พระอาจารย์ตอบว่าอธิษฐานยิ่งละเอียดยิ่งดี ไม่มีวิบากกรรม แต่ต้องอธิษฐานเพื่อประโยชน์แห่งกุศลเท่านั้น เพราะใจเป็นทาสสำเร็จ หากอธิษฐานสิ่งไม่ดีโดยไม่ล้อมคอก อกุศลก็จะเข้ามาใช้ผลสำเร็จนั้นก่อปัญหาในภายหลังThe teacher answers that more detailed aspirations are always better and carry no karmic downside, but must be made purely for the benefit of wholesomeness, since the mind fulfills wishes exactly as given — an unbounded wish for bad things lets unwholesomeness hijack the result and cause trouble later.
One student asked: when we go make merit at another temple and someone leads an aspiration for us, that aspiration might not cover everything we personally want. If we add our own aspirations on top of it, does that carry any karmic consequence?
The More Detailed the Aspiration, the Better — Just Like Every Other Perfection
The teacher answered that there's no karmic consequence at all in the matter of aspiration. The more detailed and thorough the aspiration, the better — just like giving: the more one gives, the better the perfection of generosity becomes. The same goes for the perfections of , renunciation, wisdom, effort, , and truthfulness — the more we practice them, the better. Aspiration works the same way, but it needs to be supported by wisdom, effort, patience, and truthfulness before it can truly take hold. When we're at another temple and the aspiration given doesn't cover what we want, wholesomeness itself will prompt us to add more, to set additional wishes. Once wholesomeness prompts us and we follow through, it arranges the mechanism to bring about what we've additionally aspired to.
Luang Phor Always Kept the Ultimate Goal of the Dhamma in Mind
Our revered Luang Phor, the moment he put on his robes and stepped outside, always aimed his aspiration toward the ultimate end of the — the goal was constantly present in his mind, in everything he did, even down to putting on his shoes before walking out, aspiring each time toward reaching the ultimate end of the Dhamma. We should do the same: whatever we want, that goal must stay in our mind at all times, and whenever we get the chance, we set the intention again and again. Every time we set it, merit is drawn in to build toward its fulfillment. If we dwell in the truth-state — meaning fully present in each moment — those wishes come to fruition, just like a master of absorption who succeeds at whatever they set their mind on, precisely because they dwell in that truth-state. Merit is drawn in because of that presence in the moment, and whatever is set comes to pass.
But Never Aspire for Bad Things — the Mind Is a Servant That Fulfills Wishes Exactly
If our aspiration was incomplete relative to what we truly want, we can add more to it — the more we set, the better. But we must be careful never to set an aspiration for something unwholesome, because the mind is a servant that fulfills wishes exactly as given. If we aspire for something bad, the sinful side sets its own mechanism in motion to fulfill it just the same. Take, for example, aspiring simply "let me be handsome, beautiful, rich" without any boundary around it: once that beauty or wealth is achieved, unwholesomeness can slip in — wanting many admirers, wanting people drawn to us, wanting to spend money however we please once we're rich. If it isn't channeled toward building the perfection of generosity, once the wealth appears, or neutral nature will squander it on things that eventually bring us trouble and harm.
This Is Why We're Taught to Bound Our Aspirations, So They Serve Others
This is exactly why our grandmother teacher taught us to bound our aspirations carefully. As Luang Phor himself once put it: why be rich? Why be handsome or beautiful? Whether becoming a merchant, a teacher, or anything else, everything must be for the purpose of helping people — for drawing in the pure energy that is merit. We need to know how what we're asking for will be put to use — how it will benefit ourselves and all beings, and especially how it will benefit system itself. Because our possessions and our time can serve the wholesome, the unwholesome, or the neutral alike — if they serve wholesomeness, wholesomeness will manage that wealth, time, and goodness so it truly benefits others; but if the neutral takes hold of it, no benefit comes of it at all. And if even a flicker of impure desire hides within the aspiration, that becomes a dark spot that later causes problems in life. An aspiration, therefore, must be made for the sake of wholesomeness alone — because only wholesomeness can draw in merit to build upon merit; no other nature can do that.