In many religious practices, followers pray to a higher spiritual entities for protection, favours, health, and various mundane wishes. And when it comes to Buddhism, we often hear that Buddhists do not pray to Buddha or Buddhist deities because the Buddha taught self-reliance and karma. Do good and good things will happen to you. This is true.

However, there’s another aspect of self reliance that wasn’t shared as much and here’s a story to help us gain some ideas.

The following account was told by Luang Phor Jaran Thitathammo:

It all began with a man named Viggo, a Norwegian who came to Thailand to pursue his master’s degree in Thai language and literature at Chulalongkorn University. At first glance, I initially mistook him for a Dutchman coming to ordain as a monk. He was a Christian by background, coming from an educated family in Oslo: his father was an electrical engineer, his grandfather was a mathematics professor at the University of Oslo, and his mother was a university secretary. He was their only son, with two sisters.

Viggo’s grandfather, deeply moved after studying the practical teachings of the Dhamma through the Tripitaka in English, had told him before his departure: “When you go to Thailand, bring something truly valuable back for me.” Being meticulous, Viggo actually had his grandfather sign a written note of this request.

After enrolling at Chulalongkorn University, Viggo visited me to ask ten questions. A little over ten days later, he returned with a suitcase, requesting to ordain and practise Vipassana meditation to fulfill his grandfather’s wish.

I initially refused, stating he needed parental permission. However, after Viggo produced his grandfather’s signed note (which served as his parental proxy), I granted permission. He proved exceptionally gifted, mastering the ordination chant in just three hours.

Dedicating himself to Vipassana, Viggo developed an advanced mind and gained the ability to practice telepathy (mind projection or super-knowledge) after 45 days. Seeking guidance, he asked me if radiating merit and loving-kindness to living parents could benefit them, noting his mother was seriously ill at home in Norway. Recognizing his spiritual progress, I confirmed that she could indeed receive it.

I instructed Viggo to separate meditation from the act of radiating merit: he must completely finish his practice (such as one hour of walking and one hour of sitting meditation) and clear his mind through forgiveness and letting go of resentment before chanting or directing loving-kindness. Trying to meditate and radiate merit simultaneously prevents it from being received.

Following these instructions on Norway’s national day, Viggo made a threefold aspiration:

1. That his seriously ill mother would recover immediately through his accumulated wholesome merit.
   
2. That he had successfully fulfilled his grandfather’s wish for something truly precious.
   
3. That his three close studying friends would enjoy prosperity and immediately reply to him by letter.

Meanwhile, in Norway, it was national day morning (corresponding to 10 p.m. in Thailand), family and friends gathered at Viggo’s home in Oslo while his weak mother rested in a recovery room.

Simultaneously, Viggo’s grandfather suddenly saw a flash of yellow robes, sparking a shared intuition about Viggo among everyone present. As his grandfather discussed the vision and his father mentioned Viggo’s studies, his mother grew so overjoyed that she slowly walked out of her room, joined the family table for an hour, and experienced a sudden mood improvement. She subsequently wrote a detailed multi-page letter recounting the incident. When the letter arrived at the temple via Chulalongkorn University days later, Viggo read it and wept tears of joy as he translated it for me.

As his studies neared completion—facing Norway’s mandatory one-year military service. Viggo applied for extension but was concerned of being rejected. He asked how he could stay in Thailand for another year. I instructed him to meditate for two hours walking and two hours sitting over two consecutive nights, then dedicate the merit to:

• The King of Siam
  
• His university rector and department professors
  
• His Norwegian family, teachers, and mentors
  
• The Norwegian Ministry of Defence, requesting a one-year postponement of his military service
  

Before disrobing and preparing to leave, Viggo also asked for my advice on marrying Ratree, a Thai woman he had loved for years. I told him to investigate it through mindfulness on his own. After meditating, Viggo returned and concluded he would not marry her, explaining that their past-life karmic connection (pubbe-sannivasa) did not lead to marriage, and that his mindfulness instead revealed he would marry an orphaned, physically disabled woman. He then prepared to return to Norway.

Unlike many who disrobe and leave without saying goodbye, Viggo meticulously prepared a ceremonial silk offering tray with candles, flowers, and folded floral offerings to pay respects and seek blessings from his university rector.

Before Viggo even placed the tray down, the professor smiled and told him he had been granted permission to stay for another year. An official letter from the Norwegian Ministry of Defence had arrived, confirming his postponement. Demonstrating the power of wholesome merit, loving-kindness, and proper respect, Viggo returned to the temple after just one night to share the news. He later completed his military service in Norway and continued sending updates about his life.

Following his military service in Norway, Viggo became a university lecturer in Denmark. He ultimately married the orphaned, polio-affected Filipino woman his mindfulness had predicted. She was a fellow lecturer in Denmark. After having two children, Viggo and his family spent a year and a half in Chiang Mai, where he successfully completed his research on local ghost and spirit traditions for his thesis.

When Viggo returned to Thailand with his wife and children to introduce them to me, he proudly confirmed he had married the disabled woman he foresaw. Though originally a Christian, she embraced Buddhism through Viggo and stayed at the temple with their children for several days. [END]

Ultimately, Viggo’s journey illustrates the core themes of mind cultivation, loving-kindness, the dedication of merit, and sincere spiritual practice. While such practices are known in Buddhism, they are rarely witnessed to this degree, especially by a Westerner in Thailand.

Fundamentally, the practice trains the mind to achieve Right Concentration, generating immense merit. As Viggo demonstrated, practitioners can make focused aspirations and dedicate this merit once their meditation is complete.

While this may sound unimaginable to newcomers—resembling divine intervention—it is not about asking an external being for favors. Rather, it is an exercise of a purified will directed toward goodness. However, things do not unfold purely by human will alone, as they also interact with individual karma. Buddhism teaches that dedicating merit and willing goodness can help mitigate or reduce negative circumstances, even if they cannot entirely erase them.

Finally, as these aspirations bear fruit, practitioners must remain vigilant against the subtle traps of the ego.

May all be well and happy.