THE APPLICATION OF MENTAL WILLPOWER TO PROMOTE PEACEFUL FAMILIES OF MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS ACCORDING TO THE TEACHINGS OF LUANG POR VIRIYANG

Abstract

The research entitled “The Application of Mental Willpower to Promote Peaceful Families of Meditation Practitioners According to the Teachings of Luang Por Vriyang”, has 3 objectives: 1) To study the mental willpower in promoting peaceful families following the guidelines of Somdej Phra Yanawachirodom (Luang Por Wiriyang Sirindharo)  Institute of Mental Power 2) To study the perspectives of practitioners in promoting and creating peaceful families following the guidelines of Somdej Phra Yanawachirodom (Luang Por Wiriyang Sirindhorn) Institute of Mental Power and 3) To present the application of mental power in promoting peaceful families following the guidelines of Somdej Phra Yanawachirodom (Luang Por Wiriyang Sirindhorn) Institute of Mental Power. This research was employed by using participation from key informants, totally 14 people, Content Analysis was used, and The research results found that:  1) To study the mental willpower in promoting peaceful families following the guidelines of Somdej Phra Yanawachirodom (Phra Luang Por Wiriyang Sirindhorn) found that relying on the principle of mental power, which is a meditation training system that emphasizes “mettā-bhāvanā” to develop the mind to be stable, calm and have inner power. The Institute of Mental Power has developed an easily accessible meditation course led by a teacher, resulting in practitioners being able to apply meditation in family life, especially in creating peace, understanding and mindful communication, which are the foundations of a “peaceful family”. 2) Studying the views of practitioners on promoting peaceful families according to the teachings of Somdej Phra Yanawachirodom (Phra Luang Por Wiriyang Sirindhorn), it was found that practicing mental understanding willpower help to control emotions, develop loving-kindness, compassion and promote right understanding in the family. Many practitioners agreed that they were more peaceful, understood each other, and were easier to forgive. It has shown that practicing meditation in this way is not just an individual activity but also develops relationships in the family, which is the basic unit of society.  3) Applying mental willpower to promote peaceful families according to the teachings of Somdej Phra Yanawachirodom (Phra Luang Por Weiyang Sirindhorn) found that it can be done by practicing meditation together, practicing mindfulness regularly and applying principles of Dhamma such as patience, loving-kindness, and forgiveness in daily life. The research also suggests practices such as walking meditation, sitting meditation together, spending quality time with family together, and communicating with “honest words”, all of which promote mental power in the family and can be expanded to the community level.