those people and everyone around them. Inevitably, the kilesas
cause people to suffer in a multitude of harmful ways, making it
imperative for someone sincerely caring about his own well-being
to fight back diligently using every available means. If this means
abstaining from eating food and suffering accordingly, then so be
it; one has no regrets. If necessary, even life itself will be sacri-
ficed to honor the Buddha’s teaching, and the kilesas will have no
share in the triumph.
In his teachings, Ãcariya Mun encouraged his monks to
be courageous in their efforts to transcend the dukkha oppress-
ing their hearts. He himself had thoroughly investigated the kile-
sas and Dhamma, testing both in a most comprehensive fashion
before he finally saw the results emerge clearly in his own heart.
Only after this attainment did he return to the Northeast to teach
the incomparable Dhamma that he then understood so well.ONE PROMINENT ASPECT of Ãcariya Mun’s teaching, which he
stressed continuously during his career, was the Dhamma of the
five powers: faith, diligent effort, mindfulness, concentration, and
wisdom. He said the reason for emphasizing these five factors was
that a person who possessed them would always have something
worthwhile to count on, no matter where he went; and, there-
fore, could always expect to make steady progress in his practice.
Ãcariya Mun separated them according to their specific functions,
using them to inspire an indomitable spirit in his disciples. He
gave them his own heartfelt interpretation as follows:
Saddhã is faith in the Dhamma that the Lord Buddha pre-
sented to the world. There’s no doubt that each of us in this world