and to others, for a sense of contentment is the primary determi-
nant of how pleasant our world really is. Even though the state of
our health and other physical needs may be uncertain, following
the fluctuating nature of anicca, life remains pleasant if our hearts
have sufficient contentment to insure us against life becoming
unbearable.
QUESTIONS HAVE ARISEN concerning the spontaneous transforma-
tion of the bone remains of Ãcariya Mun and Ãcariya Sao into
relics. As news of this marvel spread shortly after the first relics
of Ãcariya Mun appeared, many people voiced doubts about why
the bone remains of ordinary people could not also become relics:
after all, the bones of an Arahant and the bones of an ordinary
person are composed of the same body elements. Why is it that
only an Arahant’s bones can become relics? What’s the essential
difference between the two?
Briefly, my own explanation is that the heart, or the citta,
is the fundamental, determining factor here. Although the citta is
something common to all living beings, it varies greatly in power
and quality from one person to the next. As for an Arahant, his
citta is an ariyacitta; meaning that it is absolutely pure. The citta
of the average person, on the other hand, is merely an ordinary
citta; meaning, that it is polluted by kilesas. In either case, the
nature of the citta – the master and prime mover – has a decisive
impact on the condition of the physical body in which it resides.
For instance, the Arahant’s citta being pure, it may well have the
power to cleanse his body elements, making them pure as well,
and thus, allowing his bones to transmute into relics. Although