was time to have compassion for himself, to educate and lift him-
self above and beyond those obscuring inner factors which still
needed to be overcome.
The life of someone with social obligations and responsibil-
ities is a life of distraction and of almost unbearable stress, never
allowing adequate time for being alone. One must admit that this
kind of life is a perpetual struggle to be endured, even though a
person may have enough mindfulness and wisdom to avoid this
burden somewhat and alleviate the stress so that it doesn’t over-
whelm him. The opportunities to practice meditation are limited;
the results are likely to be minimal and not worth all the disap-
pointments and difficulties.
This solitary excursion into the untamed wilderness was an
ideal opportunity for him to disengage and live alone, aloof from
all entanglements. Wild, remote forests are just the right kinds of
places to live and practice for someone aiming to sever all resid-
ual attachments, both internal and external, from his heart. He
can discard all the remaining concerns that might form the seeds
of future existence – the source of all forms of dukkha that brings
menace in its wake and causes endless suffering. Remote for-
ests are the right environment in which a persistent and diligent
person can zero in on the fundamental causes of existence – the
great internal masters of deception leading us astray – and excise
them quickly from his heart. While one is still far from reaching
the shores of Nibbãna, little benefit can be gained from involve-
ment in other people’s affairs; for that is comparable to overload-
ing a barge that is ready to sink even before it starts going. When
the coveted goal of the holy life seemed within reach, Acariya
Mun’s compassionate concern for others dropped away, replaced
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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