world virtually disappeared, and with it, his interest in teaching
other people. He was convinced that this Supreme Dhamma was
far too profound and overwhelming in its greatness for people to
ever truly understand. So he became disheartened in this respect,
feeling disinclined to teach others. He felt it was enough to simply
enjoy this wonderful Dhamma alone while still living in the midst
of the conventional world.
Ãcariya Mun reflected at length that night on the benefi-
cence of the Lord Buddha. This Supreme Teacher, having fully
realized the Truth, taught people who were receptive to his mes-
sage so that they too could attain genuine deliverance. It was obvi-
ous that not a single falsehood was concealed anywhere within
the Buddha’s teaching. He spent the rest of that night tirelessly
paying homage to the supreme virtues of the Lord Buddha.
Ãcariya Mun had always been compassionate – he was
deeply sympathetic to the spiritual state of fellow human beings.
But his citta had just attained a clarity that was so extraordi-
nary in its brilliance and purity that he felt he could not possi-
bly explain the true nature of this Dhamma to others. Even if he
tried, ordinary people with kilesas could never hope to attain this
exalted state of mind. More than that, hearing him speak in such
superlatives, they could accuse him of insanity for daring to teach
the world something that no good, sane person would ever dis-
cuss. He believed it unlikely that there would be enough sympa-
thetic people to generate his enthusiasm for teaching. He was free
to live a life of solitude for the remainder of his years. It was suffi-
cient that he had fully realized his life-long ambition. He saw no
reason to burden himself with difficult teaching responsibilities. It
could end up being an example of good causes with bad effects:
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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