Ven. Acariya Mun - Spiritual Biography + photos

senses that were once its enemies. His mental attitude is bold,
his focus sharp. While sitting in samãdhi his heart can become
so absorbed in Dhamma that it forgets the time of day; for when
the heart contacts Dhamma there is no longer any concern with
the passage of time or pangs of hunger. At that time, he is aware
only of the delight experienced at that level of Dhamma which
he has achieved. In this frame of mind, the conditions are right
for catching up with kilesas, such as laziness, complacency, and
restlessness, since they are inactive enough then for the meditator
to get the better of them for the time being. If we hesitate, wait-
ing around for a more auspicious time to tackle them, the kilesas
will awaken first and give us more trouble. It’s quite likely we’d be
unable to handle them then. We could easily end up being ‘ele-
phants’ for the kilesas, as they mount us, straddle our necks, and
beat us – our hearts – into submission. For in truth our hearts
have been the ‘elephants’ and the kilesas the ‘mahouts’ for an infi-
nitely long time. A deep-rooted fear of this master makes us so
apprehensive that we never really dare to fight back with the best
of our abilities.
From the Buddha’s perspective, the kilesas are the enemies
of Dhamma; yet, from the vantage point of the world, the kilesas
are considered our hearts’ inseparable companions. It is incum-
bent upon us, who practice the Buddha’s teaching, to battle the
thoughts and deeds that are known to be our enemies, so that we
can survive their onslaught, and thus become free of their insidi-
ous control. On the other hand, those who are satisfied to follow
the kilesas have no choice but to pamper them, dutifully obey-
ing their every command. The repercussions of such slavery are
all too obvious in the mental and emotional agitation affecting