teaching their own disciples how to develop firm principles for the
future. All of this resulted from Ãcariya Mun’s pioneering efforts
to pass on that knowledge and understanding to others. Without
his guidance they would never have been able to find the right
path, to say nothing of teaching others how to practice it.
The task of laying a firm spiritual foundation in the heart,
so that it is solidly anchored in reason and propriety, is an impor-
tant and difficult one – far more so than any other seemingly dif-
ficult task we’ve ever done. Spiritual work, like all other work,
follows the lead of the heart. In truth, the primary basis for every-
thing we do is found in the heart. The heart is both instigator and
director of all affairs concerning good and evil, right and wrong.
Being both arbiter and taskmaster in all moral issues, the more
the heart learns about itself and its relation to matters of good,
evil, right, and wrong, the better equipped it will be to sustain
itself in a smooth, safe, and joyful manner. Those of us, who were
aware of Ãcariya Mun’s profound knowledge of this subject, feel
obliged to pay homage to him with unshakable faith. While he
was alive, we were constantly reminded of the depth of his under-
standing. And although he has now passed away, we have never
forgotten it. We cannot help but recollect him with a profound
and boundless sense of gratitude.
Ãcariya Mun was a teacher of the highest caliber when it
came to developing people’s hearts – a development that goes
straight to the essential core of life in this world. A heart well
developed in Dhamma is unlikely to suffer adverse consequences.
More than that, we can state with confidence that a fully devel-
oped heart will never suffer any adverse consequences at all. All
its actions will bring beneficial results. A world in which proper
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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