reaching the very end of the Noble Path, the highest attainment:
Nibbãna. Dealing the all-powerful kilesas a fatal blow, these Noble
individuals eradicated them from their hearts forever. Having
extinguished their kilesas, they became those Arahant disciples
that people the world over have worshipped with such devotion
ever since.
Ãcariya Mun was another Noble individual following in the
footsteps of the Lord Buddha. He truly possessed unshakable faith
and uncompromising resolve – he didn’t merely talk about them.
When the morning meal was over, he immediately entered the
forest to begin walking meditation in those peaceful surroundings
that were so conducive to calm and inner happiness. First walk-
ing, later sitting, he pursued his meditation until he felt the time
was right to take a short rest. His strength renewed, he resumed
his attack on the kilesas, creators of the endless cycle of existence.
With such determination and steadfast application to the task, the
kilesas were never given reason to scoff at Ãcariya Mun’s efforts.
While practicing samãdhi intensively, he also worked tirelessly to
develop insight, his wisdom revolving relentlessly around whatever
object he was investigating. In that way, samãdhi and vipassanã
were developed in tandem, neither one lagging behind the other;
and his heart remained peaceful and contented in his practice.
Still, periods of slow progress were inevitable, for he had
no one to advise him when he got stuck. Often he spent many
days working his way through a specific problem, painstakingly
figuring out the solution for himself. He was obliged to exhaus-
tively investigate these stumbling blocks in his practice, exam-
ining every facet carefully, because they were a hindrance to his
progress and also potentially dangerous. In such situations, the
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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