resolute individuals. They paid scrupulous attention to the kilesas
arising within themselves in an attempt to reduce their strength
and choke them off. They were not concerned that his admo-
nitions might be too harsh or too intense. In fact, the intensity
of his tone increased as the Dhamma under discussion became
more profound. Those focusing on a certain level of tranquility
were reinforced in that calm state, while those concentrating on
investigative analysis followed every nuance of his reasoning to
discover new techniques for developing wisdom.
The discourses that Ãcariya Mun delivered to his students
in Chiang Mai were especially profound because his knowledge
of Dhamma was by then complete. Another factor was the high
degree of understanding that the monks who sought his guidance
already possessed. They were absolutely determined to strive for
higher and higher levels of Dhamma until they reached the ulti-
mate goal. Besides his usual admonitions, Ãcariya Mun also had
some very unusual techniques for thwarting the monks whose
thoughts tended to go astray. He used these techniques to trap
‘thieves’ and catch them in the act. But these were no ordinary
thieves. The thieves that Ãcariya Mun caught lurked inside the
hearts of monks whose thoughts liked to steal away to everything
imaginable – in the usual way of the kilesas.
A STRANGE INCIDENT occurred while Ãcariya Mun was staying in
the mountains of Chiang Mai – an incident that should never
have happened in the circle of kammaååhãna monks. I hope you
will forgive me for recounting what I heard. I feel it may be a
thought-provoking lesson for anyone who finds himself in a sim-