A Heart Released (Muttodaya)The Teachings of Phra Ajaan Mun Bhuridatta Thera

(cont).
Glossary
Anusaya: Latent tendency -- sensual passion, irritation, views, doubt, pride, passion for states of becoming, and unawareness .
Apaya: State of deprivation; the four lowest levels of existence -- rebirth in hell, as a hungry shade, as an angry demon, or as a common animal.
Arahant: A person whose heart is freed from mental effluents (see asava) and is thus not destined for further rebirth .
Arupa jhana: Meditative absorption in a non-physical object .
Asava: Mental effluent -- sensuality, states of becoming, and unawareness.
Avijja: Unawareness, ignorance, counterfeit knowledge.

Dhamma: Event; phenomenon; the way things are in and of themselves; their inherent qualities; the basic principles underlying their behavior. Also, principles of behavior that human beings ought to follow so as to fit in with the right natural order of things; qualities of mind they should develop so as to realize the inherent quality of the mind in and of itself. By extension, 'Dhamma' is used also to refer to any doctrine that teaches such things.
Dhatu: Element; property; potential. The four physical properties are those of earth (solidity), water (liquidity), fire (heat), and wind (energy or motion).
Khandha: Component parts of sensory perception: rupa (physical phenomena); vedana (feelings of pleasure, pain, or indifference); Sañña (concepts, labels, allusions); sankhara (mental fashionings, formations, processes); and viññana (cognizance, consciousness).
Lokadhamma: Ways of the world -- fortune, loss, praise, blame, status, disgrace, pleasure, and pain.
Nibbana: Liberation; the unbinding of the mind from passion, aversion, and delusion, and thus from the round of death and rebirth.
Nivarana: Hindrances to concentration -- sensual desire, ill will, torpor & lethargy, restlessness & anxiety, and uncertainty.
Ogha: Flood; factors that sweep the mind along the round of death and rebirth -- sensuality, states of becoming, and unawareness.
Patibhaga: The manipulation of visions that appear in meditation.
Rupa jhana: Meditative absorption in a physical object or sensation.
Satipatthana: Frame of reference; foundation of mindfulness -- body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities.
Uggaha nimitta: An image appearing spontaneously during meditation.
Upakkilesa: Mental corruption or defilement -- passion, aversion, and delusion in their various forms.
fromhttp://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/mun/released.html
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:- http://www.luangpumun.org/a.html

 

