warned them that medicines were useless for his illness; that only
firewood for cremating the corpse was appropriate. But the more
he protested, the more they beseeched him. So occasionally he
yielded to their appeals and took a small dose of medicine. He was
concerned that people would feel disappointed if they believed he
had given up on his condition.
As news of his illness spread across the region, people
began arriving from all directions to visit him at Ban Nong Pheu.
Traveling from locations far and near in all kinds of weather, a
steady flow of monks and laity poured in like the waters from
a monsoon rain. Ban Nong Pheu was situated in a valley sur-
rounded by thick forest some twelve to fifteen miles from
the main highway between Udon Thani and Sakon Nakhon.
Though people had to travel by foot to see him, they appeared
undaunted by the distance and the difficulties it posed. Only
the elderly, unable to make the journey on foot, hired ox carts
to take them there.
By nature, Ãcariya Mun always preferred to live alone quietly.
Even the monks living with him were discouraged from bother-
ing him unless absolutely necessary. Consequently, receiving large
numbers of well-wishers disagreed with his natural inclination to
remain aloof from such tiresome affairs. When sick, he had always
been reluctant to allow even his close disciples to take care of
him, though he did make certain exceptions. When he did allow
it, the monks attending to his personal needs had to be very cir-
cumspect in his presence. Only monks deemed trustworthy were
selected for these duties. As his health deteriorated, a discern-
ing senior monk was appointed to oversee all arrangements for
his health care. Since by nature Ãcariya Mun was very thorough
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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