In the beginning, I teach only at the monastery. Even teaching at the monastery is really difficult because I am able to do nothing. That’s why if we cannot let go, we need something to do. Like laypeople, they are trying to find jobs because they cannot stay without doing something, they cannot let go. If we can let go, we can still do nothing but doing good deeds by ourselves with our own practice of mindfulness and detachment. Therefore, we can survive by ourselves without doing something. Practicing by ourselves, we are complete. That’s why it became difficult to do something. Even for everyday teaching, I have do deal with the people again. When I meditate I became stop dealing with people. That’s why I need no one. But when I started teaching again I need to deal with people, so it makes me difficult. Because I changed my life to do good deeds naturally by myself. That is great. If we cannot do like this, we need something to rely on and someone to rely on. But if we can do like this, we need nothing. But in that condition, it becomes difficult to do something, so I choose to do fewer actions, fewer speakings. That’s why when I do something I will do only for many reasons. If not, I will not do it. Because it is difficult for me, but if it is good for the others I will do. I will not do anything for me, but for the others. But for a few people, I don’t want to do. Only for the benefit of many people, I will do. That’s why I need to wait to get more and more reasons to do.

At the beginning of my teaching, I did not emphasize too much. I wasn’t skillful in teaching. Therefore, I teach to learn. I learn to teach by practice. Only by teaching, I had to learn more and more about the benefits of teaching, about the Truth. Because it is like direct distribution, not selling at the retailers. I am a manufactory and the people who can come to meditate are customers. There is no agent, no shop, no retailer, but there is only direct selling, direct teaching, direct learning. That’s why I know and I have to learn about the benefits of Dhamma sharing. Sharing dhamma experience or teaching meditation is really beneficial. The more I know about this cause and effect, the more I emphasize in teaching. But I don’t need to be hasty, urgent; there will be mistakes if I do by force. Besides, I need to learn directly to understand more and more about the cause and effect of doing good deeds like this step by step. I teach regularly at the houses and hospitals; I accept invitations from the other towns in the country. And then since 2008, I accepted invitations from the other countries. I’ve trained to get my full ability to do something slowly and steadily. In this way, I became a professional meditation teacher, I’m skillful in my job.

When I established the first Thabarwa center in 2007. And then I had the opportunity to help the old and sick people by allowing them to stay at the center for freed accommodation, food, medicine,… That is what I like the most even from my childhood but I only have a chance when I am able to open my own meditation center. In the beginning, I’ve tried to help them to learn more and more about the cause and effect of helping them. After 5 years, we became skillful in the teamwork of helping the old and sick people. We are helping them more than we can explain. We do not rely on the method of how to help them. We rely on the practice. We are helping them by doing good deeds at every present moment together with a big group of people. Although we are helping the people in need, we don’t emphasize the standards of the society. We don’t emphasize being a standard home for the aged, standard hospital, standard meditation center because we know the weakness of the standards and tradition. We are not rejecting the tradition and standards, limits. We try to do more and try to help more with the right understanding that it is possible if we do and it will be impossible if we don’t do like this. That’s why it is difficult to know how I am helping the people and how I am teaching the meditators if they are not doing like me. I’m doing beyond the limit. That is essential for those who are really in need of help. Their problems cannot be solved by using the traditional way. Teaching and helping beyond the limit makes me satisfied. It makes satisfaction for the people who are in need of help also.

We are working together. That’s why if both sides are okay, we can continue. We don’t need to think of the standards of the society. There are many things that society cannot solve. We are not rejecting the society, but we are just fulfilling the needs of the society by using and relying on the present action of doing good deeds. I answer the questions not only by words but also by practice, so I am sure more and more people can understand when they experience about doing good deeds in Thabarwa center, by involving in the activities of Thabarwa center worldwide. To understand the way of doing good deeds in Thabarwa center, that one needs the ability to detach oneself and one thing. Besides, we need to do good deeds actually and professionally. It is possible if we try hard. Even if we cannot do it in society, it will easy to do at Thabarwa center. Most of Thabarwa centers are busy with doing good deeds because of not much relying on discipline or rules and regulations. It is easy to make both mistakes and good things, so there is competition all the time which we doing good and bad, right and wrong by naturally. It is necessary. Even if we cannot accept doing like this, it is really happening in society. The government cannot stop it.

Elli Askew transcribes