within the confines of the Noble tradition recorded in the Bud-
dhist scriptures. Understanding did not arise in him in a random
fashion either – it arose in progressive stages following the prin-
ciples of truth. Ãcariya Mun advised practicing monks to guard
against being indiscriminate by always keeping the strictures of
the Teaching and the Discipline in mind, since they represent
the Buddha and the path of practice he followed. He stressed
that the monk who maintains magga and phala – and maintains
the Teaching and the Discipline – is one who is humble and un-
assuming, and always careful not to let his actions, his speech, or
his thoughts go astray. Practicing thus, he will be able to stand on
his own – indefinitely.
Having addressed the issue of teaching Dhamma to others,
Ãcariya Mun again turned his attention to the nature of his inner
Dhamma. He said that the moment of realization, when Dhamma
arises in all its glory within the citta, is a moment that’s completely
unimaginable. Dhamma’s true nature reveals itself in a totally
unexpected manner, as it is inconceivable and impossible to spec-
ulate about beforehand. At that moment, he felt as though he
had died and been born again into a new life – a uniquely amaz-
ing death and rebirth. The quality of awareness, intrinsic to this
transformation, was a state of knowing that he had never before
experienced, even though it had always been there, unchanging.
Suddenly, then, it became apparent – spectacular, and incon-
ceivably amazing. It was this quintessential quality that caused
Ãcariya Mun to consider – somewhat unconventionally – that it
would not be possible to teach others this Dhamma because they
would never be able to truly understand it.
Since his early days of practice, Ãcariya Mun always pos-
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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