Understanding Habits and Their Impact on Health : หน้า 78/164

Suzanne Jeffrey "Additionally, the environment in which these things are used affects our health and habits. We must pay attention to every small detail. If we have a good doctor, we can help an illness even though it may cost a lot of money. But if bad habits are formed [NOTE: Luang Por is comparing bad habits to an illness] then it is too difficult to change. It may take a lifetime to change a bad habit. Why? First of all, it is difficult to even know what a bad habit is! Secondly, our brain and eyes force us to look out, not in. So the moment we open our eyes, we see other people, not ourselves. When we look in the mirror, we see a reflection. When we are looking for a solution, or when we are critical, we look outside of ourselves, never within. This is why it is so hard to know our own bad habits. It is even hard to find someone to tell us that we have a bad habit! And, if someone does, it is difficult to believe them! And then, suppose we believe them. Then it is hard to change them. And then, even if we know how to change them, it is difficult to have the motivation. So, we see it takes a lot of everything to change! "Sometimes our health gets in the way of changing, too. Habits are, after all, instilled in us from birth, so when we need to unlearn them, we need to go to the source. So we need the motivation, the physical strength, and the opportunity in which to change our habits. We need to overcome all of the damage from our past. "And, where do good habits come from? The five things: Quality, Quantity, Technique, Timing, and Environment. And we get these from birth: from our parents, our teachers, and our religious organizations. Our good habits are a result of a team effort from birth. If we think about our life in this way, it will be hard to make serious mistakes. And remember, the more we meditate, the more brightness, and the more reality is exposed. So don't be lazy: Meditate!" It is now time for questions. Luang Por has been talking for over an hour. A young Italian man poses this question: "I would like to talk about the fifth precept of not drinking alcohol or taking intoxicants. My father makes his own wine and we drink it at meal times. Sometimes we drink it for celebrations. We do not sell it. I would like to know why this is so wrong." Luang Por says: "You are not alone in asking this question. My own father’s income came from making whiskey. He produced it and we drank it. When I started to meditate, I started to ask questions about this to my father. He then decided to stop producing it and also stopped drinking it. Looking at it on the deeper level, I found that alcohol is a