Someone asked: how are the "one who knows" (phu-ru) and the "one of power" (phu-mi-anuphap) related to the chakravartin (universal emperor) within us — or does each of the three have a separate role?

The Chakravartin Is the Nurturer and Protector, Residing at the Center of the Sphere of Merit

The "one who knows," the "one of power," and the chakravartin each have separate roles. The chakravartin is the nurturer and protector, residing at the center of the sphere of merit — called nurturer and protector because his duty is to sustain and protect us. He must oversee our resources, that is, the merit and refined treasures at the center of the sphere of Dhamma, guarding us from dangers and using merit to its fullest efficiency.

Merit Is Not Only for Ordinary Living, But Also for Resolving Accidents and Illness

Merit is not only meant to let us live an ordinary life, with enough to eat and use — it must also be spent resolving accidents, dangers, illness, and much more. Those who don't understand this only want to be wealthy. But if being wealthy came with an accident or illness, would we want that? No, we wouldn't. So the chakravartin must use merit to resolve these matters, so we can live happily, with just enough, free of illness and accidents — so that we won't feel the need to crave wealth. If we do want to be wealthy, being frugal will gradually make us wealthier.

The One Who Knows and the One of Power Reside in Each Dimension, Seeking Merit; the Chakravartin Uses It

The "one who knows" and the "one of power" reside within each of our dimensions. When we abide in a given dimension, they guide and instruct us to stand firm in virtue and good Dhamma, to understand the substance of the teachings, in order to draw merit in. The chakravartin is concerned with using merit; the "one who knows" and "one of power" are concerned with seeking merit — entirely separate roles. We belong to the line of the "one who knows" and "one of power" — our task is to seek merit for the chakravartin, not to go seeking wealth ourselves.

The Unwholesome Leads Us to Intrude on the Chakravartin's Role

If we go seeking wealth ourselves, we should recognize who is directing us to do so — it is the unwholesome, leading us to intrude on the chakravartin's duty. He is the one responsible for managing our resources — knowing where the good "customers" are, where the good people who will help us are, and what the correct principles of management are. But we don't know any of this. Not knowing, yet wanting to act anyway, we end up interfering and disrupting the chakravartin's carefully arranged order — and instead of gaining more, we end up with less, because the unwholesome possesses the mind and directs us to act this way.

Example: Stepping Back From Intruding on the Chakravartin's Role Brought Better Results

There is an example often told: before taking up meditation, someone who worked from dawn to dusk achieved a certain level of result. But once they began meditating, they worked less, ran their business less, and spent more time meditating — yet the results were better than during all those years of working around the clock. This was because, during the years of working nonstop, the unwholesome lay behind it, directing them to intrude on the chakravartin's work, so the returns were smaller. But once they stopped intruding and meditated more, they came to understand their true role — which was simply to do as their teacher instructed, to meditate — and by doing so, they fulfilled their real duty as the owner of the body: to hand over the valuable resource of the merit-element for the chakravartin to manage. This is regarded as fulfilling one's proper role.

The Human Body's Role Is to Gather Merit for the Chakravartin to Manage

The role of the human body is to gather merit for the chakravartin to manage. But the chakravartin has no physical body of his own, so he must use our physical body to do certain things he cannot do himself. Even so, he does not have us do everything — because our duty is to seek merit for him. The chakravartin has us go out and recruit people, drawing others in to help manage certain systems, using these representatives to act in our place, so that we can focus on our true task: gathering more merit, making the chakravartin's work easier.

The Merit That Arises Has Three Components That Lead to the Blueprint of Success

The merit that arises is pure, bringing happiness and purity, and consists of three things: happiness and purity, refined treasures, and the blueprint of success. The refined treasures draw in coarse treasures; purity purifies the stains that form obstacles and problems; and everything then proceeds according to the blueprint of success, which serves as the process that must unfold accordingly. The chakravartin knows this and gradually manages everything for us.