innermost thoughts.
Monks who lacked mindfulness to supervise their thoughts,
letting their minds wander constantly, often became aware of those
thoughts only when they heard Ãcariya Mun give voice to them.
Some of the more pathetic ones were so bemused that they did
not realize Ãcariya Mun was referring to them. It wasn’t necessary
to be in his presence – just living together with him in the same
monastic community was sufficient reason for caution. Any monk
mindlessly giving rein to wild thoughts was sure to hear some-
thing unusual from Ãcariya Mun when eventually they met. But
especially at risk were those who dared to let their minds wander
in his presence. It didn’t matter what he was doing at the time –
he might be instructing the monks, or having a conversation, or
whatever. He would give the culprit a tongue-lashing or use some
unusual ploy to get his attention. Only when he felt disinclined to
respond did he allow such thoughts to pass unchallenged.
According to the accounts of many senior disciples who lived
with him in Chiang Mai, Ãcariya Mun’s mastery of such faculties
as celestial hearing, celestial seeing, and thought reading, was so
amazing it could be frightening. His ability to read thoughts was
so lightning quick that those entertaining unwholesome thoughts
almost invariably heard about it. Consequently, monks who lived
with him needed to guard their sense faculties very carefully. If
not, they certainly got caught for they could not elude his pene-
trating genius and find a safe way to hide.
Once, due to his fear of Ãcariya Mun, a monk thought
about the ferocity Ãcariya Mun’s admonitions. When the monk
next saw him, Ãcariya Mun immediately addressed the question.
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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