though fewer devas came in Sakon Nakhon and their visits were
far less frequent than those of devas in Chiang Mai. It was prob-
ably because the region was less remote, and thus less secluded.
They tended to come only on religious festival days, such as Mãgha
Pýjã, Visãkha Pýjã and the observance days at the beginning, the
middle, and the end of the rains retreat. Other than that, rela-
tively few devas came to visit him.
Only a small group of monks actually spent these rains
retreats with him due to a limited number of available huts. He
could not accept new arrivals unless there were vacancies. The
situation was different outside of the retreat period. Then monks
from many different places came to train under him. Following
the retreat, a steady flow of monks came and went at his monas-
tery, and he always very kindly made a special effort to instruct
them in their practice.
In the dry season, following the third rains retreat, a group
of lay people from the village of Ban Nong Pheu Na Nai went to
see Ãcariya Mun, and invited him to return with them to live
near their village. He accepted their offer, and was escorted to
their village in the Na Nai sub-district of Phanna Nikhom in
Sakon Nakhon province, where he spent the next rains retreat.
He traveled the distance from Ban Khok to Ban Nong Pheu
hiking through thick forest, camping out along the way each
night. Making his way through rough, wooded terrain the entire
way, he finally arrived several days later.
Soon after his arrival, he came down with a severe case of
malaria. The symptoms of this strain of malaria alternate between
bouts of very high fever and shivering cold chills. It’s a punish-
ing affliction that lasts for months. Anyone falling victim to such
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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