all about me is enough to make me shiver, so how could I possibly
maintain any degree of mindfulness? I’m leaving today. If I remain
here any longer, I’ll die for sure. Please believe me.”
The layman told Ãcariya Mun that he felt very sorry for
that old monk, but he didn’t know what to say to prevent him
leaving: “His face was so pale it was obvious he was frightened,
so I had to let him go. Before he left, I asked him where he’d be
going. He said he didn’t know for sure, but that if he didn’t die
first, we’d probably meet again someday – then he left. I had a boy
send him off. When the boy returned I asked him, but he didn’t
know, for the elderly monk hadn’t told him where he was going. I
feel really sorry for him. An old man like that, he shouldn’t have
taken it so personally.”
Ãcariya Mun was deeply dismayed to see his benevolent
intentions producing such negative results, his compassion being
the cause of such unfortunate consequences. In truth, seeing the
elderly monk’s stunned reaction that very first day, he had sus-
pected then that this might happen. After that day he was disin-
clined to send out the flow of his citta to investigate, fearing he
might again meet with the same situation. In the end, his suspi-
cions were confirmed. He told the layman that he’d spoken with
the old monk in the familiar way that friends normally do: play-
ful one minute, serious the next. He never imagined it becoming
such a big issue that the elderly monk would feel compelled to
abandon his monastery and flee like that.
This incident became an important lesson determining
how Ãcariya Mun behaved toward all the many people he met
throughout his life. He was concerned that such an incident might
be repeated should he fail to make a point of carefully consid-
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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