammakaya knowledge — all present and complete at its center. When merit flows through us, subtle treasure flows through us too, and this subtle treasure is what draws worldly, tangible treasure toward our lives.

So continue the practice, staying continuously aware, with a relaxed and easy mind — no rushing, no pushing. Sit at ease, receiving this subtle treasure, letting it accumulate into a genuine stream of treasure, with a heart full of comfort and contentment. Recite Samma-Arahang continuously, with a relaxed, open mind — no rushing, no forcing; forcing it under pressure only makes it harder. Do it at ease, with a mind that's clear and cool. This alone is enough to draw the stream continuously into the center of our body and mind — both the stream of merit and the stream of treasure. We simply sit and receive them with a relaxed, easy, joyful heart. This time we've come to ordain, we intend to put this stream of merit and treasure to real use, for the benefit of our life and our family.

Radiating Loving-Kindness to All Beings and the Whole Universe

Now bring to mind loving-kindness. As we recall it, as we direct our attention to it, loving-kindness arises in the heart — a bright, round, luminous sphere. Once arisen, it reveals its own quality, and the current of loving-kindness fills the heart; we feel that goodwill brimming within us, goodwill toward ourselves and toward others. If at first we can only sense this current faintly, that's fine — let it gradually soak in. As we keep absorbing this loving-kindness and goodwill, it seeps deeper and deeper into the heart, until it overflows, and we extend this loving-kindness-filled mind out to fill this entire room of practice. May our fellow practitioners find happiness, free from every suffering. Those with much suffering, may it lessen; those with little, may it end; those with little happiness, may it grow; those with much happiness already, may it grow even more.

Having made this wish, extend this loving-kindness-filled mind wider still, covering this whole place of practice, extending across every mountain, continuing on to the district and province, to neighboring provinces, and onward across the whole of Thailand. May the Thai people and all beings be free from suffering and share happiness together.

Then extend this mind further, to neighboring countries and every nation, until it covers the whole world, turning it into a crystal world, bright, cool, clean, and pure — for earth-dwelling devas, sky-dwelling devas, celestial beings of every heavenly realm, the Brahma gods, and also beings in hell, hungry ghosts, demons, and animals. May all beings be free from suffering and share happiness together. Those with much suffering, may it lessen; those with little, may it end; those with little happiness, may it grow; those with much happiness already, may it grow even more.

Having made this wish, extend this loving-kindness-filled mind out into the vastness of the universe, covering countless stars across boundless world-systems, letting this loving-kindness shine and nourish every being, thing, and element without limit. Light from the moon or sun casts a shadow, but the light of loving-kindness passes through every particle of every being and thing without casting any shadow. With this quality, loving-kindness dissolves the resentment and defilement in the hearts of people and beings, freeing them from unwholesome states; wholesome mind can then take root, and once rooted, it draws in pure energy called merit as a shining brightness, bringing great benefit to whoever receives it.

The Story of the Bodhisattva Who Cultivated Loving-Kindness and Became a Universal Monarch

Whoever benefits the world and the universe can, in turn, make use of the treasures of the world and the universe. This was true of the Bodhisattva in ages past: whenever he was born into the world, he cultivated loving-kindness that benefited the world and all beings. Throughout that life he accumulated loving-kindness until he could dwell in the jhāna states. When that life ended, he was reborn in the Brahma realm, attaining the status of a Great Brahma, enjoying vast and lasting happiness there. When that life, too, came to an end, he was reborn once more in the human world — and this time attained the status of a Universal Monarch, using the treasures of the world and universe to benefit the people and all beings. In that age, earning a living was never difficult; people had no need to compete against one another; no war ever arose to trouble them. The people of the world lived as happily as the devas, resting securely in that beautiful merit. This is why we, too, should diligently keep cultivating loving-kindness, continuously.

The Dedication of Merit

Rest the mind, still, in the brightness of loving-kindness. The stream of merit pours continuously within this loving-kindness. May this pure element of merit benefit all beings, things, and elements, making them bright, clean, and pure as well. Rest the mind, still, in the stream of merit, in the happiness and purity at its center. Rest in the center of the Triple Gem — the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha jewels — in the center of our great teachers, the finest, subtlest body of Dhamma of our Grand Masters and our Great Teacher. The mind is a wish-fulfilling element; however we set it, so it becomes. Rest the mind, still, at the center of Nibbāna, throughout every element and every dhamma.

Nibbāna naturally holds all beings within it. Whatever beings stand in universal goodness, the stream of merit shines bright within their center too, just as it does for us now. So let us use this auspicious moment to ask for blessings, setting our intention so that it may be fulfilled throughout our path of building perfections, both now and in every life to come — filled with wisdom, happiness, and purity, and every wholesome wish fulfilled.

We humbly ask for blessings — for the radiance, power, and unlimited authority of Nibbāna throughout every element and every dhamma, and for the blessings of our Grand Masters and teachers. May all this merit combine with the merit we ourselves have diligently accumulated since beginningless lifetimes up to the present, converging into sacred merit of boundless power — purifying our body, speech, and mind, and every element within us, until they shine bright, cool, clean, and pure. May we be freed from every misfortune and karmic obstruction in this life; may greed, hatred, delusion, lust, ignorance, wrong view, craving, and clinging be extinguished without remainder. May we gain the eye that sees the Dhamma, penetrating fully into the Dhammakaya teaching, complete with the Three Knowledges, the Eight Knowledges, the Six Higher Powers, the Four Analytical Insights, the Eight Liberations, and the Fifteen Conducts. May we enjoy strong health and long life, building merit and perfections throughout our lives, moving steadily toward the path to Nibbāna.

Wherever we travel, may we meet only good fortune and safety, loved by humans and devas alike, our wisdom shining bright with full understanding of the Buddha's teaching and the Dhammakaya knowledge. In whatever work we take up, may it flourish beyond expectation, granting us treasure fit for a universal monarch, inexhaustible, to be used in building great generosity without limit. When the time comes to leave this world, may we be born in the special merit realm of the Dusita heaven reserved for future Buddhas-to-be, and when we return to build perfections in the human world, may we be born into a warm family of right view, complete with the finest treasures, virtue, honor, and the path to Nibbāna, possessed of sacred merit able to recall past lives from birth, studying the Dhammakaya teaching faithfully alongside our Grand Masters from childhood until the end of this life.

May whatever unwholesome deeds we have committed by mistake across countless past lives never catch up with us, and be forgiven forever; may we commit no new unwholesome deeds of body, speech, or mind going forward. May all the merit we have accumulated combine and bear sacred, wondrous fruit continuously from this moment until the end of the Dhamma. May every one of these good wishes be fulfilled for all of us, from this moment onward, in every life, until we reach the end of the Dhamma, by the boundless power of the Lord Buddha in every one of his lifetimes. Sādhu.