From a child who stole gold to a person who is awakened to the Dhamma, life changed from the principle of me to the principle of “Ajarn Beer, the person who is awakened to the Dhamma” suggests a way to overcome suffering by letting go and living according to the principles of the Buddha. Reveals that before reaching this point, in the past, he was a mischievous person who made his mother cry because he stole 10 baht of gold. Answers about the drama of frequent tours, what is the method to deal with it? In the program “Berle AM”
In which month did the teacher ordain?
Ajarn Beer: Around October, November. There is no set date for disrobing. I will continue to ordain.
But can disciples still go to the temple to see their teachers?
Ajarn Beer: If I go, I won’t find them. Most of them are in the forest. If there are a lot of people following them, they will disturb the temple. I definitely don’t allow it. Forest temples are peaceful and secluded places. When there are a lot of people, it’s not quiet, it becomes chaotic. Therefore, I chose to ordain far away because I know the cause and effect. It will become a danger to each other for nothing. I will tell my disciples that I will only allow ordination in the temple. Don’t go to the rest.
Where is the temple where the teacher will be ordained?
A. Beer: Wat Pa Na Kham Noi, Udon Thani
Before becoming a monk, will there be an opportunity to organize a big merit-making event for the disciples who follow on TikTok to gather together?
Ajarn Beer: I have thought about it. There might be a farewell ceremony, listening to the Dhamma, practicing Dhamma, listening to the Dhamma for the last time.
How old is the teacher now?
A. Beer: 38
But in the past, you also lived your life carelessly?
A. Beer: Yes, very careless.
What made the teacher change himself to this extent?
Ajarn Beer: It came from the suffering I had in my life. Originally, I had studied the principles of the Dharma teachings, but I didn’t practice them. It was a mess. I knew what was good and bad, but I couldn’t do them. I lived my life for fun, not seeing the disadvantages. But one day I saw the disadvantages, so I started to study and practice according to the teachings. When I practiced, I felt happier and my life became easier. After that, I continued to study and practice until I saw my own goodness develop. My success in life also developed. So I knew that it came from the results of practicing according to the teachings.
Did the teacher ever convert to Christianity?
Ajarn Beer: Yes, before that I was a Buddhist but later I converted to Christianity because I felt that his teachings were more logical. At that time I never really knew the principles and reasons of the Lord Buddha. I only saw rituals such as bathing in holy water, extending one’s life, and averting bad luck. When asked for reasons, I couldn’t answer. We went to worship the gods and angels, so how could they inspire us? We asked for reasons but couldn’t answer. When they gave better reasons, I felt that Buddhism at that time couldn’t support us, so I changed religions and lived there for 7 years.
The day the teacher decided to do a TikTok live for the first time, did you think that one day there would be this many people interested?
Ajarn Beer: I didn’t think about it at all. The first day I went live, I went live as usual. The first day that I was most excited was when a tour group came down. Many people came to watch the clip. That day, someone talked about amulets. So I talked about this according to reason. In a fierce style, there were a lot of viewers. There were comments both agreeing and disagreeing. Then the tour group came down on us. I was very shocked. I thought that I had to go on the show Hon Krasae. We had never seen anything like this before. Before, the views were only 200-300, but that clip had hundreds of thousands of views. At one point, the number of viewers kept increasing until today. There are tens of thousands, millions of viewers. I never thought it would come to this point.
In the past, when the number of views was 200-300, did you worry? Now, if there are 5-6 thousand people causing drama, how do you solve the problem?
Ajarn Beer: I’m used to it now. At first, when I encountered it, I was shocked because I had never encountered it before, but when I encountered it often, I got used to it. All of my clips were dramatic. There was no clip that wasn’t dramatic. Then the drama started to decrease and it turned into comedy instead. So the stars cut it out. But lately, the drama hasn’t been fun. It’s turned into drama to destroy me, to make me fall. It’s drama that digs up old things to expose me and make people criticize me. It’s not fun. We have to keep fixing it, correcting the news like this.
Before coming to this day, has Ajarn Beer ever made someone we love cry or made a mistake?
Ajarn Beer: A lot. I once stole 10 baht of gold from my mother to go on a trip. It was a long time ago, 10 years ago. When we did that, when they found out, they collapsed because it wasn’t easy to save 10 baht. We took it from them and squandered it all. I felt that we were doing this to fulfill our needs.
Thinking only this, I didn’t care how he felt. I didn’t think he would be upset, but I was just afraid that he would catch me at some point. That’s why my heart wasn’t pure at that time. I wasn’t upset on his behalf as a mother. At that time, I didn’t feel guilty. I just felt that I had been caught. When I studied the Dhamma and thought back to that time, I was an extremely bad and evil person. Because I didn’t have the heart to be ashamed of my evil and not be afraid of that sin. That’s why whenever my heart thinks something, it will have that kind of result.
Have you ever had a lover who you thought you would spend your life with like that?
Ajarn Beer : If it’s a life partner, I’ve never had one. If it’s a living together, everyone has one. It’s normal. I’ve also gone through difficult times in my life, disappointment, heartbreak, and infidelity.
If we secretly like someone who already has a boyfriend, is it a sin?
Ajarn Beer: If you secretly like someone, it is mental karma. If you ask if it is sinful, it is unwholesome in the mind. But the most serious thing is that it gives results. If you think about it often and repeatedly, you will actually do it. When you like someone and they play along, it will end up together. There will be conflict. Their husband will come to attack you. It is like someone who is going to rape you. It must start from liking first. Secretly looking every day until one day you want it so much that you do it. That is why the Buddha said that thoughts or mental karma give the most serious results.
When the teacher goes on a show, there will be a heated argument. How do you control your emotions?
Ajarn Beer: Actually, I didn’t hold back anything because I wasn’t angry at him. If I got angry, I just let it go. There’s no need to hold back. If we’re mindful and aware that we’re angry, we just let it go. But we get angry because we don’t know we’re angry, so we just keep getting angry. When we go on a show, we have to be even more careful because he’s already prejudiced against us. We have to be the calm ones. Our duty is to be ready and stay calm. The listeners will be the ones to decide who’s right and who’s wrong.
These days, there is bullying. What do you think about this?
Ajarn Beer: Everyone gets bullied. Even when I do live broadcasts every day, people still bully me for being bald. The question is, are we really like that? If so, why are we angry? Our duty is to accept who we are. If we can’t accept ourselves, who else will? If we can’t accept it, it will eventually lead to self-harm, sadness, and depression. We can’t change other people to be the way we want them to be, but we can choose to accept them. If we don’t want to die or suffer, we should look at ourselves. Why do we choose to listen to things that are useless?
Would you like the teacher to leave some advice for teenagers in their lives?
Ajarn Beer: Teenagers these days lack principles in their lives. They only care about their own principles, not principles, not standards. They only care about themselves. It doesn’t matter who others are, as long as they are comfortable. These days they like to say that if it makes them comfortable and it doesn’t hurt anyone, then just do it. But they forget that those are their principles, not principles. Sometimes our comfort is hurting other people. Our husbands, wives, our parents might not be comfortable. So our comfort…
It must be based on the truth. What is the truth? It is the teachings of the Lord Buddha. Every teenager should turn to study the teachings. It is not difficult, not superstitious. Try to practice listening to teachers, parents, and the Tripitaka. When we have the correct principles to use in life, our lives will not go astray. I used to have the principle of “I” until my life was ruined, I was in debt, and went bankrupt. But when I came back to the principles, today I have paid off all my debts and am happy in life. Therefore, I ask everyone to come back and study the principles and throw away the principle of “I”.
