dejected, they were not so cheerful as before. Every conversation
began with the topic of Ãcariya Mun’s illness and moved on to
something else, only to return to his health again as the conver-
sation ended.
Despite failing health, Ãcariya Mun did not neglect his
teaching obligations. His compassionate concern for his disciples
never diminished, though he was no longer able to expound the
Dhamma in such detail as before. Having finished his talk, he
briefly answered questions and then promptly adjourned the
meeting to return to his hut for a rest. Incredibly though, while
sitting there expounding Dhamma to the assembled monks, he
showed no signs of his illness. He spoke with characteristic reso-
luteness in a sharp, lively fashion, his voice booming loudly as if
he never had been sick. When he wanted to emphasize a point,
the tempo of his voice quickened dramatically to drive the point
home. He held nothing back as he spoke. His whole demeanor
belied his true condition. Only after he finished speaking did we
all realize how exhausted he was. So we quickly adjourned to
allow him a chance to rest.
ONE EVENING SHORTLY before his illness began, on the occasion of
Mãgha Pýjã, the full moon day of February 1949, Ãcariya Mun
began expounding Dhamma to the assembled monks at eight P.
M. and did not finish until midnight, speaking for a total of four
hours. The power of the Dhamma he delivered that night truly
amazed the whole assembly of dhutanga monks who were gathered
for that occasion. To those listening, the entire universe appeared
to have vanished without a trace, replaced in their awareness