which helped him to attain the Dhamma he has so generously
shared with all of us.
Ãcariya Mun said that if his meditation practice were com-
pared to an illness, it would be a near-fatal one, since the train-
ing he undertook resembled physical and mental torture. There
was hardly a single day when he could just relax, look around, and
enjoy himself as other monks seemed to do. This was because
the kilesas became tangled up with his heart so quickly that he
barely had a chance to catch them. Should his mind wander for
only a moment, the kilesas immediately gave him trouble. Once
they had established a hold on his heart, their grip became ever
tighter until he found it difficult to dislodge them. Consequently,
he could never let his guard down. He had to remain totally alert,
always ready to pounce on the kilesas, so they couldn’t gain the
strength to bind him into submission. He practiced diligently in
this manner until he had gained sufficient contentment to be able
to relax somewhat. Only then did he develop the strength of heart
and ease of body necessary to teach others. From that time for-
ward – monks, novices, and lay people from all over the North-
east sought him out. Ãcariya Mun understood their situation and
was very sympathetic toward them all. At certain times, so many
people came to see him that there wasn’t enough room for them
to stay. He also had to consider the safety of others, such as the
women and nuns who came to visit him. For in those days, many
tigers and other wild animals were in the outlying areas, but there
were very few people.
Ãcariya Mun once stayed in a cave near Ban Namee Nayung
village in the Ban Pheu district of Udon Thani province. Since
many large tigers frequented the area around the cave, it was def-
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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