Power Through Merit : หน้า 58/135

66. POWER THROUGH MERIT Whatever we set out to accomplish in life, we must examine our personal condition as well as the condition of our merit—the “spiritual capital” that we have built. We should attempt things that are within our current ability and we will accomplish. Don’t exceed your limit. If you desire greatness, achieve your greatness through merit, not through unwholesome actions or defilements(i). Achieve- ments of greatness through the power of merit are genuine achievements, but greatness achieved through defilements will eventually collapse. “PDefilements (klesa): mental impurities consisting of greed, anger, and delusion; hindrances or poisons that cause beings to perform undesirable deeds. Look at Devadatta(i)” as an example. He achieved only a little success but became disillusioned with himself and wanted to be famous. He did so without looking at whether he had built up enough foundation of goodness to deserve it. This resulted in his demise. It is like building a house on a flimsy foundation. If you build the house bigger than the foundation can support, the result is predictable, the house will collapse. If you wonder how I have accomplished all that I have, I will tell you that it is due to the great amount of merit I have accumulated and is also due to my insurmountable patience. The reason I became famous with so many followers is due to the virtues that I have made and built up in the past. January 12, 1975 “Devadatta(i)” was a cousin and disciple of the Buddha who created a schism in the monastic order. Due to loyalty and for power, he attempted to murder the Buddha. Devadatta became a symbol of a bad trait.