This story was narrated by a Thai Buddhist monk. (Phra Raj)

There was once when a possessed person was brought to the venerable monk and he took that opportunity to interview the spirit! One of his practice was to document such interesting encounter as objectively as possible. Thus, he arranged to have witnesses around and documented the entire interview.

That possessing spirit used to be a person who committed suicide (subsequently verified) According to that spirit, those who committed suicide had to suffer tribulation after death. In his case, he was reborn as a ghost and was restlessly bullied by more powerful spirits.

Many Buddhists like to make offerings to the monastery and dedicate the merits to their deceased family. Although this practice is usually beneficial to the deceased, it doesn’t help those who committed suicide. According to that ghost, only the merits from practicing Vipassana Meditation is helpful.

After hearing the sad story of that spirit; his human life tragedy and reason for committing suicide, Phra Raj agreed to help inform his family and would dedicate merits from meditation practices to him. After hearing his assurance, the spirit departed from the possessed man without causing any further trouble.

The impressive thing about the above exorcism is that, it is so UNIMPRESSIVE. Unlike what we see in the movie, there wasn’t any mantra being recited nor any holy water being flung at the possessed man. The head did not spun 360 degree. There was just a simple willingness to help the spirit out of compassion and wisdom.

From this story, it is obvious that the merits we gain from our spiritual practices is superior than those obtained through acts of charity. Although this is already mentioned in the scriptures; the above story provides a testimony from the spirit world. Therefore, we should never underestimate our mind training practices. The merits gained from transforming our minds into enlightened ones has enormous power and benefits. Remember to dedicate merits to all beings after each practice session.

May all be well and happy.