Singburi Woman

CASE STUDY

Singburi Woman

 

 

With great respect to Luang Phaw

I would like to offer myself as a follower of Dhamma under Luang Phaw.  I am Thai by birth but have lived in Japan for 18 years.  From the time I arrived here, I had not met a monk or placed an offering into a monk’s alms bowl even once.  Then a friend introduced me to a young acquaintance of hers who was a leader in making merit in Tokyo.

She suggested that I install a DMC satellite dish.  At first I refused because I had a lot of debt.  But she did not stop trying to convince me.  She called me regularly to ask how I was doing.  And she soothed me emotionally.  In the end, she paid for the satellite dish. Now I watch DMC everyday without fail.  My life has changed.  Though I have problems, I feel happy.  I always meditate daily.  I see the brightness inside me and Dhamma spheres shine inside me all the time.  I would like to respectfully ask Luang Phaw to Dream-in-Dream for me.

I was born in Singburi Province.  My family was poor.  There were 7 children.  I was the second child.  My older sister died when she was 6 years old.  At that time I did not know what disease had caused her death.  But she had a very large head, about the size of a basketball.

When she died, I became the oldest sister to 2 brothers and 3 sisters.  I had to work as a daily laborer.  So I only went to school until grade 9, even though I really wanted to study.  I saw my friends go to school and I always thought that they would be successful.  But it was a pity that I had little merit and great misfortune.  I would secretly cry every day.  But I tried to soothe myself.  Even though I did not have a higher education, even though I did not become what I wanted in life, I did not mind.  I only asked to be a good person in everyone’s eyes.  This made me proud.

When I was 12, my parents sent me to stay with my uncle in Udon Thani Province.  When I was with my uncle, my life was very difficult.  I was like a slave.  I had to sell goods days and nights.  He did not give any money.  He did not buy me a single article of clothing.

Someone who felt sorry for me brought me old clothes.  Later I ran away from his house without any money.  I could not pay for transportation to return home because it was far away and the fare was expensive.

I asked to work at a restaurant for almost one year.  I saved money to buy myself clothes.  And when I had enough to pay for the fare, I immediately returned home.  When I arrived home, my mother did not blame me.  But my father was angry.  He refused to understand and would not speak to me for a year.

After I returned home, I earned money by doing laundry and pedaling a 3-wheel bicycle pedicab for hire.  I was the first women to pedal a 3-wheeled pedicab in Singburi.  I was the subject of much conversation among townspeople.  Word spread to the police chief and the district chief.  I worked almost 2 years because the income was good, 200-300 baht per day.  I worked until a car crashed into me and injured my left leg.  I had to stop pedaling the 3-wheeler.

At that time I was married and had one son.  When I could not work, I became depressed.  So I had my mother take care of my son and looked for work in Bangkok.  No matter how much I looked, I could not find a job because of my low education,

At that time, Bangkok had a lot of nightclubs and bars.  So I found work at a Japanese bar in the Patpong area.  At that time, the Patpong area was very popular.  I worked for 2 years and fell in love with a Japanese man who was about 60.  We ran a bar in the Patpong area.

At that time, I thought I would have a comfortable life because I sent my family 50,000 to 60,000 baht per month.  My father would drive from Singburi to pick up the money every month.  But 2-3 years later, the Japanese man married a Japanese woman who was around his age.

I was so disappointed that I ended the business.  One year later, I fell in love with a Thai man.  I did not know he was already married.  We were like a married couple and had one son.  At first, he took good care of me and our son.  But later, he did not take such good care of us.  So I left him.

At that time, my 2 sons were of school age and required financial support.  I decided to take them to my paternal grandmother.  My paternal grandparents were Chinese and loved me very much.  When I bowed to their feet and asked their forgiveness for my mistakes in life, my grandmother forgave me and agreed to take care of my sons.

I stayed with her in Bangkok and found another job.  I returned to my nighttime work.  At that time, many foreigners traveled to visit Thailand.  When I had money, I gave some to my grandmother, provided some for my sons to attend school, and sent some home to my parents and siblings.

Later, I had the good fortune to meet my present Japanese husband.  He came to my bar.  He was single.  When I first met him, I did not feel anything towards him.  But he liked me.  When he returned to Japan, he called to speak with my every day.  In the end, he asked me to stop working and asked me to marry him.  He was willing to resign from his job in Japan to live with me in Thailand.  He told me that I was the only one in his heart.

I decided to marry him because my grandmother was very concerned about me.  She asked me to marry him because she was quite old and would not be alive much longer.  Two years later, she died.  So I went with my husband to Japan.  My 2 sons went to live with my parents in Thailand.  I had 2 more sons with my Japanese husband.  I now have 4 sons.

During my initial time in Japan, I had a very difficult time.  I stayed in a house with my husband’s parents.  The house was very old.  When I saw it, I was so surprised that I wanted to return home immediately.

