Dhamma to be so very profound that he understood how diffi-
cult it was going to be to practice it to perfection, and to fully
realize its essential truths. He felt a sense of satisfaction, think-
ing how fortunate he was to be able to practice Dhamma and
realize its many insights and truths – an amazing feeling. Even
though he had yet to reach the ultimate realization, a dream he’d
long desired to fulfill, still the spiritual contentment he experi-
enced was very rewarding. He was sure now that, unless death
intervened, his hopes would surely be realized one day. Savor-
ing his contentment, he reflected on the path he took to practice
Dhamma and the results he hoped to achieve, proceeding step by
step, until he reached a complete cessation of dukkha, eliminating
all traces of discontent still existing within his heart.
Just then, a large troop of monkeys came foraging for food
in front of the cave. The leader of the troop arrived first, a good
distance in front of the rest. Reaching the area in front of the
cave, it spotted Ãcariya Mun who sat very still with eyes open,
glancing silently at the approaching monkey. The monkey imme-
diately became suspicious of his presence. Nervous, worried about
the safety of its troop, it ran back and forth along the branch of
a tree, looking warily at him. Ãcariya Mun understood its anx-
iety, and sympathized with it, sending out benevolent thoughts
of loving kindness: I’ve come here to practice Dhamma, not to mis-
treat or harm anyone; so there’s no need to fear me. Keep searching
for food as you please. You can come foraging around here every day
if you like.
In a flash, the lead monkey ran back to its troop, which
Ãcariya Mun could see approaching in the distance. He watched
what happened next with a sense of great amusement, combined
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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