Ven. Acariya Mun - Spiritual Biography + photos

of achievement: from basic concentration and wisdom techniques
to the higher levels of concentration and insight.
Whether addressing the problems of individual disciples or
instructing the whole assembly, Ãcariya Mun always displayed
the same uncompromising self-assurance. His audience was fully
aware that the Dhamma he expounded was something he had
actually realized within himself. He never relied on speculative
assessments, such as, ‘it could be like this’ or ‘it might be like that’.
Those listening were also fully convinced that the Dhamma he
taught existed potentially within all of them. Even though they
had not achieved it yet, surely they would realize it for themselves
one day, provided they did not falter in their efforts.
Ãcariya Mun modified his talks according to the character
and the level of his listeners’ understanding, so that everyone who
was present gained some benefit from the assembly. He was care-
ful in explaining the teaching in all its stages, ensuring that listen-
ers at different levels of meditation were able to understand and
apply it to their individual practice in order to attain satisfactory
results. When teaching lay people, he usually emphasized aspects
of Dhamma that were suitable to their situation – such as, gen-
erosity, moral virtue, and meditative development – as the basis
for their practice. He explained that these three dhammas are the
basic criteria needed for birth in the human world and the foun-
dation of the sãsana. Someone born as a human being must nec-
essarily have cultivated these three dhammas in the past. At least
one of them must have been previously developed to serve as a
catalyst for being born fully human.^28
Generosity is a means of demonstrating one’s goodwill.
People, who are noble-hearted and considerate toward fellow