Basic Buddhist Vocabulary
Abhidharma pitaka -- higher teachings, philosophy
Alaya-vijñana -- "store" consciousness (similar to collective unconscious?)
Amitabha -- the Buddha of the Western "Pure Land." Also known as Amida.
Ananda -- Buddha's friend, cousin, and favorite disciple, and the monk who remembered the Sutras.
Anatman (anatta) -- not-self, self or ego not ultimately real.
Annitya (anicca) -- change, impermanence of all things, including us.
Arahant -- Worthy one, a name for the Buddha.
Arhat -- a monk who has achieved nirvana.
Asanga -- one of two brothers who lived in India in the 300's ad who developed Yogachara.
Asita -- the astrologer who predicts Buddha's fate
Asuras -- titans or demigods.
Avalokiteshwara -- boddhisattva of compassion
Avidya (avijja) -- ignorance, delusion.
Bardo -- (Tibet) the period between death and rebirth.
Bhagava -- The blessed one, a name for the Buddha.
Bhikshu -- monk.
Bhikshuni -- nun.
Bodh-gaya -- a town in Bihar where Buddha was enlightened at 35.
Bodhi -- enlightenment, awakening.
Bodhi tree -- the fig tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment.
Bodhicitta -- sanskrit word for 'mind of enlightenment'
Bodhidharma -- monk who brought Buddhism to China.
Bodhisattva -- enlightened being who remains in this existence to help others, a saint.
Brahma -- the supreme deva, who convinced Buddha to teach.
Brahma vihara -- four "sublime states" of the boddhisattva: Maitri, Karuna, Mudita, Upeksa.
Buddha -- The awakened one, the enlightened one.
Ch'an -- Chinese for Zen Buddhism.
Chandaka -- Buddha's squire, who helped him leave his princely life.
Ching-T'u -- Chinese for Pure Land.
Citta -- basic mind or consciousness
Citta-matra -- mind only, idealism
Dalai Lama -- the leader of Tibetan Buddhists.
Deer Park -- where Buddha gave his first sermon, in Sarnath, near Benares, to the five sadhus.
Dependent origination -- "one thing leads to another," all is connected.
Devadatta -- Buddha's "evil" cousin. "Theodore."
Devas -- gods.
Dhamma -- Pali for dharma.
Dharma (dhamma) -- the teachings of the Buddha.
Dharmakaya -- Buddha-mind, the pervasive essence
Dharmas -- ultimate elements of the universe (not dharma as in teachings!)
Dhyana (ch'an, zen) -- meditation.
Dogen (1200-1253) -- monk who brought Soto Zen to Japan.
Duhkha (dukkha) -- suffering, distress, lack of peace. First noble truth.
Dzogchen -- Tibetan tantric techniques for rapid enlightenment.
Dvesha (dosha) -- hatred, anger, avoidance.
Eightfold Path -- right view, aspiration, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration.
Five sadhus -- the five ascetics who practiced self-mortification with the Buddha.
Flower Adornment School -- a sect which attempted to consolidate all forms of Buddhism. Also known as Hua-Yen or Kegon.
Gandharvas -- angelic beings who provide the gods with music.
Gati -- realm. Used to refer to the six realms (gods, titans, humans, animals, ghosts, and demons)
Gautama (Gotama) -- Buddha's family name.
Hinayana -- southern Buddhism ("small or lesser vehicle or journey").
Ho-tei -- Japanese name for Pu-tai
Indra -- a major deva, originally the Hindu sky god.
Jodo, Jodoshin -- Japanese for Pure Land.
Kalpa -- millions of years, an eternity.
Kamma -- Pali for karma.
Kanthaka -- Buddha's horse.
Kapilavastu -- Shakyan capital, where Buddha grew up.
Karma (kamma) -- intentional or willed act.
Karuna -- compassion or mercy, the special kindness shown to those who suffer. One of the four brahma vihara.
Kashinagara -- were Buddha died (near Lumbini), in a grove of sala trees.
Koan -- a very brief story demonstrating the paradoxical nature of dualistic thinking. Used in Zen meditation.
Kwan Yin , Kwannon -- Chinese and Japanese names for Avalokiteswara.
Lama -- Tibetan tantric master, now often used to refer to any respected monk.
Lumbini Grove -- where Buddha was born, during his mother's trip to her parents' home.
Madhyamaka -- middle way, negative logic, not this -- not that
Mahakyashapa -- the monk who understood the silent sermon and led the first council.
Mahamaya, or Mayadevi -- Buddha's mother, who died seven days after his birth
Mahaprajapati -- Buddha's aunt and stepmother, founder of Buddhist nuns.
Mahayana -- northern Buddhism ("large or greater vehicle or journey").
Maitreya -- the future Buddha, who will be born 30,000 years from now.
Maitri -- caring, loving kindness displayed to all you meet. One of the four brahma vihara.
Manas -- I-consciousness, mind, intelligence
Mandala -- a complex, circular, symmetrical image used in meditation
Mantra -- a phrase or syllable repeated during meditation
Mara -- a deva associated with death and hindrances to enlightenment. It was Mara who tempted Buddha under the bodhi tree.
Marga -- the path, track. The eightfold noble path. Fourth noble truth.
Metta -- Pali for Maitri.
Mudita -- sympathetic joy, being happy for others, without a trace of envy. One of the four brahma vihara.
Mudra -- symbolic hand positions
Nagarjuna -- monk who developed Madhyamaka in India about 150 ad.