I once asked my husband when the house was built.  He told me it was built over 100 years ago.  The toilet was a hole in the floor outside the house, with 2 boards over it for the user’s feet.  When you looked into the hole, you could see the worms in the excrement.  In the house at night, you had to walk carefully or your feet would fall into gaps in the floorboards.  The house was in the forest.  When it rained, we had to use containers to catch water from the leaks in the roof.

I and my husband had to care for his parents.  I worked sewing bags.  These bags were not small.  They were large like sand bags used for flood prevention.  Even though the work was hard, I did not give up.  I persevered with my 2 hands and my heart.

My husband’s father liked to hunt for wild pigs every week.  He also shot birds and fished.  He drank regularly.  After 9 years, he became sick with throat cancer.  After surgery, the doctor said the house was old, dirty, and full of germs.  If he returned home, he would become sick again.

I and my husband borrowed money to build a new house.  When the construction was finished, my husband’s father had only been in the new house for 2 weeks before he became unable to eat.  He could mouth words but no sound emerged.  He had to write what he wanted to say on paper.  The doctor suggested having additional surgery but said the chances of survival were small.  

He had to have surgery which made a hole in his throat so he could breathe.  His phlegm and saliva would come out from this hole.  He had to consume rice soup through a tube in his nose.  On the day he died, his face swelled up to the size of a watermelon.  Then his brain burst.  Blood spurted out from the top of his head and his brain tissue came out in view of my husband’s mother.

Two weeks after my husband’s father had died, I started to feel ill from working hard.  The doctor said I had thyroid problems.  I had a high fever and required urgent surgery.  My husband’s mother did not understand.  She claimed I was lying to gain sympathy.  Even though my husband believed me, he could not do anything because he had to follow his mother.

In the end, I received help from a Japanese friend who drove me to the hospital for surgery.  My husband’s mother called this friend to castigate her.  I had to deeply apologize to my friend later.

In 2006, I had just returned from Phra Dhammakaya Temple from a ceremony on 22 April.  On that day, I was not home.  Without warning, a fire erupted in the kitchen and became a fearsome blaze.  

My sons were sleeping but there were pictures of Luang Pu, Luang Phaw, Luang Phaw Datta, and Khun Yai in their room.  When I arrived home, I was surprised that the fire had gone out.  I did not know why it had gone out but there was a burned and blackened pot and frying spatula left behind.

I would like to respectfully ask Luang Phaw the following questions.

1.    I love and feel close to my paternal grandparents.  And they have helped me my children in every difficult situation.  What is the reason we are connected to one another?  Where did my paternal grandparents go when they died?

2.    What merit did my husband and I make together in our past lives that we have made a life together in Japan?  What demerit caused us to live in a house more than 100 years old?  My husband has quit smoking but still drinks alcohol.  And he still likes to look down on and speak disparagingly about many other people.  What can I do to make him change his behavior?

3.    Now my husband owns his own business.  But one of his workers hit someone with a company vehicle so my husband had to go to court.  He had to pay a lot in damages.  What demerit caused my husband to have troubles due to his employee?  Now his business is doing very well.  Is this because of the merit from building personal Buddha images?

4.    What demerit caused my husband’s father to have throat cancer, to have his face swell, and to have his head explode?  Where is he now?  How can he be helped?

5.    My husband’s mother does not like me much.  We do not get along.  What demerit did we make together in our past lives?  What can I do to reduce this demerit?  What demerit led her to impede me from going to the doctor?

6.    I always think that I want to build a Thai temple at Kagoshima and wish that my husband’s mother will give me land for this purpose.  Will I have enough merit to offer the land for the temple and build the temple?  How will the results of the merit arise from donating the land to Luang Phaw to do as he sees fit?

7.    What demerit has caused me to have a difficult life since childhood?  I was a slave at my uncle’s house.  I had to pedal a 3-wheeled pedicab.  I had to work in at nighttime jobs.  And even now I am still in difficult circumstances.  But why do others see me as having a comfortable and prosperous life?

8.    My oldest son from my Japanese husband wants to ordain as a monk very much.  Will his desire be fulfilled?  What demerit causes my younger son in Japan to dislike studying?  How can this demerit be reduced?

9.    The fire which occurred at the house went out on its own.  What was the cause of this fire?  Why did it go out on its own?  Was it because of help from the great Dhammakaya teachers?

10.    Every time I am suffering, the young woman who is a leader in merit must call me to find out how I am doing, without knowing beforehand.  What merit did we make together in our past lives?  How did we make merit with the Dhammakaya community in our past lives?

With great respect to Luang Phaw.

Luang Phaw's Dream

I closed my eyes, dreamed and woke up with these answers.
When you tell anybody the story like a tale, it will make anyone know more about retribution (Law of Kamma)

1.    You and your paternal grandparents love and feel close to one another.  This is because you were relatives and supported one another in your past lives.  Now they love and support you as their blood-related grandchild as well.

 

• Your grandparents became common earth spirits in an earth spirit village.  They have a small house and live together because they love and feel close to one another.

