in staying under those conditions, we will not benefit at all- only harm will come. What more need be said after this
incident with the cigarettes.”
Just an unwholesome train of thought in the middle of the night
was enough to elicit a stern response from him the next morning.
Meeting Ãcariya Mun, the offending monk would be met by his
sharp, penetrating gaze, a gaze that seemed to pierce the culprit
and tear him to pieces. In a situation like that it was inadvisable
to approach him or attempt to help him with his requisites, since
he would strictly refuse to allow that monk to do anything for
him. It was his indirect way of tormenting the monk’s innate stub-
bornness. But it is strange how a monk initially felt quite chas-
tened, yet somehow the effect didn’t last long. He felt chastened at
the moment he was stung by a severe reprimand; but later, when
Ãcariya Mun spoke to him in a normal tone of voice he would let
down his guard and make the same mistake again. Despite having
no intention of thinking in ways that were harmful to himself,
he was simply unable to keep up with his own restive thoughts,
which tended to jump from one thing to another quicker than a
horde of wild monkeys. Later on, when the same monk went to
see Ãcariya Mun again, he could sense immediately that he was
not welcome – just the look in Ãcariya Mun’s eyes was enough
to make him extremely wary. Even with that, he had yet to fully
learn his lesson. After a while, if the dangers of his way of think-
ing were not brought home again to him, he would inadvertently
begin to befriend those harmful thoughts once more, entertaining
them as if they were actually something worthwhile. That is why I
say that, despite feeling quite chastened, somehow the effect didn’t