Saving vs. Spending: Lessons from Luang Phaw : หน้า 104/207

I myself encountered this problem and felt the hopelessness. This experience prompted me to go through my notes on the teachings of Luang Phaw. Luang Phaw said that when he was about 30 years old and not yet ordained, he himself was in financial straits. Although he was making a good salary, he still spent more than he was earning. Unable to rectify the situation, he sought his mother’s help. She was able to help him financially. She said to him, “Son, it is not important how much money you earn, it is how much you save. In this world, many people earn a lot but have little or nothing left. At the same time, there are many who earn less but have saved more.” She continued, “Earning a lot but having little left is like using a bamboo basket to collect water. When the basket is submerged it is filled with water, but once you lift the basket up you will have a wet basket and no water. “However, earning a little but have a lot saved is like using a coconut shell or a bowl to collect water. Although a small vessel, it will carry your water safely.” If a person earns a lot but drinks alcohol, it is like having a leak in your vessel. If you gamble, even when you know you should not, it is yet another kind of leak. Going out to socialize at a bar, or club or to places that you should not go, are also forms of a leak. All of these “leaks” can be called Āpāyamukha, or Roads Which Lead to Ruin. The Warm Hearted Family 207 The Roads That Lead to Ruin