Vipassana Meditation Master
Acharavadee Wongsakon
On December 10, 2021, I received gold and money donations from my Vipassana students for the foundation’s project, during which there were some impressive stories I’d like to share with you.
Giving material things is the way for people to let go of attachment to their belongings. In general, it takes certain effort to give away one’s belongings even though it doesn’t affect their wealth. Disproportionate giving compared to one’s earnings or wealth is characteristic of stingy mind that will not be able to get out of the cycle of rebirth.
Some people are willing to go all the way in their perseverance with meditation practice but cannot make themselves part from their money and belongings. Only when they win over their minds by sacrificing their possessions will they feel lighter and relieved as if they won a tough battle. It is because the material things that they sacrifice act as the bridge, leading to the great power of merit.
On that day, among the students who made the donations was a couple who presented their gold wedding rings to me. Upon receiving, I gave them a blessing, then returned the rings to them. Such a giving showed that they had won against their attachment, and the rings became the bridge of merit for them.
There were many times I returned the donated things to their owners. Even so, the merit they made was completed, serving the purpose of the givers. Similarly, when my meditation practice reached a certain point, I was planning to shave my head. The moment I pulled my hair up to cut it off, my mind was released from attachment; the merit from abandoning attachment to worldly concerns was immediately completed and my spiritual progress went up to another level.
However, I decided to keep my hair as it would set an example for others to learn from seeing how a Vipassana meditation master blended in with the world while walking on the Noble Path. The point is there was no longer attachment.
Another story involved the spirits of two celebrities; the mother and son. They wanted to make merit by offering their gold necklace which was given to a relative who is my Vipassana student. This student really wanted to give it to me to support the casting of Buddha’s statue. So, on that day, not only did he give the necklace to me, but the two spirits also joined him. The spirits communicated through me and kept reiterating that he must not stop at just making donations and that he must continue practicing meditation.
Sadly, it’s always too late to realize the importance of being human. Only those who win against the Impurity Force in their minds will have Nirvana as their final destination.
The key principle of giving is that it must be a sacrifice of something you hold dear, then a powerful merit will happen. However, it must not go beyond your ability or affect your life. This way, the merit will become a noble treasure as well as attract even more worldly wealth.
One’s winning mind makes one’s wish more powerful.
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