Oneself is one’s own refuge,
For who else could one’s refuge be?
Having trained oneself well,
One obtains a refuge hard to gain.
- Pubbenivãsa. Literally, one’s previous state of existence (in a former
life).
- That is, concentration, wisdom, absolute freedom, and perfect
realization of absolute freedom.
- The Four Roads to Spiritual Power (iddhipãda) are: intention
(chanda), effort (viriya), contemplation (citta), and analysis (vimaÿsa).
6. The term sãvakasangha refers to the ariyasangha and denotes all of
those followers of the Buddha who have attained at least Stream-entry
(Sotãpanna), the first of the transcendent Noble Paths (Ariya-magga).
Such individuals are sure to “practice well (supaåipanno), straightly (uju),
rightly (ñãya), and properly (sãmïci)”.
- Ãcariya Mun died in November of the year 2492 of the Buddhist
Era, approximately twenty years before this biography was written.
8. The Bodhi Tree, or Tree of Awakening, was the tree under which
the Buddha was seated when he attained Enlightenment. It was an
Indian pipal tree (ficus religiosa).
9. All of these ãcariyas have now passed away.
- Stream-enterer (Sotãpanna), Once-returner (Sakadãgãmï), and
Non-returner (Anãgãmï): the first three stages of the Noble Path to
Nibbãna, which culminate in the fourth or Arahant stage.
6. The Final Years
- When Ãcariya Mun’s biography was written, only three photo-
graphs of him were known to exist. In the intervening years, several
more photographs were discovered, bringing to nine the number of pic-
tures of Ãcariya Mun now in circulation. Most of them are reproduced
in this book.
