The Lord Buddha pointed out that reverence is a source of great merit, for wherever reverence arises within a person, it is a sign that such a person possesses wisdom and has employed that wisdom to its fullest. For reverence is nothing other than a deep recognition of the genuine goodness and virtue that truly exist — within persons, within things, and within the events of life.

As an example of reverence toward persons: it is the deep recognition and heartfelt appreciation of the virtue of the Blessed One, the virtue of the Dhamma, and the virtue of the Sangha. Likewise, it is the recognition of the grace and goodness of one’s own father and mother.

Even children of discerning mind — those who have been well-guided and nurtured by their parents and teachers — come to possess such reverence. They hold a genuine recognition of the goodness of their parents and teachers. And when one truly recognizes and is moved by the virtue and goodness of another, one is compelled, as though naturally and of its own accord, to aspire to embody that same goodness oneself. It is precisely in this way that reverence becomes a path to great merit.

Fenruary 11^th, 2014

Notes on the translation:

• “ความเคารพ” — reverence — corresponds to the Pāli gārava, one of the seven qualities praised by the Buddha as conducive to the non-decline of the Dhamma and the spiritual community, enumerated in the Satta Aparihāniya Dhammā of the Dīgha Nikāya.
• “บุญใหญ่” — great merit — reflects the Pāli mahāpuñña, the abundant wholesome kamma generated by actions rooted in wisdom, faith, and sincere appreciation of virtue, as opposed to merit arising from mere ritual or habit.
• “คุณความดีที่มีอยู่จริง” — genuine goodness that truly exists — subtly affirms the Buddhist epistemological position that virtue is not merely conventional or subjective, but an objective quality discernible by the trained and wise mind (paññācakkhu: the eye of wisdom).
• “คุณของพระสัมมาสัมพุทธเจ้า คุณของพระธรรม คุณของพระสงฆ์” refers to the Iti pi so recollection — the threefold contemplation of the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha (Buddhānussati, Dhammānussati, Saṅghānussati) — among the most foundational devotional and meditative practices in Theravāda Buddhism.
• “บังคับเขาโดยอัตโนมัติ” — compelling one as though automatically — evokes the natural moral momentum (saṅkhāra) generated by genuine appreciation of virtue: the recognition of goodness in another spontaneously kindles the aspiration to embody it, a process akin to kalyāṇamittatā (noble friendship) functioning as a mirror for one’s own potential.
• “พระคุณของคุณพ่อคุณแม่” — the grace of one’s parents — reflects the Buddha’s profound teaching in the Kataññu Sutta that parents are worthy of the highest gratitude, being compared to Brahmā dwelling within the home, for the immeasurable gift of life, nourishment, and moral formation they bestow.

Khun Yay Ajarn would often say that from the time she was a child, if the occasion arose that she had to hire herself out to empty and wash chamber pots, she would do so — for it was an honorable livelihood. But to go and steal from others — even at the cost of life and limb, she would never consent to it.

To treat the body as a doormat — to endure whatever hardship or rough treatment may come — for the sake of earning an honest living, but to absolutely refuse to deceive or exploit others merely for the sake of beautifying oneself: this is the point.

Therefore, whoever is able to treat their body as a doormat will find that it reduces physical friction and conflict, bringing the mind to a state of peace and calm — this being the third level.

Source: Warm-hearted Family, page 30

The Lord Buddha himself declared: “To apologize and to forgive is the disposition of the wise.”

However, when someone has acknowledged their wrongdoing — not merely coming to ask forgiveness as a formality, but with a genuine intention to correct themselves — one must grant them pardon. Otherwise, those who have once wronged us will become prisoners locked away and forgotten within our own hearts.

Across lifetime after lifetime, though the original incident is long forgotten, the moment we come face to face with that person again, a sense of aversion arises from the very first day of meeting. If this continues to carry over across lives, it will only create further entanglement — and in time, new transgressions against one another will inevitably occur.

