joyed beyond words. All clasped some small keepsake in their fists,
guarding their treasure jealously, as though afraid someone might
try to snatch it away at any moment. Like so many other events
occurring during the course of Ãcariya Mun’s funeral, it was an
extremely moving sight.
Later, as their last act of homage before going home, most
people returned one more time to the site of the cremation – the
final resting place of Ãcariya Mun’s body. Prostrating themselves
three times, they sat quietly on the ground for a few moments in
an attitude of deep reflection, expressing their sense of loss with
tears and quiet sobs in a way that was heartrending to witness.
As I watched those people who felt such profound gratitude for
a monk of surpassing virtue, I shared with them the same pain-
ful sense of loss. When their moment of quiet reflection was over,
they rose and sadly walked away, their faces stained with tears.
Other faithful devotees then took their places, solemnly paying
their final respects, aware that they had lost the person they so
dearly revered. And so it continued for many hours that day – it
was an incredibly touching scene to watch.
The key factor here is the heart: the heart is the most impor-
tant thing in the world. People’s hearts were the primary force
behind all the events I have just described. Tens of thousands of
monks and lay people attended the funeral – their motivation for
going came directly from the heart. Their hearts were instinc-
tively drawn to Ãcariya Mun, for his heart was pure Dhamma –
an attainment so sought-after that it induced good, moral people
from all over the country to come to worship him. Although their
hearts may not have amassed as much virtue as they would have
liked, it was still enough to create in them a tendency toward
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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