MooThings with a Dhamma Master : หน้า 79/164

MooThings with a Dhamma Master solvent that destroys cells in the body, no matter how we use it. From the medical point of view, cell destruction will continue to increase if we continue to drink. The damage caused to the nervous system should be enough for you to calculate for yourself if it is worth it. It is, of course, up to each individual whether or not it helps your spiritual development. But I want to leave you with this thought: In terms of emotions you have and especially in the way you use the energy you have, you must be careful on all levels. If you think of the family, there are many children who are born with mental defects because the mother drank while she was pregnant. And so, the way I justified it to my own family and the way I justify it to other families is through (1) meditation, that is, alcohol will interfere with your meditation experience, and (2) prevalence of birth problems that are caused by women drinking alcohol when they are pregnant. "On a final note is this: The reason we talk about self-sufficiency from birth has to do with developing good habits. Anyone who grows up with parents who have good habits, is indeed fortunate. Good health plus good habits cultivate boon! Everyone, of course, has a mixture of good habits and bad habits. The first problem that affects habits is what we have just been talking about, and that problem is one of survival. Many people are greedy, for example, because of their survival mechanism. Supposing a family is poor. Then the child becomes greedy. Some people have a lot, but if they are not taught to share, then they, too, will become greedy. Some people are born wealthy, and they have so much stuff that they throw it around and don’t take care of it. "It all comes down to each individual and how they acquire their things. So if there is a problem, it might be individualistic at first, but as soon as we go to school, it becomes a problem there. If it is not addressed in school, then it becomes a social problem, and then an economic problem, and then a political problem. But, of course, we must start with the individual. The individual does not know his or her own duty of living together with society. We don’t know how to live with our teacher and we don’t know the duty of a teacher-student relationship. We cannot expect problems to change unless we change the dynamics of the family. And that starts with the teachings of the Five Rooms and the Six Directions: The direction most likely to help with the problems of living is the Spiritual Direction, or the person who represents this direction. This is the person who offers us the moisture to grow. This is the person who will most likely teach us meditation: If we are not meditating properly, then we will not be able to discern the right path. "At the root of the problems are the limitations of the body. But there are also problems of the mind. The mind has equivalent problems. The mind is the element of knowing." 77