The Compass of Now tells the inspiring story of the Thai spiritual healer, DDNard, who transformed herself from a penniless widow to a respected teacher and leader. Below is a Q&A with DDNard.
1. Why did you write your book?
When my husband passed away while my son was only eleven-month old and left us with 3 millions not in cash but in debt, I was taken out of grief and fear by just a few words of someone I hardly knew. I know since then that when everything seems so dark, words can lighten up our days. So I wrote the Compass of now book for everyone who know how important it is to have high spirit because our circumstances are the reflection of our inner states.
2. How did you get into $3 million dollars in debt?
My husband was a business man. He was in real estate and hotel businesses. His business was prospering but when he suddenly died of heart attack, the assets were unclear but the debt and liability was very certain, as certain as dead and taxes, I supposed.
3. How did you get out of $3 million dollars in debt?
I had an enlightening moment and it brought me true happiness. I was full of joy even with the debt. At first when I had debt, I felt very small and inferior but then with my happy mind I realize that the bankers did business and made profit from us. So we are their customers and they must take half of the responsibilities. I stopped paying my debt, kept the money to expand my business, seeing only possibilities and focus on enjoying my son, my work and love my life until the day came when all my debt was gone and I had more than enough.
4. How did you deal with the grief of being a widow at age 27?
My son, he showed me strength. I lost my loved one, he lost his father but all he wanted to do was to make me happy. Also I heard a wise man at the funeral said there is no house that never loses their loved ones. Those words were in my eyes and in that moment I was over the grief.
5. How did you balance using mindfulness and increasing the quality of your thoughts, while still giving yourself a chance to express your feelings of possible sadness or grief?
I don’t use mindfulness to stop me from feeling. Mindfulness helps me aware of my feeling even more but I’m just not overwhelm by my thoughts and feelings, so I’m free. I choose what I want to say, do or feel, regardless of the circumstances inside and outside.
6. How do you change thoughts that come from unconscious and ingrained beliefs?
I become aware of it. I love your questions, it shows that you truly understand human minds. Ingrained beliefs run our lives unconsciously, however, as we are more accustomed to coming back to ourselves, we are more aware of the drive that underlying our behaviors. So we don’t need to neither try to push them away nor be consumed by them,the unconscious beliefs, we just observe and be aware, it loses its strength.
7. How do you change thoughts that come so frequently such as thoughts of fear or anger or sadness that may be based on past experiences that cause legitimate fear, anger or sadness?
I don’t give it fuels neither by thinking more about the incidents or the person that cause it nor I don’t try to push the thoughts and feeling away because by doing that you give those feeling more power over you. Just to be aware like watching the snake crawls pass you without grabbing it, it will not harm you.
8. What sort of responses has your book received?
1.5 million copies sold and the readers said it changes their lives for the better. I feel very honored. I know that I’ m just a messenger passing the message forward through my story and I’m glad I’m the chosen one.
9. Where can we get a copy of your book?
Amazon.com and book stores near you.