Nagas -- great serpents (or dragons, or water creatures). The king of the Nagas protected Buddha from a storm.
Narakas -- demons (hell beings)
Nibbana -- Pali for nirvana.
Nichiren -- Japanese school popular in west, and the name of its founder. Emphasizes chanting.
Nirmankaya -- Gotama, the historical Buddha.
Nirodha -- containment of suffering. Third noble truth.
Nirvana (nibbana) -- liberation, enlightenment, release from samsara.
Pali -- a language related to Sanskrit in which the earliest scriptures were recorded in Sri Lanka.
Pali canon -- see the Tripitaka.
Pancha shila -- five moral precepts: Avoid killing, or harming any living thing; Avoid stealing; Avoid sexual irresponsibility; Avoid lying, or any hurtful speech; Avoid alcohol and drugs which diminish clarity of consciousness.
Pañña -- Pali for prajña
Pitaka -- basket, referring to the Tripitaka or scriptures.
Prajña (pañña) -- wisdom.
Prajña -- goddess of knowledge. Buddha's mother was considered an incarnation.
Prajñaparamita -- a massive collection of Mahayana texts, including the Heart and Diamond Sutras.
Prateyaka-buddha -- solitary realizer.
Pretas -- hungry ghosts.
Puja -- ceremony in which offerings and other acts of devotion are performed.
Pu-tai -- the laughing buddha, chinese monk, incarnation of Maitreya
Pure Land -- Chinese/Japanese sect, emphasizing worship of Amitabha Buddha. Ching- T'u, Jodo and Jodoshin.
Rahula -- Buddha's son.
Rinzai Zen -- a Zen sect that makes extensive use of koans.
Rupa -- form, the physical body and senses
Samadhi -- meditation.
Samatha -- Pali for Shamatha.
Sambhogakaya -- Buddha as a deva or god.
Samjña -- perception
Samsara -- the wheel of cyclic existence, birth-life-suffering-death-rebirth...
Samskara -- mental formations (emotions and impulses)
Samudaya -- arising or root of suffering. Second noble truth.
Sangha -- the community of monks and nuns.
Sanskrit -- an early language of northern India, modified and used as a religious language by some Buddhists.
Sanzen -- interview with a master in Zen Buddhism
Sati -- Pali for smrti.
Satori -- Zen term for enlightenment.
Shakyamuni -- Sage of the Sakyas, a name for the Buddha.
Shakyas -- a noble clan, ruled an area of southern Nepal.
Shamatha (samatha) -- "calm abiding," peacefulness.
Shikantaza -- mindfulness meditation in Zen Buddhism.
Shila (sila) -- morality.
Shravaka -- "hearer," one who needs the help of others to become enlightened.
Shrota-appana -- "stream-winner" (only seven more rebirths!).
Shuddodana -- Buddha's father.
Shunyata -- emptiness, lack of inherent existence of "own nature."
Siddhartha Gautama -- "He who has reached his goal."
Sila -- Pali for shila.
Six realms -- realms of the gods, asuras, humans, animals, pretas, narakas.
Skandhas -- parts of the self.
Smrti (sati) -- mindfulness, meditation.
Son -- Korean for Zen Buddhism.
Soto Zen -- A Zen sect emphasizing Shikantaza meditation
Sthaviravada -- Sanskrit for Theravada, "way of the elders"
Sujata -- the village girl who gave Buddha milk-rice.
Sukhavati -- Sanskrit for Blissful Land, the "Pure Land" of Amitabha.
Sutra (sutta) pitaka -- sacred texts, sayings of the Buddha.
Tantra -- yogic, magico-ritual form.
Taras -- a set of 21 female saviors, born from Avalokiteshwara's tears. Green Tara and White Tara are the best known.
Tathagata -- "thus gone," a name for the Buddha.
Tendai -- see White Lotus School.
Thangka -- a traditional Tibetan painting of a holy being.
The Four Noble Truths: duhkha, samudaya, nirodha, marga.
Theravada -- "way of the elders," only surviving form of southern Buddhism.
Three bodies -- nirmankaya, sambhogakaya, dharmakaya. Three meanings of "Buddha."
Three fires (or poisons) -- the causes of suffering.
Tipitaka -- Pali for Tripitaka.
Tripitaka (three baskets) -- earliest Buddhist scriptures: Vinaya pitaka, sutra pitaka, abhidarma pitaka.
Trishna (tanha) -- thirst, craving, desire.
Upali -- the first person ordained as a monk by the Buddha, a barber, and the monk who remembered the Vinaya or code of the monks. Upeksa (upekkha) is equanimity, levelness, or grace. One of the four brahma vihara.
Vajrayana -- tantric Buddhism ("thunderbolt vehicle"), esp. Tibetan Buddhism.
Vasubandhu -- one of two brothers who lived in India in the 300's ad who developed Yogachara.
Vedana -- sensation, feeling.
Vijñana -- consciousness or mind.
Vinaya pitaka -- discipline basket (code of behavior for monks).
Vipaka -- "fruit" of willed act, the consequences.
Vipashyana (vipassana) -- insight, mindfulness.
White Lotus School -- sect focusing on the Lotus Sutra. Also known as T'ien T'ai or Tendai.
Yama -- the king of the 21 hells.
Yashodhara -- Buddha's wife, whom he married when they were both 16
Yidam -- mental image of a god or other entity used for meditation
Yogacara (or vijñañavada) -- school emphasizing primacy of consciousness
Zazen -- sitting meditation in Zen Buddhism
Zen -- a group of Buddhist sects that focus on meditation. Also known as Ch'an, Son, or Dhyana.
:- http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/buddhavocab.html

