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5 "Bhikkhus, my duties that are of benefit and support to you are now complete. I now wish to remind you that the nature of all living creatures is impermanence and degeneration. Thus, you should continue performing your duties with non-recklessness." When we possess carefulness, we can easily train ourselves to be righteous and virtuous. When we are reckless, the chances for misconduct through physical, verbal, and mental means will be high. Consequently, our own virtues will automatically decline. A careful person must train himself to be mindful all the time. As human beings, we have a limited lifespan. We should make the most out of it by diligently accruing wholesome deeds. To train ourselves to be careful is to train ourselves to be constantly immersed in merit. Readers may ask, why? In Buddhism, each individual performs both good and bad actions throughout his life. However, the manifestation of his kammic fruit will be a function of his state of mind. For example, if his state of mind is filled with evil (he thinks and acts maliciously), his present evil actions will open the doorway for his evil kammic fruit from the past, such as killing animals, to augment his present evil actions and run their course 5 Buddhist monks. together. Consequently, he will have a short lifespan in this lifetime because of his past and present evil kammic fruit. Moreover, he will encounter unexpected misery and perhaps miss chances to accrue merit through performing good deeds. On the contrary, if his state of mind is immersed in merit (he is kind toward others or thinks of his generosity, observance of precepts, and meditation), his present good actions will open the doorway for his good kammic fruit from the past, such as generosity, to work in tandem with the kammic fruit from his present actions. As a result, he is wealthier in this lifetime. The Lord Buddha understood the truth about the arising of merit, which can be further broken down into three periods according to the state of mind: before, during, and after the generous act. Before the generous act, one can accrue merit by having a state of mind that is joyful; during the generous act, it should be clear and cheerful; after the generous act, one should recall the generous act on a frequent basis. One can accrue merit through generosity, precept observance, and meditation practice. How can one's mind be immersed in merit? According to our ancestors, one of the ways to achieve a state of mind that is full of merit is to practice austerity for three to seven days, which includes practicing generosity, The Warm Hearted Family 350 Training Oneself in Non-Recklessness by Practicing Austerity (Dhūtanga) The Warm Hearted Family. 351 Training Oneself in Non-Recklessness by Practicing Austerity (Dhūtanga)