Phong village. During that time quite a few monks died of the
illness. Generally, those monks were from cultivated areas where
there was little malaria – such as the provinces of Ubon, Roy Et,
and Sarakham – so they were not used to the forests and moun-
tains. They could not live easily in those forests with Ãcariya Mun
because they couldn’t tolerate the malaria. They had to leave
during the rainy season, spending their retreat near villages that
were surrounded by fields.
Ãcariya Mun recounted that when he gave evening Dhamma
talks to the monks and novices near the village of Sam Phong, a
nãga from the Songkhran River came to listen almost every time.
If he failed to arrive at the hour when the discourse took place, he
would come later when Ãcariya Mun sat in samãdhi. The devas
from the upper and lower realms came only periodically, and not
as often as they did when he stayed in the provinces of Udon
Thani or Nong Khai. They were always particular about coming
on the three holiest observance days of the rains retreat – the
first, the middle and the last day. No matter where Ãcariya Mun
lived, whether in towns or cities, the devas always came from one
realm or another to hear his Dhamma. This was true in the city of
Chiang Mai while he was staying at Wat Chedi Luang monastery.The Well-digging Incident
A strange incident occurred while he was staying near the village
of Ban Sam Phong. It was the dry season. About 60 to 70 monks
and novices were living there, and there was not enough clean
water available. The monks held a meeting with the villagers and