• When they were alive, they did not make merit other than helping their relatives with kindness.

 

2. You and your husband live together in Japan.  This is because you were married in a past life long ago.  In that life, when you and your husband made merit together, you both wished that if future lives existed, you would be husband and wife again.  After that past life, you were separated for a very long time.  In this life you met, so you are married.

• You are in a 100 year-old house because in your past life, you liked to give low-quality items.  You donated used items.
  

• Your husband quit smoking but still drinks alcohol.  And he often likes to speak badly about many other people.  If you want to improve his personality, you must take him to be in an environment with kalayanamitta.  He should listen to Dhamma from monks often.  Each time you make merit, you should wish that he will stop behaving this way.

 

3.    Your husband had troubles because his employee ran into someone and made your husband have to go to court.  This is because in a past life, he used his employees to harm his business competitors by destroying their goods.  So this pattern followed him into his present life and led to the troubles with his employee.

• Your husband’s business has started to improve because of the merit you made with the Dhammakaya community in your past and present lives.

 

4. Your husband’s father had throat cancer.  His face swelled up and his head exploded.  This is because of his demerit in his past lives and his most recent life from hunting.  When he caught an animal, he would slit its throat.  He would speak rudely and insultingly to others.  He also liked to shoot animals in the head to kill them.
 

 

• When he died, he went to the first level of hell from his demerit from killing living creatures.  He is being shot in the head by hell-wardens.  Sometimes they slit his throat.  They take his severed heads and place them in a pile, doing so until the pile grows as large as a mountain.  He is suffering greatly.  He has died and been reborn in hell repeatedly.

• He cannot receive merit made on his behalf.  But you must continue to make merit on his behalf where it will be waiting for him in Yomalok.
  

 

5. Your husband’s mother does not like you and you do not get along.  This is because of your old demerit when you oppressed your own daughter-in-law.  So you must meet your mother-in-law who does something similar to you.  This is new demerit for your husband’s mother.  But you did not have a dispute with her in your past lives.

• To reduce this demerit, you must endure, remain calm, smile, and give into her.  When you make merit, you should include her name and wish that she will love you and treat you kindly.  
  

• She did not allow you to go see the doctor because of the demerit from your past life when you prevented your daughter-in-law from seeing the doctor when she was sick.  This is a pattern from your past life. 
  

• So you should forgive her because this is your old demerit.

6. You want to build a Thai temple in Kagoshima.  You must meditate everyday and wish that those with merit will join you to build it.  And you must start to invite others with merit to join you to make merit. 

• As for the land owned by your husband’s mother, if you get it this is good; but if not, so be it.  This because her faith, keeping the precepts, and attitude and not at your level.

• The merit from offering land to Luang Phaw for Luang Phaw to use as he sees fit will arise as follows.  You will have a pattern of owning land.  You will have the three assets: physical attractiveness, wealth, and good characteristics.  And you will attain Nirvana and the Vijja Dhammakaya.

7. You have had a difficult life since your childhood.  You were used as a slave at your uncle’s house.  You had to operate a pedicab.  You worked at nighttime jobs.  This is because of the demerit from being stingy in your past.  And it is also due to the demerit from exploiting your relatives in your past lives.  And this is combines with demerit from adultery.

• Although you are in difficult circumstances, others see you life as comfortable and wealthy.  This is because the results of your merit have only arisen at one level.  But the merit you have is to weak to break the pattern of your stinginess demerit and other forms of demerit from your past lives.  And others have never seen your true living situation.

8. Your oldest son wants to ordain very much.  This is because he has a personality to ordain that followed him from his past life.  So he will fulfill his wish.

• Your younger son does not like to study. This is because he has accumulated little merit concerning education. 
  

• To address this problem, he should establish a fund to assist monks, novices, and students with their education. 
  

• And you must teach him and support him because he a short attention span.

9. The fire at your house went out on its own.  This is due to the merit from building personal Buddha images in your present life.  And you do not have demerit concerning fire.  In other words, you never set fire to another person’s house.  And the power of the great Dhammakaya teachers protected you.  If you have heavy demerit, it will grow lighter.  And if you have light demerit, it will disappear.

 

10.  Every time you are suffering, the young woman who is a leader in merit must call you to find out how you are doing, without knowing beforehand.  This is because of the merit from your past lives when you supported one another and your minds were linked to one another.  And the young woman who is a leader in merit has the finest heart of a kalayanamitta.

• You and she made merit together with the Dhammakaya community as supporters.  But usually you made merit on and off.  You made merit according to your mood, not all the time.  This means your demerit arises in episodically so that you sometimes experience various problems.

• Your kalayanamitta made merit according to her mood like you.  But she did it a little better than you.  This means she made merit to a fuller extent than you.  But you must both correct and improve yourselves.

• In this life we meet again and diligently make all forms of merit to the fullest degree.  Make the resolution that when you pass away we will all go to Tusita together.  Let us not miss this opportunity.

 

http://goo.gl/0NLpb