were keen to hear such exchanges very often and so imbibe this
Dhamma to our heart’s content.ÃCARIYA MUN ADDRESSED many different topics during the course
of a meeting. He told us about his past lives. He recounted the ini-
tial stages of his own practice, including insights into various phe-
nomena arising in his meditation. He elaborated on the methods
he used in his struggle to extricate himself from the quagmire of
saÿsãra to the point where he verged on transcending the world
of conventional reality, and how that final transcendence actu-
ally occurred. Talk of his supreme attainment made those of us,
who yearned for this transcendent Dhamma, eager to attain it
ourselves. This prompted some of us to feel a bit dejected, won-
dering if we really had enough inherent potential to successfully
reach that sphere of Dhamma that he had realized to perfection.
Perhaps we would remain stuck in this quagmire forever, unable
to escape from the deep pit of saÿsãra. How is it he can attain
freedom, yet we still cannot arouse ourselves from sleep? When
will we be able to realize the same transcendent freedom he has?
This sort of thinking had the advantage of awakening a persist-
ent determination in us to tolerate the difficulties and press ahead
with our efforts. This in turn facilitated every aspect of the prac-
tice. We were so inspired and energized by the Dhamma he so
kindly elucidated for us that all sense of weariness and fatigue
vanished. Our faith in him gave us the necessary strength to will-
ingly shoulder the heaviest burdens.
The Lord Buddha taught us to associate with the wise. The
truth of this is obvious to students living in the presence of a