that they would not respond to kindness and compassion.
Ghosts live in cities, just as we humans do. They have huge
cities with leaders who supervise and govern them. Quite a few
ghosts are inclined to be virtuous and thus earn high respect from
both the ordinary ghosts and the hooligans. It’s natural for all
ghosts to stand in genuine awe of those among them who tend
to possess great power and authority. This is not merely a matter
of flattery. Ãcariya Mun always claimed that the effects of evil
are less powerful than the effects of goodness; and what he him-
self encountered in the ghost cities was further evidence of this.
There are beings with accumulated merit who are nonetheless
born into the ghost state as a result of their kamma, but, their
virtuous characters never change, so they exercise great author-
ity. One such individual is even capable of governing a large com-
munity. These ghost communities do not segregate into groups or
castes as humans do. Instead, they adhere strictly to the authority
of Dhamma principles. The effects of their kamma make it impos-
sible for them to hold the kind of prejudice that people do. The
nature of their existence is governed by the nature of their kamma
- this is a fixed principle. The way we use authority in this world
cannot, therefore, be applied in the world hereafter. Ãcariya Mun
explained this matter in great detail but, I’m sorry to say, I can
remember only a little of it.
Ãcariya Mun’s visits to the ghosts were done psychically
through samãdhi meditation. As soon as they saw him they hur-
ried to tell everyone to come and pay their respects to him, just
as we humans would do. The chief ghost, who was very respect-
ful of Ãcariya Mun and had great faith in him, guided him on a
tour past the many places where the ghosts lived, including the
