Thai Through Dhamma: The Right and Wrong Lifestyle

A Lesson Based Venerable Luang Por Dhammajayo’s Teaching on How to Live a Meaningful Life

Watch the source video here: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2kCEoey/ 

Part 1: Full Thai Transcript with Romanization and Translation

Thai Transcript with Translation

00.00
เพราะฉะนั้น ทุกๆ ชีวิต ทุกๆ เพศ ทุกวัย
Pro-cha-nan tuk tuk chee-wit, tuk tuk phet, tuk wai
"Therefore, every life, every gender, every age..."

00.04
มีสิทธิ์ เดินทางไกล ไปสู่ปรโลก ได้เท่ากันเลย
Mee sit dern-thaang glai pai suu pa-ra-lok dai tao-gan loei
"Has the same right to travel far to the next life."

00.06
ไม่ใช่ว่าคนแก่จะไปก่อน ไม่แน่
Mai chai waa khon-gae ja pai gon, mai nae
"It’s not certain that the elderly will go first."

00.13
บางทีนี่ รุ่นเยาว์ วัยรุ่น ไปก่อนคนแก่ก็มี
Baang-tee nee, run-yao, wai-run pai gon khon-gae gor mee
"Sometimes, the young ones, even teenagers, go before the elderly."

00.18
เพราะฉะนั้น ทุกคนมีสิทธิ์ตายเนี่ย เท่ากันเลย
Pro-cha-nan tuk khon mee sit dtaai nia, tao-gan loei
"So everyone has the same right to die."

00.22
ดังนั้น ที่ใช้คำว่า เรามีเวลาอยู่ในโลกนี้ อย่างจำกัด จึงเป็นคำที่ถูกต้อง
Dang-nan tee chai kham waa rao mee welaa yuu nai lok nee yaang jam-gat, jeung pen kham tee took-dtong
"Therefore, saying that our time in this world is limited is absolutely true."

00.33
เพราะฉะนั้น เราจะใช้เวลาอย่างจำกัดนี่อย่างไรเนี่ย ให้มีคุณค่าที่สุด ให้ได้กำไรชีวิต
Pro-cha-nan rao ja chai welaa yaang jam-gat nee yaang-rai nia hai mee khun-na-khaa tee-sut, hai dai gam-rai chee-wit
"So, how should we use our limited time to make it the most valuable and gain profit in life?"

Part 2: Core Vocabulary

Here are key words from the teaching:

• ชีวิต (chee-wit) = life

• ปรโลก (pa-ra-lok) = the next life (after death)

• กำไรชีวิต (gam-rai chee-wit) = life’s profit (living meaningfully)

• ขาดทุนชีวิต (khat-thun chee-wit) = life’s loss (wasting life)

• กุศลธรรม (gu-son tam) = wholesome actions

• อกุศล (a-gu-son) = unwholesome actions

• บุญ (bun) = merit

• ทาน (taan) = generosity

• ศีล (seen) = morality

• ภาวนา (phaa-wa-naa) = meditation/spiritual cultivation

Part 3: Sentence Breakdown & Grammar

Key Phrase:

"กำไร หรือ ขาดทุนชีวิต เค้าวัดกันตรงนี้"
Gam-rai rue khat-thun chee-wit, kao wat gan trong nee
"Life’s profit or loss is measured right here."

Breaking it down:

• กำไร (gam-rai) = profit

• หรือ (rue) = or

• ขาดทุน (khat-thun) = loss

• ชีวิต (chee-wit) = life

• เค้า (kao) = they (informal, referring to wise people)

• วัด (wat) = measure

• กัน (gan) = together (used for emphasis)

• ตรงนี้ (trong nee) = right here

👉 Grammar Insight:

• "เค้าวัดกันตรงนี้" (They measure it right here) emphasizes how a wise person evaluates a meaningful life.

• Thai often omits subjects when they are understood from context.

Part 4: Buddhist and Cultural Context

This teaching contrasts two perspectives on life:

✔ The Wise View (Buddhist Perspective):

• Life is measured by good deeds (กุศลธรรม / gu-son tam/)

• If you cultivate merit daily through body, speech, and mind, you have a profitable life.

❌ The Worldly View:

• Some believe "enjoying life" means indulging in alcohol, gambling, and entertainment.

• These people don’t understand the reality of karma and measure life by fleeting pleasures.

🌟 Western Parallel:

• Similar to how some believe success is in wealth and pleasure, while others believe it’s in spiritual growth and contribution.

Part 5: Common Misconceptions & Key Takeaways

Misconception: "Gaining pleasure is gaining life’s profit."

🚫 Some think that drinking, gambling, and indulgence are a "profit in life" because they bring happiness.

✅ Buddhist View: True profit is measured by good karma, not pleasure.

Key Takeaways:

✔ A meaningful life is one where merit is accumulated every day.
✔ Opportunities to do good are limited by time, so we must act wisely.
✔ The best way to gain life’s profit is through:
1️⃣ ทาน (taan) - Generosity
2️⃣ ศีล (seen) - Morality
3️⃣ ภาวนา (phaa-wa-naa) - Meditation

Part 6: Practical Thai Language Learning Tips

📌 Observe how Thai explains deep ideas with simple words:

• กำไรชีวิต (gam-rai chee-wit) = "profit in life" (a simple phrase with deep meaning).

• ขาดทุนชีวิต (khat-thun chee-wit) = "loss in life" (opposite meaning).

📌 The Use of Repetition for Emphasis:

• ซ้ำๆๆๆๆ (sam sam sam sam) = repeatedly (emphasizing continuous action).

• เห็นพระ ชัดแจ่มทั้งหลับตาลืมตา (hen phra chat-jaem thang lap-taa leum-taa) = "Seeing the Buddha clearly whether eyes are closed or open."

📌 Common Teaching Particles:

• นะจ๊ะ (na ja) = Softens the statement and makes it more friendly.

• ก็ (gor) = Adds a conversational feel to explanations.

Final Thoughts

This teaching reminds us that:
🔹 Time in this world is short—how we use it determines life’s value.
🔹 True success is accumulating merit, not chasing fleeting pleasures.
🔹 Life’s real “profit” comes from good actions, wisdom, and inner clarity.