5 years ago, I met an old friend in Thailand. She asked me to bring back Buddhism books and donate to Wat SanFran. The temple has library, she said. I was reluctant because I didn’t know anything about this temple but I said yes. At that time, Buddhism to me was all about pray, meditation and donations. I checked schedule on the Wat SanFran’s website, chanting at 7pm. I planned to be there around that time, drop off books and get to join evening chanting. A nun opened the door with a big smile on her face. I told her why I was there. She invited me to come in and I gave her a books and then I asked her what time is the chanting? She told me, you can chant at home anytime, it’s better we just talk here! In my mind, I’m like what kind of nun say no to chanting and told me to just talk instead? She asked me am I practicing Buddhism? If yes, how? I told her yes I do and then I let my huge ego out. I told her I was chanting and doing meditation every day plus told her how I was so advanced on meditation and how I saw my own “mind “ changing. She smiled and asked me from my practice, Do I still suffer from family, work and love life? I paused and I said nun, my sufferings still there. I still suffer from work, family and love life. She smiled and handed me Luang Por Thoon’s CDs. She told me, listen to these sermons and come back in a week to tell me what I have learned.

I put one of the CD in my car and start listening to Luang Por Thoon’s sermon on the way home and I didn’t understand a word. Two weeks passed and I still not be able to speak intelligently about what was the sermons all about. I gave up and went back to the temple. I rang the door bell, same scene happened again. The same nun opened the door, smiled and invited me inside. I told her I couldn’t understand what was the sermons about in a week and that’s why I didn’t come back last week. She asked me “Are you coming back here to win or to learn?” And that was my first experiences with Luang Por Thoon’s teaching. I always graceful to my friend who asked me to bring books. I always graceful to that nun. Back then, she didn’t just open the temple’s door, she opened the door to Luang Por Thoon’s teaching. At that time I didn’t know Luang Por Thoon’s teaching is going to work. I just know what I had been doing wasn’t working. 

Luang Por Thoon’s teaching isn’t easy for me. I took a long time to finally “see’ that the problems I think happens around me actually come from myself.

I was reluctant when Phra Anandapanyo Bhikkhu asked me to share thoughts on my practice through this blog. My posts usually are my personal stories which involve my close friends and family. I would like to apologize in advance for whom I mention on my blogs. It can sound like first part of the story, I was complaining about them or the situations but actually what happened was someone or something is triggering my wrong viewpoint(s) and cause me sufferings.

 I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all the teachers, my practitioner friends (kalayanamita), friends and family. May the Buddha and right Buddha’s teaching always be with you and help you reach your Dhamma’s goal as soon as possible.