Ven. Acariya Mun - Spiritual Biography + photos

are lazy – watch out! The tigers in this mountain range really love
lazy monks. They find them especially tasty eating! So if you want
to avoid becoming a tasty meal for a tiger, you had better be dili-
gent. You see, tigers are actually afraid of anyone who’s diligently
striving, so they won’t eat that person.” After hearing this, all the
monks redoubled their efforts as though their very lives depended
on it. They forced themselves to go out and do walking medita-
tion, despite the roar of tigers all around the vicinity. Although
they remained afraid, they believed what Ãcariya Mun told them:
that lazy monks could expect to be a tiger’s next meal.
Their precarious situation was made even worse by the fact
that they didn’t have huts as they would in a monastery – only
small platforms just big enough to sleep on which were very low
to the ground. If a tiger became hungry there’d be no contest.
Ãcariya Mun related that on some nights huge tigers wandered
into the monk’s area, but then simply walked harmlessly past. He
knew that tigers normally would not dare do anything for the
devas were always on guard. When devas came for a Dhamma
talk, they mentioned to him that they were protecting the area
and would not let anything trouble the monks or cause them
harm. Those devas also invited Ãcariya Mun to remain in the
area for a long time.
In truth, Ãcariya Mun’s admonition to the monks was simply
a means of arousing fear so that they would take an increased
interest in their practice. As for the tigers, they seemed to know
that the monks’ living area was a safe haven. Various kinds of
wild animals, too, felt no need to be wary of hunters entering the
monks’ vicinity, for when the villagers knew where Ãcariya Mun
was staying, they rarely dared to hunt the area. They were con-