the night, until finally saññã no longer had the strength to assert
its assumptions. In the early hours of the evening, he had been
engaged in a struggle with external ghosts, in the guise of the
village dog which had nearly been his undoing. Later, when he
understood the situation and became conscious of his error, he
turned his attention inward, battling his inner ghosts into submis-
sion. Beginning the moment he became aware of his folly, his fear
of ghosts subsided and ceased to trouble him for the rest of the
night. On subsequent nights, he remained alert, ready to confront
any hint of fear using the same uncompromising stance. Eventu-
ally he transformed himself into a monk of incredible courage –
in all circumstances. This whole experience had a profound and
lasting impact on his spiritual development. His fear of ghosts
gave rise to an outstanding lesson in Dhamma, thus converting
him into a truly authentic monk.
I include this story in the biography of Ãcariya Mun in the
hope that the reader will gain some valuable insights from it, just
as I trust the story of Ãcariya Mun’s life will prove to be of great
benefit to people everywhere. As can be seen from the above story,
visiting cemeteries has always been an essential dhutanga practice.WEARING ONLY THE THREE PRINCIPAL ROBES is another dhutanga
observance that Ãcariya Mun followed religiously from the day
he first ordained until old age and declining health eventually
forced him to relax his strict adherence somewhat. In those days,
dhutanga monks rarely settled in one location for very long, except
during the three months of the rainy season retreat. They wan-
dered through forests and mountains, traveling by foot the whole