waking consciousness, on the other hand, one would have to be a
very skilled person indeed to be able to acknowledge and interact
with beings from other realms. Even were he able to acknowledge
them, it would still be easier to accomplish this at the appropri-
ate level of samãdhi. For this reason, upacãra samãdhi – the access
gate – is a level suitable to nearly every eventuality.
Ãcariya Mun became an expert in these matters during his
sojourn at Sarika Cave many years before. At that time, he had
been an ordained monk for twenty-two years. By the time he
passed away, after spending a total of sixty years in the robes, he
had become a true master of these matters. Everyone in the world
has the same potential for perceiving such phenomena as Ãcariya
Mun had – they need only to develop it. But, very few can develop
his exceptional skills. However, even though they fell short of his
total mastery, if people could develop at least some skill, it would
be sufficient for witnessing such things. Instead, being unable to
see them, people tend to believe that such phenomena do not
actually exist in the world around them.
It’s difficult to convince people who lack sufficient know-
ledge of Dhamma for endowing their hearts with a strong spir-
itual basis. Should our hearts develop the principles of Dhamma
- principles certifying the true nature of all phenomena – and
gain the necessary skills, then no amount of denial could possi-
bly negate what we clearly see for ourselves. Even if everyone on
earth insisted on denying the existence of such things, it would
merely be an empty denial. The true nature of what we perceive
remains unchanged – nothing can possibly alter it. Truth does not
depend on beliefs or opinions of any kind. It is true according to
immutable natural principles.
