Ãcariya Mun was extremely proficient in all matters per-
taining to the heart, including the skills needed to train others to
become good people. The rest of us, though we are quite capable
of thinking of these things for ourselves, insist on going around
borrowing from others. That is, we tend to constantly travel from
place to place studying under one teacher and then another. Even
then, we fail to properly safeguard what we’ve learned, letting it
slip through our grasp by forgetting what the teacher said. Thus
we are left virtually empty-handed. The things we do not forget or
let drop are our habitual failings: a lack of mindfulness, wisdom,
and contemplative skill. Lacking the very qualities of Dhamma
which instill a sense of hope in our lives, we are constantly disap-
pointed in whatever we do in life.ÃCARIYA MUN’S OWN MEDITATION practice, as well as his teaching
duties, continued to progress smoothly, any undue disturbances
having long since passed. Wherever he went he brought a refresh-
ing calm and serenity with him. Monks and novices everywhere
respected and revered him. As soon as the laity in an area heard
of his arrival, they were delighted and rushed to pay him their
respects with heartfelt devotion. A case in point is Ban Thum
village in the district of Tha Khek where both Ãcariya Mun and
Ãcariya Sao resided at one time or another.
Shortly before Ãcariya Mun arrived, the entire village began
suffering from smallpox. The villagers were overcome with joy at
the sight of Ãcariya Mun’s arrival, running out of their homes
to welcome him and begging him to remain as their refuge. So
in place of the spirits the whole village had been worshipping,