Ven. Acariya Mun - Spiritual Biography + photos

advice, could see him on any day. Monks wanting to ask ques-
tions about their practice were advised to approach Ãcariya Mun
at a time during the day when he was free – usually just after the
morning meal, in the early afternoon, at five in the afternoon, or
at eight o’clock at night.
Hearing Ãcariya Mun discuss Dhamma and answer ques-
tions in the quiet hours of the evening was a very pleasant experi-
ence. Then, many unusual questions were asked by disciples who
came from various locations in the surrounding area to seek his
advice. Some of these questions dealt with internal matters that
arose in the course of a monk’s meditation. Others dealt with
external phenomena, such as devas. The monks who arrived to
discuss their practice with him had varying skills and abilities in
meditation. Some had unusual meditative experiences to relate.
We listened eagerly, so mesmerized by his replies that none of us
wanted the sessions to end. Each time we learned valuable les-
sons that led to practical methods for improving our meditation
and thus gave us great satisfaction.
On timely occasions, Ãcariya Mun recounted edifying sto-
ries about his past. He told us about his early years in lay life: how
he ordained, first as a novice, then as a monk. Some of these sto-
ries were so funny they made us laugh; some made us pity him
for what he had gone through; and some, the ones about his
attainments, were just incredibly amazing. Living continuously
with a good teacher for a long time had many distinct advan-
tages. Following his example, his disciples gradually altered their
basic attitudes and ways of behavior, adjusting their outer con-
duct and augmenting their inner skills little by little to match his,
until eventually their characters naturally harmonized with his as