Ven. Acariya Mun - Spiritual Biography + photos

that the months of December and January were especially difficult
due to the prevailing seasonal weather patterns, as the approach-
ing cold weather met and mixed with the outgoing rainy weather.
When it did rain during the winter months, a monk inevitably
got drenched. Sometimes it rained continuously all night, and the
umbrella-tent he used as shelter was no match for the driving rain
and high winds. Still, he had no choice but to sit shivering under
this makeshift shelter, enduring the dank cold and unable to move
for it was impossible to see in the dark. A downpour during the
daylight hours was not quite so bad. A monk still got wet, but at
least he could see his surroundings and search for things in the
forest to help shelter him from the elements without feeling totally
blind. Essential items like his outer robe and his matches had to
be kept in his alms bowl with the lid tightly secured. Folding his
upper robe in half, he draped it around himself to keep out the
cold and damp. The cloth mosquito net that hung from the sus-
pended umbrella down to the ground formed a tent-like shelter
that was indispensable for blocking out the windswept rain. Oth-
erwise, everything got soaked and he had to endure the discom-
fort of having no dry robe to wear in the morning for almsround.
The months of February, March, and April saw the weather
change again, as it began to heat up. Normally dhutanga monks
then moved up into the mountains, seeking out caves or over-
hanging cliffs to shelter them from the sun and the rain. Had they
gone to these mountainous locations in December and January,
the ground would still have been saturated from the rainy season,
exposing them to the risk of malarial infection. Malarial fever was
never easy to cure. Many months could pass before the symptoms
finally went away. It could easily develop into a chronic condi-