out ever removing a single kilesa from our hearts. We may find
ourselves inundated with knowledge about salvation, yet unable
to save ourselves. This is exactly what the Lord Buddha meant
when he advised the people of Kãlãma not to believe in specu-
lation or conjecture, and not to believe teachings handed down
from the past or teachers who are considered to be reliable; but
to believe that the principles of truth can be discovered within
themselves – by the wisdom within themselves. This is the surest
kind of knowledge there is. The Lord Buddha and his Arahant
disciples didn’t need anyone to validate the authenticity of their
attainment, for sandiååhiko is there within everyone who practices
the Buddha’s teaching in the right way.^4
Ãcariya Mun said that when he came to this last level of
advanced practice, he became so intrigued with it that he lost
all sense of time. He completely forgot the time of day, forgot to
sleep, and then forgot how tired he was. Fearless and unshakable,
his citta was constantly in position to oppose every type of kilesa,
ready to excise them by their roots. From the time he left Wat
Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai, he did not allow a single day to pass
in vain. And before long, he reached the point of ultimate under-
standing.^5
At the moment he set off alone, his citta began to express
the dynamic characteristics of a daring thoroughbred stallion. It
wanted to soar high and glide through the air, dive underground
and then shoot up into the sky again. It felt inclined to venture
out to experience the many countless variety of phenomena in
the universe. He felt as if his citta was about to dig up and remove
all of the kilesas in a single instant. The adventurous nature of
his mindfulness and wisdom had long been hemmed in by social
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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