88. Only practice can resolve doubt

When people asked Luang Pu about death and rebirth, or about past and future lives, he was never interested in answering. Or if some people argued that they didn’t believe that heaven or hell really existed, he never tried to reason with them or to cite evidence to defeat their arguments. Instead, he’d give them this piece of advice:

“People who practice the Dhamma don’t have to give any thought to past or future lives, or to heaven or hell. All they have to do is be firm and intent on practicing correctly in line with the principles of virtue, concentration, and discernment. If there really are 16 levels of heaven as they say in the texts, people who practice well are sure to rise to those levels. Or if heaven and nibbāna don’t exist, people who practice well don’t lack for benefits here and now. They’re sure to be happy, as human beings on a high level.

“Listening to what other people say, looking things up in the texts, can’t resolve your doubts. You have to put effort into the practice to give rise to clear insight knowledge. That’s when doubt will be totally resolved on its own.”