vided only for the relatively few, prominent administrative monks
and those accompanying them.
Once the pots of rice and stew had been offered, monks
served themselves in order of seniority, placing rice, stew, and
assorted sweets together in their alms bowls. This was normal
practice – they invariably mixed their food in that way. The
religious faith of the general public and the protective power of
Ãcariya Mun’s spiritual greatness combined to ensure that food
was always plentiful.
For the duration of the funeral, there were no instances
of drinking or drunken behavior, no quarreling or fighting, and
no cases of theft were reported. When found, lost articles were
handed over to someone in authority who announced them over
the loudspeakers. If the item in question was something valu-
able, the announcer did not describe it. He said merely that a
valuable item had been found and urged the owner to come and
claim it. Having correctly identified it, the item was returned to
him. If the lost article was something common, the announcer
simply described what had been found so the owner could then
reclaim it. If it was money, he announced only that some money
had been found, but the amount and its container – such as a
wallet – were not mentioned. The owner was required to supply
this information as proof of ownership.
The funeral ceremonies preceding the cremation of Ãcariya
Mun’s body lasted a total of four days and three nights. The entire
event was remarkable in many respects. To begin with, despite
the enormous crowds, there was very little noise; no fights or wild,
drunken behavior anywhere in the area, no pickpockets, and no
thefts reported. Lost valuables were promptly handed over to the
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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