Ven. Acariya Mun - Spiritual Biography + photos

soon as it’s embraced by someone with a corrupt heart – like a
clean cloth being rubbed in the dirt. For example, when a wicked
person tries to impress others with his knowledge of the Buddhist
scriptures – nothing good ever comes of it. Vulgar people who are
stubborn and unyielding about religious matters are just the same;
and no matter how extraordinary Buddhism is, they are unable
to derive any of its benefits. They merely proclaim themselves to
be Buddhists but they never understand the real significance of
Buddhism and how it applies to them personally.
The actual truth about the sãsana is this: we ourselves are
the sãsana. No matter how good or bad our actions are, whatever
subsequent degree of happiness or suffering we experience – all
directly affect the sãsana. The word “sãsana” means the correct
way of living as practiced by each individual. If we think the sãsana
exists outside of ourselves, then our understanding is wrong, and
so our practice too is bound to be wrong. Anything which is wrong
is more or less useless. It can be made useful only at the expense
of the righteousness, dignity, and integrity of each individual. Put
simply and clearly: if we are wrong in our hearts, then whatever
we do turns out wrong. For instance, calculations don’t add up;
clothes don’t fit properly; traffic regulations are ignored; married
couples deviate from accepted norms, failing to honor their vows;
parents and children are at logger-heads; wealth is ill-gotten, its
distribution inequitable; the authorities flout the laws of the land
which are designed to keep peace; rulers and their constituents
cannot seem to work together for the common good according to
the law, and so become distrustful, behaving like enemies.
Regardless of how we experience the harmful consequences,
the disappointment and misfortune that result from wrong actions