ices, cutting straight across the Nong Sung mountains, through
Kham Cha-ee, and coming out at the district of Lerng Nok Tha
in the province of Ubon Ratchathani. That year he spent the
rains retreat at Ban Nong Khon in the Amnat Charoen district
of Ubon Ratchathani province. Many monks and novices stayed
there with him, and he trained them vigorously. While he was
there the number of monks and lay devotees, who gained faith
and came to train under him, steadily increased.
LATE ONE EVENING Ãcariya Mun sat in meditation and as soon as
his citta dropped into calm a vision appeared of many monks and
novices walking respectfully behind him in a nice, orderly fashion
which inspired devotion. Yet, there were other monks who hurried
past, walking ahead of him without respect or self-control. Others
looked for an opportunity to pass him in a completely undisci-
plined manner. And finally, there were some who held pieces of
split bamboo, using it to pinch his chest so that he could hardly
breath. When he saw these different monks display such disre-
spect – even cruelly tormenting him – he focused his citta care-
fully to look into events of the future. Immediately, he understood
that those, who walked respectfully behind him in a nice, orderly
fashion which inspired devotion, were the monks who would con-
duct themselves properly, faithfully putting his teaching into prac-
tice. These were the monks who would revere him and uphold the
sãsana, assuring that it would flourish in the future. They would
be able to make themselves useful to the sãsana and to people
everywhere by maintaining the continuity of traditional Buddhist
customs and practices into the future. Honored and respected by