50. Not sidetracked

I lived with Luang Pu for more than thirty years, attending to his needs all the way to the end of his life, and I observed that his practice was right in line with the Dhamma and Vinaya, right in line with the path that leads solely to release from suffering. He never got sidetracked into magical spells, sacred talismans, or any other dubious activities, not even the least little bit. When people asked him to bless them by blowing on their heads, he’d ask, “Why should I blow on your head?” When people asked him to put an auspicious mark on their car, he’d say, “Why put an auspicious mark?” When people asked him to determine an auspicious day or month for their activities, he’d say, “All days are good.” Or if he were chewing betel and people would ask for the chewed remains, he’d say,

“Why would you want that? It’s dirty.”