Meditation and the Prosperity of Buddhist Temples : หน้า 188/207

minds only when they practice meditation until their minds reach a profound level of peacefulness and becomes so bright that they are able to see their minds through the brightness. Most people in this world do not see their own minds because they do not practice meditation. As a result, they become easily enslaved to defilements, which can bring endless chaos to the world. When people see the monks' efforts in meditation practice, they will be inspired to do the same. Whenever people come to make merit, the monks must teach them Dhamma as well as meditation practice. When their minds are pure and tranquil, brightness will arise naturally. The mind's clarity will increase and bring about wholesome thoughts. They will clearly see the wholesome means to perform more merit. Thus, the third sacred formula is the frequency of meditation practice or "The Sacred Formula for Success" of Luang Phaw Wat Paknam. After conversing with the monk, it became clear how the Dhammakaya Temple escaped from such a crisis. Any temple that applies these Three Sacred Formulas of Luang Phaw Wat Paknam will never be abandoned. As a result, many more people will go to make merit and study Dhamma at those temples. What I gained from my research about the Dhammakaya Temple is that Buddhist males of retirement age should think about ordaining as monks so that they can help revive those abandoned temples. They can apply their life experiences and network to benefit Buddhism by restoring the abandoned temples or providing support to new ones. Then they should manage the temples with the Three Sacred Formulas of Luang Phaw Wat Paknam. In the end, the temples will come to prosper once again. Temples in Thailand will not be in decline, thus prolonging the Buddhist religion. The Warm Hearted Family 374 Abandoned Temples and Prosperous Temples The Warm Hearted Family 375 Abandoned Temples and Prosperous Temples