One need only ask oneself: there are people one has never met before in this life, yet upon meeting them for the first time, an inexplicable irritation stirs — even though they have done nothing whatsoever. This is a sign that it has carried over. We have held them prisoner in our hearts across lifetimes.

As a result, our inner world becomes crowded with prisoners, making it difficult to bring order to our thoughts. And when the mind is difficult to organize, this manifests during meditation — one person surfaces, then another, then another. Those are the prisoners we have locked away and forgotten, rising to the surface. Take note of this.

April 11^th, 2018

Observing outward things will never yield clarity. Observe inwardly instead — and you will not go astray. When you have learned to observe yourself well, you will be well able to govern your own emotions.

Look deeply at yourself, and you will come to understand every person in the world. Do not attempt to understand all the people in the world directly — it is a waste of time, for it cannot be done. Instead, strive to understand yourself in thorough detail, from every angle — and understanding of all people in the world will follow naturally and of itself. For they are, in essence, no different from you.

June 23^rd, 2015

1) Respect for the Buddha. 2) Respect for the Dhamma. 3) Respect for the Sangha.

These three are already familiar to us — they are, in essence, respect for the Triple Gem.

4) Respect for the Training — that is, respect for study and learning. What is to be studied? The Dhamma and the Vinaya — or in other words, the study of how-to bring morality and purification to oneself.

5) Respect for Meditation. With this form of respect firmly held, if one has not yet cultivated meditation to the point where the mind becomes stilled and settled, then in this very lifetime, one should not hope to attain the Dhamma that the Buddha taught. This is because the Triple Gem exists in both its outer form and its inner form. If one only studies the Tipitaka without engaging in earnest practice, one will attain only respect for the outer Triple Gem. In any case, one must apply oneself diligently to meditation — training the mind to sustain mindfulness and composure continuously within oneself — and before long, one will reach the inner Triple Gem.

6) Respect for Nonrecklessness. One must strive earnestly and hold oneself to account without complacency. Consider this: even Devadatta — who possessed such extraordinary powers as the ability to travel underground and to fly through the air — still fell into the lower realms, precisely because of negligence, because he ceased to press onward in his striving.

7) Respect for Hospitality. This, above all, is the most significant — for it is the very heart of the propagation of Buddhism.

Source: Dhamma Teaching on the Dhamma Missionary Training Programme

If we do not cultivate the habit of paying respect from the very beginning, we will develop pride and conceit. Some people, as a result, become so self-absorbed that they are entirely unable to perceive the goodness in others — seeing only their faults, and spending each day searching for something to criticize. We can observe this tendency today across every sphere of society: students find fault with their teachers, teachers find fault with their students, seniors and juniors find fault with one another, and colleagues find fault among themselves. No one speaks of another’s virtues, for they have lost the ability to see them. If society is left to continue in this manner, its foundations will before long begin to collapse. The remedy lies in cultivating respect — that is, in learning to look for the good.

“Warm Hearted Family,” page 37

October 14^th, 2019

For whenever she needed to spit, the Master Nun would keep beside her several sheets of paper — approximately A4 size, each cut into quarters. Each time she spat, she would spit onto one of the sheets; each time again, onto another sheet.

When asked why she did this, she replied that she was old and could not dispose of such things herself — she had to rely on her grandchildren to empty the spittoon. And so, if saliva, rinse water, or mucus were left floating openly within it, flies and insects would be drawn to it, and any visiting devotees who caught sight of it would find it disagreeable. Even her grandchildren, when coming to empty it, would find it unpleasant.

But if she placed paper over it as she went, then when the grandchildren came to dispose of it, all they would see was a piece of slightly damp paper — and they would not be repulsed by it. Even with her own grandchildren, she thought this carefully and this thoroughly.

This is a living example of empathy — of placing oneself in another’s position, and placing another in one’s own.

November 29^th. 2017