Seeing no apparent signs of life, Chao Khun Dhammachedi
rather tentatively said, “I think he’s passed away.” At the same
time he glanced down at his watch – it was exactly 2:23 A.M.
So that was taken as the time of death. When death had been
confirmed, the impact of his passing was reflected in the grief-
stricken, tearful faces of all the monks who sat crowded around
the lifeless body. There followed an anguished few moments of low
coughs and soft, incoherent mutterings before the whole room
sank into a mood of silent despair which is beyond the power of
words to describe. Our hearts were plunged into unbearable feel-
ings of emptiness; our bodies sitting there appeared to be mere
empty shells. Several long moments of stilled silence ensued when
the whole world appeared to cease momentarily while Ãcariya
Mun abandoned his conventional existence and entered into the
domain of Ultimate Happiness where no vestige of conventional
reality could disturb him ever again.
I myself very nearly died of a broken heart along with him
as I sat by his side steeped in pensive sorrow. I could not manage
to shake off the gloomy, somber mood that clouded my heart as
he departed the world. I could do nothing to alleviate the extreme
pain of the loss I felt. ‘Living dead’ fittingly describes my sense of
hopelessness at that moment.
After a period of silence, his senior disciples had the monks
neatly rearrange his bedding. They laid out his body there for
the time being, with the understanding that next morning they
would consult together about making further arrangements. This
accomplished, the monks began filing out of his room. Though
a few remained on the verandah outside the room, most of them
went down below. Even though the whole area surrounding the
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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