began and they rushed to drag him back again. Several hours
passed before he eventually got away. Meanwhile, the whole forest
was disturbed by noisy scenes of hysteria that were heart-rending
to watch. The initial epithet ‘tigers in disguise’ meant nothing to
them then. In its place had arisen deep reverence and attachment
for a man of supreme virtue. In the end, these hill tribe people
couldn’t hold back their emotions. As they gathered around him
crying and pleading, their many voices merged into a crescendo:
“Hurry back to visit us again. Please don’t be gone long, we miss
you so much already it’s breaking our hearts.”
Having arrived in the area surrounded by suspicion and
dissatisfaction, Ãcariya Mun departed amid emotional scenes
of affection and attachment. He had managed to turn some-
thing unseemly into something beautiful, so enhancing its value
immensely – as befits one ordained as a disciple of the Buddha.
The Buddha’s disciples never hold grudges or look to blame others.
Should anyone dislike them, they will try to help that person with
loving compassion. They never take offense at other people’s mis-
behavior nor do they harbor feelings of animosity that could lead
to mutual recriminations. A heart full to overflowing with loving
compassion inspires faith in those ablaze with kilesas by provid-
ing them with a peaceful, dependable refuge. A heart of such
loving grace possesses virtuous qualities that are unparalleled in
the world.
Later when listening to Ãcariya Mun tell this story, we
couldn’t help sympathizing with the hill tribe people. We formed
in our minds a clear image of those chaotic scenes in the forest –
as though we were watching a movie. We could imagine the vil-
lagers’ potent faith, ready to sacrifice anything for this man of
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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