yampiccaÿ na labhati tampi dukkhaÿ: not getting what one wants
is truly a form of dukkha. Everyone realized that whether he went
to Sakon Nakhon or remained at Ban Nong Pheu, in either case
the situation was hopeless – he was going to die. So the meeting
remained silent. There was just no way to resolve this dilemma.
In the end, everyone willingly agreed to his request.
Prior to the meeting, the residents of Ban Nong Pheu vil-
lage had made it known that they would feel honored to have him
die there. “We will manage all the funeral arrangements ourselves.
We may be quite poor here but our hearts are rich in faith and
respect for Ãcariya Mun. We will do everything we possibly can
to arrange the funeral here. We won’t let anyone look down on us
saying that the villagers of Ban Nong Pheu couldn’t cremate the
body of even one ãcariya – instead, it had to be done elsewhere.
We don’t want that kind of reputation. Whatever happens, all of
us here are ready to offer ourselves to Ãcariya Mun, body and
soul. He will remain our cherished refuge until the day he dies.
We can’t allow anyone to take him away. We will resist to the last
breath any attempt to do so.”
So when hearing Ãcariya Mun’s explanation for being
taken away, their disappointment was palpable, but they felt they
couldn’t object. Although they venerated him so much their sad-
ness and disappointment at hearing his reasons nearly broke their
hearts, they were forced to accept his decision. They truly deserve
a lot of sympathy. Their willingness to sacrifice everything in their
devotion to Ãcariya Mun is a gesture I will always treasure. I’m
sure that all of my readers feel the same way.
Many of Ãcariya Mun’s most senior disciples attended the
meeting, aware as he spoke that he must be moved as soon as pos-
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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