Ven. Acariya Mun - Spiritual Biography + photos

I have never forgotten. I will remember those outstanding experi-
ences for the rest of my life.
During that retreat period Ãcariya Mun began to use tough,
coercive measures with us, treating us more like old footrags. Until
then, he had used relatively gentle methods, turning a blind eye
to our shortcomings. He probably decided that the time was right
to get tough with us. If he continued to tolerate our lapses indefi-
nitely, he would feel burdened all the time and his students would
never awake from their slumber long enough to open their eyes
and see the earth, the sky, the moon and the stars. As a result,
all the monks were eager to do meditation practice and excited
about the insights they gained from their efforts. Monks rou-
tinely described their inner experiences to Ãcariya Mun so that
he could help them to further their understanding. At the same
time, he would point out how they could perfect those aspects of
their practice that still needed improvement. He did his best to
answer every question that was put to him. Those question-and-
answer sessions, when he gave advice to specific individuals, were
engrossing expositions on the practical aspects of Dhamma. His
responses to the monks who approached him about their medi-
tative experiences were never predictable, being dictated by the
specific nature of the experience or the question under discussion.
He always answered in the manner best suited to the individual
student, elucidating points of practice and recommending tech-
niques appropriate for his specific level of practice. Those of us,
who had the privilege of listening in, especially enjoyed hearing
about the meditation experiences and questions posed by monks
whose practice had reached an advanced stage. We were truly
captivated then, wishing for those discussions never to end. We