ried about falling prey to the destructive forces of evil. The more
we train ourselves to sever all emotional attachments, both good
and bad, the better our position will be.
The wise know that the heart is the most important thing
in the whole universe, for material and spiritual welfare are
dependent upon the heart. So, they make a point of training
their hearts in the correct way and then teach others to do the
same. We live by means of the heart, and experience content-
ment and dissatisfaction by means of the heart. When we die, we
depart by means of the heart. We are then born again according
to our kamma – with the heart as the sole cause. As it is the sole
source of everything that befalls us, we should train our hearts
in the right way so that we can conduct ourselves properly now
and in the future.
When Ãcariya Mun finished speaking the newly reborn
devas were overjoyed by his teaching. Praising it highly, they said
they had never heard anything quite like it before. Upon their
departure, they circumambulated him three times, then withdrew
to the edge of his living area before floating up into the air like
wisps of cotton borne by the wind.
ONCE, WHILE LIVING in a deep mountainous region of Chiang Mai,
far from the nearest village, Ãcariya Mun saw an extraordinary
nimitta arise in his meditation. The hour was three A.M., a time
when the body elements are especially subtle. He had just awoken
from sleep and was sitting in meditation when he noticed that his
citta wanted to rest in complete tranquility. So, he entered into