พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าหน้าที่แท้จริงของมนุษย์คือเอาบุญให้จักรพรรดิบริหารจัดการทรัพยากรของเรา การคิดมากเป็นการก้าวก่ายหน้าที่ของจักรพรรดิ ควรลดงานที่เกินกำลังลง แล้วทำหน้าที่หลักคือสั่งสมบุญ พร้อมชี้ว่าการเจริญเมตตาเพียงชั่วครู่มีบุญมากกว่าการถวายทาน 7 วัน 7 คืนPra Ajarn explains that a human's true duty is to give merit to the wheel-turning force to manage our resources. Overthinking is overstepping its role. One should reduce work beyond one's strength, then attend to the main duty — accumulating merit — noting that a brief cultivation of loving-kindness holds more merit than seven days and nights of alms-giving.
Someone asked: in work, if I've tried my utmost for years, how do I know when it's the point to change, or to keep enduring?
A Human's True Duty Is to Give Merit to the Wheel-Turning Force to Manage
Everything is governed by the law of karma and , and we already have the wheel-turning force managing our resources. Refined resources are in the sphere of merit; coarse ones are what we own — land, businesses — which it manages. Humans are often guided by into overthinking, and the more one thinks, the more problems. The point is we often mistake our duty: our duty is to give merit to the wheel-turning force to manage — both the and the ten perfections.
Overthinking Is Overstepping the Wheel-Turning Force's Role
If we aim not to make merit, we live off old merit, and only as much as that old merit allows; however much we crave wealth, the refined treasures are only so much. Moreover, the wheel-turning force doesn't just find us money — it must also use merit to preserve life, as nurturer and protector: nurturing us with a livelihood, and protecting us from accidents, misfortunes, illness, and crises. Only as much merit as there is can do only so much. In successful companies, the owner doesn't do everything themselves but hires staff; in small businesses the owner must do it all, and so fails to do what they should — give merit to the wheel-turning force.
A Brief Cultivation of Loving-Kindness Holds More Merit Than Seven Days and Nights of Alms
With little, make a little merit; with whatever means, make that much merit — and there are many other kinds of merit, especially . The Tipitaka states clearly that cultivating loving-kindness for even a finger-snap, less than a minute, holds more merit than giving alms for seven days and nights — such is the pure energy. So take it seriously and test it.
Reduce Work Beyond Your Strength, Then Attend to the Main Duty of Accumulating Merit
Endure and abide in system; don't let the unwholesome guide you to overstep the wheel-turning force, making its management harder. Work beyond one's ability that ruins one's health — reduce it, and make much merit, doing the human body's duty of giving merit to the wheel-turning force. As for work, if what you're doing ruins your health and time so you can't make merit, tell the wheel-turning force you'd like to change to work that takes less time and pays well, so you can attend to your real work — and it will arrange it. But if you're content with work beyond your strength because the unwholesome compels you, the wheel-turning force can hardly help, and you waste time unable to make merit — which is exactly what the unwholesome wants.