understood the value of the effort he had struggled so diligently
to maintain until he could reap the amazing fruits of that dili-
gence. A deep appreciation for the Lord Buddha’s supreme impor-
tance arose in his heart; for, it was he who compassionately pro-
claimed the Dhamma so that others could follow in his footsteps,
thus allowing them to understand the complex nature of their
own kamma, and that of all other living beings as well. Thus the
vital significance of the Dhamma verse: All beings are born of their
kamma and kamma is their one true possession, which succinctly
sums up practically all the Buddha’s teachings.
Those insights notwithstanding, Ãcariya Mun continued to
remind himself that despite their truly amazing character he had
yet to reach the end of the path and the cessation of dukkha. To
accomplish that he would need to pour all his energy into the prac-
tice – with unstinting resolve. In the meantime, he was pleased
to see that the chronic stomach ailment which he had suffered so
long was now completely cured. More than that, his mind was now
firmly anchored to a solid spiritual basis. Although he had yet to
totally eradicate his kilesas, he was sure of being on the right path.
His meditation practice, now progressing smoothly, had none of
the fluctuations he had experienced earlier. Unlike in the past,
when he was groping in the dark, feeling his way along, he now felt
certain of the path leading to the highest Dhamma. He was abso-
lutely convinced that one day he would transcend dukkha.
His mindfulness and wisdom had reached a stage where
they worked ceaselessly in perfect concert. He never needed to
urge them into action. Day and night, knowledge and under-
standing arose continuously – both internal spiritual insights and
awareness of countless external phenomena. The more his mind
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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