a crucial juncture in my own development as well. The kilesas and
Dhamma are engaged in a full-scale war, and Ãcariya Mun had been
my advisor, helping me to work out a battle plan. Who will have this
kind of compassion for me in the future? I had never reached such
an agonizing impasse before. I felt as though I had fallen into an
infernal pit of mortal despair. All hope seemed lost as I lived on
without him.
Such was my troubled state of mind when Ãcariya Mun
passed away. That experience chastened me. Ever since then I’ve
been loath to see other practicing monks encounter a similar ago-
nizing experience simply because they lack the firm principles
needed to stand on their own. Fearing that they will miss their
rightful destiny by default, I constantly warn them of the dangers.
Should they wait until the sun has already set before rushing to
find a safe refuge, I’m concerned they may end up feeling as empty
and lifeless as I did. Not wishing to see this happen, I caution
them to hurry and intensify their efforts while the moon is still
bright, their hearts still willing, and their bodies still able. Thus
committed, those desiring to attain the wealth of virtue inherent
within magga, phala, and Nibbãna can still manage to do so. They
need not live poverty-stricken amid a world of spiritual riches.Relics Transformed
All the people, who received some of the bone fragments that were
distributed after Ãcariya Mun’s cremation, placed them in suita-
ble reliquaries and worshipped these relics in his stead. Everyone
went their separate ways after the funeral, and nothing further was