พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าก่อนนอนให้วนเวียนซาบซึ้งในคุณงามความดีของพระรัตนตรัยและครูบาอาจารย์อย่างลึกซึ้ง จะช่วยกลั่นให้ใจใสสะอาดบริสุทธิ์ก่อนหลับ พร้อมอธิบายว่าเหตุใดหลวงปู่จึงเน้นสอนเรื่องทานมาก เพราะเฉพาะโลกมนุษย์เท่านั้นที่สรรพสัตว์สามารถเกื้อกูลแบ่งปันกันได้The teacher explains that before sleep, we should immerse ourselves deeply in gratitude toward the Triple Gem and our teachers, which refines the heart into purity before we drift off. He also explains why the late great teacher emphasized giving (dāna) so heavily — because only in the human realm can beings truly support and share with one another.
A student asked about the technique for "sleeping in the ocean of merit" — what to do before bed.
Before Sleep, Immerse Yourself in Deep Gratitude Toward the Triple Gem
The teacher explained that the only thing that allows the stream of merit to flow is the system of wholesome . Before sleeping, we should keep our attention circling around the Triple Gem, feeling deep gratitude for their goodness — their unceasing benefit to the world and all beings, from the time they built perfections as a Bodhisattva through to full awakening. Even after passing into Nirvana, they remain filled with , holding all beings at their center, watching over and protecting them.
The more deeply we feel this gratitude, the clearer, brighter, and purer the stream of merit that flows through us becomes. The ocean of merit has many levels of quality, so we must train ourselves, before sleep, to feel this gratitude deeply — not as a fleeting thought, but genuinely, recalling the goodness of the Triple Gem and of teachers who, even after attaining full awakening, still took the trouble to guide and teach us, until a wave of genuine joy arises. If we can do this, we will surely sleep within the ocean of merit — the stream of merit flowing continuously through the night, purifying every level of our being, from the subtle human body through the celestial, form-Brahma, and Dhamma bodies alike.
Why the Late Great Teacher Emphasized Giving So Much — Only in the Human Realm Can Beings Truly Support Each Other
A student then shared their admiration for the Vessantara Jātaka and asked why the late teachers emphasized giving (dāna) so heavily. The teacher explained that this is because it is only within the human realm that beings and the world can truly support and share with one another. Once we leave this world, mutual support becomes extremely difficult, since possessions belong strictly to whoever holds them according to their own karma. But in the human world, we can share, give, and depend on one another. Whatever generosity we extend is what we will receive back in turn — the more we give, the more we receive; giving coarse wealth returns refined treasure to us.
Giving is thus an essential foundation of life. Without it, those in distress grow only more desperate, driven toward further wrongdoing. We should therefore actively seek opportunities to give, especially to those in need and in hardship. The teacher shared stories from personal experience showing how even small acts of help for someone in distress carry real value, and told of a man who received a simple meal from a kind monk after his home burned down — when he passed away, though he had never built merit of his own, he was reborn in that monk's heavenly mansion, purely on the strength of his deep gratitude for that one act of kindness. This shows that goodness shown to one another always creates gratitude and mutual benefit.