heartedly. His sincere aim, always, was to transcend the world.
Everything he did was directed toward the noble effort of destroy-
ing the kilesas^9 within himself. Due to this sense of purpose, he
allowed no hiding room in his heart for arrogance and conceit,
despite being exposed to the same defiling influences as was
everyone else. In one respect he differed markedly from the aver-
age person: instead of allowing his mind free reign for the kile-
sas to trample all over, he always put up a fight, attacking them
at every opportunity.
Later, when he felt confident that he had developed a suf-
ficiently solid foundation in his meditation, he investigated the
dream nimitta. Turning his attention to the dream, he analyzed
it until he gradually comprehended its full meaning. He saw that
ordaining as a monk and practicing the Dhamma properly was
equivalent to raising the level of the citta beyond the poisons of
the world. The dense, entangled jungle, where dangers of every
kind await to ambush, was the analogy for the citta, a repository
of pain and misery. The citta must be lifted until it reaches the
vast, wide open expanse – a sphere of Ultimate Happiness, and
freedom from all fear and concern.^10
The majestic white stallion symbolized the path of practic-
ing Dhamma. He rode the horse as the means of transport to the
realm of complete contentment, where he encountered the beau-
tiful Tipiåika cabinet with an exquisite design. Able only to look
upon it, he lacked the spiritual perfection necessary to secure the
cabinet’s opening and admire its library to his heart’s content –
a feat accomplished only by one who has acquired catu paåisam-
bhidãñãõa. A person endowed with this four-fold knowledge is
renown throughout the three worlds for his brilliant wisdom and
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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