Ven. Acariya Mun - Spiritual Biography + photos

buoyed by the exposition of Dhamma he had just heard, and
resumed his meditation practice with renewed enthusiasm.
Although he sometimes had large groups of monks staying
to train with him, he found them easy to supervise because they
were all prepared to put what he taught into practice for their own
spiritual benefit. Monastic life under his tutelage was so orderly
and quiet that the monastery often appeared deserted. Excepting
mealtimes and times when the monks assembled for meetings, a
visitor coming at any other hour wouldn’t have seen the monks.
The place would have looked deserted with each monk having
slipped into the dense forest to diligently pursue walking or sitting
meditation in his own secluded spot, day and night.
Ãcariya Mun often assembled the monks in the evenings
at about dusk to give a discourse on Dhamma. As the monks sat
together quietly listening, Ãcariya Mun’s voice was the only sound
they heard. The rhythm of his voice articulating the essence of
Dhamma was at once lyrical and captivating. Carried along by
the flow of his teaching, his audience completely forgot them-
selves, their weariness, and the time that passed. Listening, they
were aware only of the flow of Dhamma having an impact on their
hearts, creating such a pleasant feeling that they could never get
enough of it. Each of these meetings lasted many hours.
Within the circle of dhutanga monks, listening to a Dhamma
discourse in this way is considered another form of meditation
practice. Dhutanga monks have an especially high regard for their
teacher and his verbal instructions. He constantly guides and
admonishes them to such good effect that they tend to view his
teachings as the lifeblood of their meditation practice. Showing
the utmost respect and affection for their teacher, they are even