พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าธรรมชาติทั้ง 3 ฝ่ายต่างแย่งชิงครอบครองกาลเวลา อกุศลใช้ความยินดียินร้ายเป็นเครื่องมือล่อให้เกิดความโลภและความอาฆาต จนก่อวิบากใหม่ ทั้งดวงบาป ดวงวิบัติ และดวงมรณะถูกผนึกไว้ในดวงบาปที่สำเร็จ เราจึงต้องออกแบบชีวิตให้ดำรงอยู่ในกิจกรรมของฝ่ายกุศลPra Ajarn explains that the three natural forces each contest to occupy time. The unwholesome uses our likes and dislikes as bait to provoke greed and vengefulness, creating fresh karmic results — with the spheres of demerit, ruin, and death sealed within the completed sphere of demerit. So we must design our life to dwell in the activities of the wholesome side.
Someone asked: in the contest for time to meditate, do and neutral forces join hands to seize time from ?
Each Force Contests to Occupy Time on Its Own
They don't join hands; each contests to occupy time on its own. Normally the neutral already occupies the time of the human world. The wholesome and unwholesome must each find a way to seize occupation of time.
The Unwholesome Uses Our Likes and Dislikes as Its Tool
The unwholesome uses likes and dislikes as its main lever. Delight mostly arises from the fruit of the wholesome guiding us to do good; when accomplished, it affects the future, and in time merit releases a current drawing in good elements to yield something pleasing, and gladness arises. But that gladness is limited, because our causes were limited; when the fruit is limited but we want much, the law of karma can't provide, and the unwholesome slips in with offers. If we accept the unwholesome's offer, greed takes over, and we follow its plan, thinking we'll reach our goal — but it turns out a trap, like a baited hook lowered for a fish to bite, and suffering arises.
Dislike Is a Tool Too
Dislike mostly arises from fruit of our past acceptance of the unwholesome's guidance. Having accepted and acted on it, mistakes arose, because the unwholesome never guides rightly, producing karmic results in this life and lives to come. When that fruit appears, it draws in elements yielding suffering, and grief arises; the unwholesome then uses it to blame this or that person, though it's the fruit of one's own past doing. Blaming others and making a fuss creates fresh karma, and vengefulness forms. Both greed and vengefulness are fruits of likes and dislikes, harming oneself and others.
The Spheres of Demerit, Ruin, and Death
Within the stream of demerit is im that causes problems, transformed into a state of suffering. Within the sphere of demerit is also a sphere of ruin, darker than the sphere of demerit; and if that ruin is severe, at its center is a sphere of death, darker still. All are sealed in the completed sphere of demerit to be set on the timeline of life, near and far. Once set, the countdown begins, and we must receive that fruit unavoidably.
Design Your Life to Dwell in the Activities of the Wholesome
Our life unfolds entirely as a matter of activities — of merit, of demerit, and of the neutral. Whoever occupies time draws in its energy to drive its system, increasing its own proportion and reducing the others'. So we must understand life's truth and design our life across each part of the day — morning, midday, afternoon, evening, night — to dwell in the activities of the wholesome, to build a good future — not behaving like a child who spends the day only in play, craving money, taking advantage — because that makes life harder and more painful, instead of improving its quality.