exists amid the same khandhas with which it used to intermix, it no
longer shares any common characteristics with them. It is a world
apart. Only then do we know clearly that the body, the khandhas, and
the citta are all distinct and separate realities.Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge a special debt of gratitude I owe to
Bhikkhu Khemasanto, who worked for several years to prepare a
translation of this biography that was eventually entrusted to me
for editing and revisions. After careful comparison with the original
Thai text, I decided to begin from scratch and to translate the entire
book myself. Bhikkhu Khemasanto’s efforts did, however, prove to
be a useful source of reference. I am also indebted to Bhikkhu Piya-
dhammo who, having managed to decipher my often jumbled hand-
writing, worked tirelessly to type and format the entire manuscript.
And a special thanks must go to Swe Thant, without whose careful
copy-editing and timely prompting the book would be far less pol-
ished than it is at present. I am also extremely grateful to all the gen-
erous people whose donations made possible the publishing of this
gift of Dhamma. May they and all who read this book be blessed with
faith in Ãcariya Mun, his life, and his teachings.
About the Translator
Born Richard E. Byrd, Jr. at Winchester, Virginia in 1948, Bhikkhu
Sïlaratano was ordained as a Buddhist monk at Bangkok, Thailand
in 1977, having already undergone several years of Buddhist training
in India and Sri Lanka. Since his ordination, he has been resident in
Thailand, practicing under the tutelage of Ãcariya Mahã Boowa.