The Art of Mindfulness : หน้า 67/163

the elder sister was a strict adherent to her own faith. The woman's neck erupted in septic boils, resist- ant to medical treatment, whether conventional, homeopathic, herbal or witch doctors! The boils continued to spread unabated causing her extreme distress. The patient was taken by her mother to several doctors until finally she was advised to visit Luang Phaw Wat Paknam. Luang Phaw had the reputation for being able to cure hopeless cases, irrespective of race or creed. The mother took her daughter to pay respect to Luang Phaw. Luang Phaw observed the patient and then fell silent for a moment. He said: "These are the sort of boils they call 'boils of mercy' because there is no need for the suf- ferer to visit a doctor. All you need to do is repeat 'Samma-araham' and imagine a crys- tal ball.1 In only another seven or eight days, you'll reach 'mercy', so just carry on with this meditation exercise." He instructed them in meditation there and then, before telling them to return home. The daughter practised in earnest and found that the pain abated. Whenever the pain returned, she would again meditate and it would disappear. Although the pain could be controlled, the feverish symptoms remained rampant and worsened day by day. The doctors were frightened by the hopeless- ness of her condition but the patient herself showed no sign of discomfort. 1. Luang Phaw saw that the mother and daughter were Muslim and advised them to use a crystal ball rather than a Buddha image to avoid alienating them.