พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าคำสอนที่ให้อธิษฐานขอ 'หล่อ สวย รวย ฉลาด' กับคำสอนให้ทำใจสันโดษนั้นอยู่คนละสถานการณ์กัน เมื่อบุญบังเกิดเต็มเปี่ยมก็ให้กำหนดความปรารถนาดีติดในดวงบุญ แต่เมื่อบาปยังให้ผลอยู่ก็ต้องดำรงอยู่บนพื้นฐานของความสันโดษ ยินดีพอใจในสิ่งที่ตัวมีตัวเป็นPra Ajarn explains that the teaching to aspire for 'good looks, beauty, wealth, cleverness' and the teaching to be content belong to different situations. When merit has fully arisen, one sets one's good wishes into the sphere of merit; but while demerit is still bearing fruit, one must live on the basis of contentment, satisfied with what one has and is.
Someone shared that over the past few days many had asked about making a living and changing jobs, and recounted that Luang Phor once answered a civil servant who asked whether they'd be promoted before retirement, saying to make peace with it, since the merit made in past lives amounted to only this much. They also mentioned speaking with a person worth several billion who said their life had no at all — being a business owner is like riding a tiger, unable to get off, having to think all day — and asked why this teaching seems different from Luang Phor's 'good looks, beauty, wealth, cleverness, wishes fulfilled.'
No Bias Against Wealth
Pra Ajarn has no bias against wealth. Some may think the teaching doesn't match Luang Phor's. Luang Phor taught aspiring for good looks, beauty, wealth, cleverness, and fulfilled wishes — which is correct. While the sphere of merit leads us to create good causes until merit arises, he had us aspire for what is good: the fulfillment of every right and good thing. Everyone wants this, but it succeeds only once merit has arisen.
They Belong to Different Situations
These two teachings belong to different situations. In one, when merit has fully arisen, we must set our good wishes into the sphere of merit — that situation is as described. But in the other, while the law of karma is bearing the fruit of demerit and merit hasn't yet borne fruit — if merit does bear fruit, everything settles by itself; even without wanting it, we'd receive it. When wealth is coming, even without wanting to be rich, one becomes rich, unavoidably.
Live on the Basis of Contentment
Our living must rest on what is right and true to reality — abiding in . If wealth is to come, let it come on its own. But if merit hasn't reached the time to bear fruit, and we crave wealth, misguides us into trouble, because it isn't founded on what's right; we overstep the wheel-turning force's role and make mistakes, for craving alone won't do. Since it can't be avoided, abide in contentment for now, sfied with what we have and are — for contentment is a vital quality that lets us be happy within our means. This much, and be content with this much for now — not seeing others get much and wanting the same, since each has created causes at different times, and to be the same is impossible.