a blessing for this region that people no longer have to live their
whole lives clinging to these beliefs. The people of the North-
east have long since transferred their faith and allegiance to the
Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, thanks largely to the compassion-
ate efforts of Ãcariya Mun and Ãcariya Sao to whom we all owe
an immense dept of gratitude.DURING HIS TIME IN THE REGION, Ãcariya Mun taught the local
people, applying all his strength and ability to render them as gen-
uine human beings. He passed through some villages where the
local ‘wise men’ asked him questions. They asked questions such
as: Do ghosts really exist? Where do human beings come from?
What is it that causes sexual attraction between men and women,
since they’ve never been taught this? Why are male and female
animals of the same species attracted to one another? From where
did humans and animals learn this mutual attraction? Though I
can’t recall all the questions he was asked, these I do remember.
I accept blame for any inaccuracies in what is recorded here as
my memory has always been somewhat faulty. Even recalling my
own words and other personal matters, I cannot avoid making
mistakes; so my recollection of Ãcariya Mun’s stories is bound to
be incomplete.
To the question “Do ghosts really exist?” Ãcariya Mun’s reply
was:
“If something truly exists in the world, whether a spirit or
anything else, it simply exists as it is. Its existence does not depend
on the belief or disbelief of anyone. People may say that some-
thing exists or doesn’t exist, but whether that thing actually exists