The Importance of Temple Invitation and Life Planning : หน้า 110/135

174. HELP THEM BY INVITING THEM TO THE TEMPLE To help someone reach Heaven, first invite that person to come to the temple. When I lived at Wat Paknam, I received invitations frequently to dine at various homes. Laughing? Wat Paknam gave me this thought: "Eating my food, you are only invited to one person. Isn’t that enough? Why do you need to eat at other people’s houses too?" I knew what he meant. From then on, I stopped eating at other people’s houses. I reminded monks who were invited to dine out: "Now that you have ordered, instead of going to other people’s houses for a meal, why not invite people to come to the temple instead? If you dine out at their homes, they will find no need to come to the temple to offer food." January 10, 1981 175. PUTTING DOWN ROOTS I wish nothing but prosperity for you. Although you may be impressed by tales of other places, remember that we have put down our roots here at the Buddhajkar Center. February 8, 1981 176. PLAN YOUR LIFE Plan well for your life. I planned everything through. Even as a simple farmer, foresight served me well. In the rice field and in the home, my skill at planning ahead helped my family to pay off our debt and we were able to save some money. After I saw that my family was doing well, I made plans to enter the temple and to seek out my late father’s afterlife whereabouts. This story was recounted in the book, The Path to Happiness. I lived for a time with Madame Lib and used my skills to help run her household. While living here I met Thongsuk Samandphan and learned meditation from her. Once I attained Dhammakaya, I wanted to join the temple immediately but I knew Madame Lib would not let me. So instead, I asked her for a leave to visit my family. With the help of Thongsuk, I was admitted to the temple, shaved my head, and became a nun. Once I joined the temple, I detached myself from the outside world completely, concentrating only on mastering the Dhammakaya Knowledge. That is why my meditation skills are so profound. March 1, 1981