พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าความอยากทำบุญไม่ใช่บาป แต่หากเกินพอดีก็จะสร้างความเดือดร้อนซึ่งเป็นเครื่องมือของอกุศล ความสุขที่แท้จริงต้องเป็นความสุขสงบมีฐานที่ตั้งของใจ ไม่ใช่ความสุขที่ทำให้ใจฟุ้งกระจาย และการสั่งสมบารมีแต่ละข้อควรทำอย่างสม่ำเสมอในชีวิตประจำวันโดยไม่กดดันตนเองจนเกินไปThe teacher explains that wanting to make merit is not wrong in itself, but pushed past moderation it creates distress — a tool the unwholesome side uses. True happiness must be a grounded, peaceful happiness, not the scattered kind that has no anchor. Building each perfection should happen steadily in daily life, without pressuring ourselves past what feels right.
A student asked whether wanting to make merit intensely counts as wrongdoing, and later asked further whether pushing oneself to accumulate more and more merit might create pressure that draws in something bad.
Wanting to Make Merit Is Not Wrong — But Past Moderation, It Creates Distress
The teacher explained that wanting something good is not wrongdoing — it is a right and proper thing. But once that wanting exceeds moderation, it creates trouble. For example, borrowing money to make merit without knowing whether you can repay it is excessive — once done, it brings anxiety and unrest rather than peace. Whatever lies behind that anxiety and unrest is side, because true ought to be peaceful.
There are two kinds of happiness. The first scatters and excites the mind — the happiness of the unwholesome and neutral natures, which often comes at the cost of hardship or wastes resources in ways that don't support merit. The second is a peaceful, tranquil happiness, leading toward dispassion, liberation, and — inclining us toward Nirvana. This is wholesome happiness. Which kind we experience depends on how we've cultivated our life. If we train our life to incline toward wholesome happiness, we gradually come to recognize purity more and more. Unwholesome and neutral happiness, by contrast, has no anchor point for the mind at all — the mind simply scatters, unable to draw in the pure energy of merit.
When the Unwholesome Side Draws Us In, Simply Recognize It Through Mindfulness
The teacher explained that even alone, it can feel like there is always another voice inviting converon. The unwholesome side tends to invite us to play games, watch dramas or films, or listen to music; side invites us to keep precepts, meditate, and study . When we find ourselves drawn in by the unwholesome side, even accepting just a little, it can build that thought's weight further and further, in order to draw energy from us. The remedy is simply to recognize it — to let the sphere of awareness, which is , do its work. Our inner knower will guide us and help us break free from that situation. And the more we practice this, the easier it becomes to break free the next time we're caught.
Rotate Through Each Perfection Steadily in Daily Life, Without Overpressuring Yourself
When asked further whether pushing oneself to make more and more merit could create pressure or draw in something negative, the teacher answered that yes, taken too far, it does create pressure. We need to sound our own heart — checking whether it feels too light or too heavy — and adjust to a point that feels comfortable, neither too heavy nor too light. Whether giving, keeping precepts, or meditating, each perfection has its own guiding presence behind it, encouraging us to act so that the "wheel" of that perfection keeps turning. The unwholesome side, by contrast, keeps nagging us to feel regret over what we give away, to hoard wealth, never to let go — because the more we accumulate, the harder it becomes to ever release it.
We therefore need to keep every perfection turning steadily in our daily life — the perfections of giving, , renunciation, wisdom, effort, , truthfulness, resolve, , and equanimity. For example, upon waking, pay respect to the Buddha, meditate, and spread loving-kindness; throughout the day, study the Dhamma, learn and understand it, and put what we've learned to good use, so that each perfection keeps turning. If we fail to see daily life itself as an opportunity to build these perfections, we won't recognize that these opportunities are present in our everyday life all along.