Understanding Merit and Its Impact on Life : หน้า 74/135

106. HELP FROM MERIT A layperson asked if she ran into obstacles and was far away from me, what she should do to get help from me (through my power of virtue). I advised her to recall the virtues from the good deeds she has done and the charitable acts she has made, and ask the merits from these acts of good deeds to help her overcome these obstacles. Your merits can help you. If you keep company with immoral people, these people can't help you. Merit will guide us towards kind people who will come to our assistance. May 13, 1989 107. YOUTH IS NOT A FACTOR IF YOU HAVE MERIT A layperson asked me for advice on how to handle a situation where he had to supervise an office where many people working under him were older and had worked there longer than he had. I replied that there is no need to worry. It doesn't matter if you have fewer years of seniority than they do; it only matters that you have more merit. It is merit, not age that is a factor. We are the results of our merit. If we have more merit, we become the leader. Merit is the determining factor. September 23, 1991 108. SHORT LIFE, LONG LIFE A guest asked me to tell her why her husband had died young. I replied that he died early because of his karma. In his past life, he committed numerous acts of killing and cruelty to animals. He had to face his karmic retribution which caused him to die young. Someone who lives long, such as in my case, is due to abstention from killing or causing suffering to other beings in the past life. But remember, everyone must die sooner or later. There are no exceptions to this rule. January 20, 1991