Mobile VersionChanging Life by the Ordination Merit
The garage owner escapes from sins by joining the ordination
Edited from the Inner Dream Kindergarten program broadcasting on DMC
I pay the highest respect to the Most Venerable Luang Phaw Dhammajayo
I am known as the 37-years old Monk, Teeraded Yanataeshow, who participated in 3rd 10 thousands monks’ ordination program (3 seasons version) at Wat Kernamsai, Aranyapathed district, Sakaew province. Currently, I am working as mentor monk for the 4th 10 thousands monks’ ordination program during Buddhist Lent at Wat Tarkearn in Sakaew province. Before I became ordained, I am a country-side kid, who lived in the Sakaew province. I used to wandered endlessly, go to parties, have fun and drink alcohol like most other boys in order to waste time in my gang of friends without concerning about my future. At that time, I was devoted to my friends and would do everything my friends encouraged me to do.
One day, my friends asked me whether I was interested in working at Korat since it has plenty of easy jobs available. I was interested and couldn’t turn down their offer, so I went to pack my bags and sneaked out of my home without telling anyone. When I reached Korat, I finally realized that the job my friend offered to me was illegal lumbering at a National Conservative Forest in Khao Yai. The purpose of this illegal lumbering job was to use the wood to produce furniture and sell them at a fairer price than our competitors. This type of job receive a very high wage rate without having to invest in anything at all because there are many trees left in the National Conservative Forest. I had worked at this job for many years until one day, while I was lying down; I suddenly missed my parents because I had deserted them a long time ago, so I decided to return home.
Once, I had returned home, I opened my own garage to fix motorcycles for customers. Working at this job, I only received a 150 baht daily income. Nevertheless, I was determined in my job and began to learn how to fix motorcycles. Unskilled I was, I began to improve my skills gradually everyday. My sole proprietorship business began to grow, and pretty soon, it was drawing many customers. Moreover, I got a chance to meet my wife for the first time. She entered into my life by teaching me to make merit and meditate.
Finally one day, my wife invited me to go make merit at Wat Pra Dhammakaya. My first impression when I stepped into the wat, I was completely surprise and taken back by the enormous buildings and constructions. Furthermore, after I have studied the history of our Great Masters and our merit seeking group, I’ve gained faith in their teachings. After I had returned home from the Wat, my wife installed the DMC satellite dish at our house. When I worked at fixing the motorcycles, I also opened and listened to the TV programs from the DMC satellite dish. Not only do I listen to DMC everyday, I also have been practicing meditation and taking the 5 precepts daily. Unbelievably, because of the good deeds I have done, my sole proprietorship business began to grow at a rapid rate. I have gained so many customers that come to my shop for motorcycle fixing service, even though I haven’t advertised my shop at all. Surprisingly, my income began to grew from the thousands digit to the ten thousands digit. Everything in my life has improved and I am very happy.
One day, my wife came to me and said, “Around this time, there is an ordination program for ten thousands monks at Wat Pra Dhammakaya during hot season. Please ordain in this program for me.” As she was inviting me, she also handed me the ordination form. I looked at her face and decided right away to fill in the ordination form. I began to get ready to be ordained by taking the 8 precepts, pray, and meditate daily. The reason I have to get ready is because I would like to purify my mind in order to become ordain. Afterwards, I had closed down my garage business; I packed my bags and travelled straight to the Wat Pra Dhammakaya.
After entering the ordination program, I was very surprised about why the ordination program has to include field training exercises and contain many rules and regulations that the monks have to follow. However, I began to adapt myself to the regulations and examine critically the purpose of each rule to determine what this ordination program can do to benefit the monks. After I began to examine critically, I began to realize that every rules, regulations, and trainings the ordination program provide for us is to help shape us into better monks and learn to work in teams. It also teaches us to drop our bad habits inside ourselves. After I had listened to the Dhamma, received the merit, meditated, and purified my mind, I became happier. The more I stilled my mind, the more my meditation results improved. In the beginning, when I closed my eyes, I only saw darkness, felt muscle pain, and then my mind began to wander and then I fell asleep. However, I still tried my best to continue sit still.
One day, when I stilled my mind and meditated, the only thought that came into my mind was, “I would like to close my eyes and be left alone by myself.” In the beginning, my mind began to wander and felt muscle pain, but I kept trying to continue meditate, and then my mind kept becoming more still like never before. I continue to keep this stillness feeling inside myself. After a while, I began to see many crystals appearing from the middle of my stomach. The crystal balls were so bright and filled up my entire stomach. I continued to watch the crystal balls appearing, and pretty soon, I began to see the Buddha images appear in the middle of the crystal balls. The Buddha images are appearing in shining bright lights, which are more beautiful that diamonds. The Buddha images that I saw are the most beautiful than everything in this world. I’m very happy just by sitting still and watching the Buddha images appearing so much that I don’t want to open my eyes or do anything else.
In conclusion, I would like to pay highest respect to the most venerable Luang Por Dhammajayo from the bottom of my heart. If there is no Luang Por Dhammajayo, there will be no ordination program, and I will never realize what the happiness of monks from meditation will feel like. Moreover, I would like to continue my monkhood from day to day so I can work for Luang Por to help create world peace so that Buddhism will continue to thrive in Thailand.
I pay the highest respect to the Most Venerable Luang Phaw Dhammajayo
Pra Teeraded Yanataeshow
Translated by Pichayapa Suenghataiphorn
http://goo.gl/rEJdU
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