What’s Master’s Teaching: Life Contemplation
By Kanya Yanen

Master Acharavadee Wongsakon

I feel that the time of this year seems to be locked and pass very slowly. No matter how it comes to the last period of the year. So, I take this chance to contemplate what has happened in my life.

“Do not set your mind to practice meditation only when you have time. When I realize what my goal of life is I manage everything and allocate time for practice.” said Master, to awaken my mind.

Weak mind easily attaches to worldly emotions unknowingly. Especially for working-age people, we are almost swallowed up by burdens and duties. But what is what we want in life? … I’ve finally found the answer.

When we find what our goal in life is..
We always have time for it..
Other than that, whatever it is..
They are just a lesson and a test that will take us to our destination.

Master taught us to contemplate our life that is very touching my heat…

“ The reason that people can’t cross the ocean of Samsara (the cycle of rebirth) is that they tend to become the victim of their own bad deeds and get trapped in the worldly current.

From the past one-year or so, some people got to know themselves better. Some faced disappointment or big losses. No matter what stories you have faced in your life, whether a storm, a smile for success or standing to receive praise from good deeds, whether it was a good and bad day, sufferings and happiness, all of these too….shall pass.

Whatever our mind attaches too, there is nothing that we truly lose or gain because everything in this deluded world is impermanent. One day all these will also pass away.

We have come to this world empty-handed. In the end, we have to leave this world empty-handed as well.
Whatever our mind attaches to is a fetter that traps our mind in the cycle of rebirth. Don’t increase the number of suffering fetters to ourselves.

See this world as a game. Some days we win and some days we lose . As long as we don’t get knocked down on the floor, there is always hope to get up again. When we still can’t leave the game yet, keep playing with the wiser mind.

May all the circumstances in life make us become wiser, better, stronger and have more power to fight with all Kilesa in our mind. May everything that happened in our life, recently or long ago or even in our dreams, teaches us not to fall into the trap of our own emotions.
If we still have things to do in this world, may our mission leads us to support ourselves and others, not lead us to hold on to things even tighter.

It is good to take a step back to contemplate our life. The more far we step back, the better we can contemplate because it will reflect on what have we been through and learned in life. Review ourselves on what we have to correct, maintain and make it even better.

Furthermore, please also review your responsibilities on various roles that how well you perform those responsibilities as a parent and a son or daughter, responsibility toward family, work, as a student who has received Dhamma power, the responsibility for the public and most importantly the responsibility to uplift your mind to be free from endless cycle of sufferings.

Contemplate yourself that you neglect any responsibilities or not, that you make excuses, procrastinate and become imbalanced or not, that somebody feels neglected from your action or how far you are walking away from the path to Nirvana.

To be able to live is a chance to rectify life.
To be able to live is a chance to cultivate perfections.
Do not let this chance go away because you may take a really long time, many months, many years or incalculable time to get such a chance again.

Those who truly realize the value of their chance are the ones who lose it
Humans often destroy and blow their chances to do good things for each other. Don’t underestimate “A chance” as it may never come again.

I wrote this teaching for those who are still alive and all of you are those who still have a chance in your hand. Although sometime you may think your life is not good enough and may face many disappointments, don’t let your mind sink into that feeling. The most important thing is never lose faith in living because not long everything, including your own life will soon pass away.

Use a chance of being a human who can be liberated to mindfully create new opportunities with Dhamma in your mind. Be with every moment. Live with firm mind in goodness.

Whatever you have not yet done with your all, do it again with your all.
Whatever you are still weak at, fulfill it…

Live for your own sake and share the value of life to others.”

“Master’s teaching”
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Translators: Supravee Veerapala, Wassana Sasakun, Chotika Rujirachun