 

01 Introduction

02 The Ever present Truth

03 Muttodaya A Heart Released

04 Khandhavimutti The Ballad of Liberation from the Khandhas

Forest Dhamma Audiobooks
Jan 7, 2019

 

Translator's Introduction

Forest Dhamma Audiobooks
This book is a translation of the Dhutanga Kammaṭṭhāna practices of Venerable Ajaan Mun Bhūridatta Thera, and it was written by Venerable Ajaan Mahā Boowa Ñānasampanno Thera as a companion volume to the biography of Venerable Ācariya Mun. The author of this book, Venerable Ajaan Mahā Boowa, who is now (1995) already 82 years old, has been ordained for 62 years. He founded Baan Taad Forest Monastery 40 years ago and has lived there ever since as the Abbot. He first went to stay with his teacher, Venerable Ajaan Mun, in 1941 and learnt the ways of practice and meditation from him for 8 years. Much of what Venerable Ajaan Mahā Boowa learnt has been written about in this book so that the reader can get a fair idea of what hardships and difficulties he had to undergo. There are already two translations of this book. Only the first of them has been printed, in serial form, in the ‘World Fellowship of Buddhists Journal’, but this translation is very incomplete and rather inaccurate. Whereas the second translation which was done by Venerable Ajaan Suchaat Abhijato was complete and quite accurate. At first I thought of using this translation, correcting it and improving the English (which was already quite good); but then, I had to consider the style of English, the correct meaning of many of the technical terms and the way to bring out some of the underlying subtleties of the text. In the end I decided that it was easier to start over again and do it all in my own words. But in all of this, I must acknowledge the debt I owe to the translation that was done by Venerable Ajaan Suchaat. This book includes many things that may not be easy to understand for the reader who is not familiar with the theory and practice of Theravada Buddhism. For this reason the reader may find that for the first reading it is better to skip over many of the deeper explanations of the Dhamma teaching, and to go on to the methods and practices of the Ācariyas which are related herein. However, it should be realised that one cannot get a full and proper understanding of the ways in which these Ācariyas practised without also reading about the underlying reasons for what they did.

 

Chapter 1 - Kammaṭṭhāna

Chapter 2 - Training the Mind

Forest Dhamma Audiobooks
it is necessary to have many different methods and ways of training and constraining the citta in order to be competent to deal with the deceptive tricks of the many different kinds of kilesas which dwell in the citta and which display themselves in all situations and in different ways according to type. If one is observant one will see that the citta is the meeting place of all affairs and this causes one much disturbance so that one can never have any time to be quiet and relax even for a moment. In general, these affairs are of a low, unworthy nature, which lay in wait to draw and divert one’s activities in their direction and they hardly have anything of the teaching of Dhamma within them which could bring one some calm and peace of heart. So one who intends to find out everything that is false and true must be a person who observes the citta and who trains and disciplines the citta in various different ways. The Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas are the most excellent examples of this to all of us who practise the way, for they liked to stay in the forest until they became used to it. In truth, the feelings of all people are likely to be much the same, for nobody by himself would normally like to go and live in the forests, hills or lonely places that nobody in the world wants. But the Bhikkhu only thinks about and does this because he has the purpose of becoming a good and worthy person with faith and confidence in himself with thoughts and actions that he sees will be of value to himself and others. Therefore he goes against his inclinations of heart and does it in the same way that people everywhere in the world do their work, for in truth, nobody likes to do things that are difficult both physically and mentally. But they have to do it because the necessity of it compels them — and so they have to run around busily, everywhere in the world, instead of just eating, living, sleeping and lying down which is their natural inclination. But the difficulty of training the citta is much greater, and those who have never done it should not try to compare it with the difficulties in doing other tasks in the world. For if the time comes that one does the work of training the citta, one may not be able to put up with the difficulty of it and one may call it “torture” or an imposition. Then one may lose interest in going on with this work without ever considering the results which will come from it and how wonderful and miraculous they are. At this point one may have seen enough of the strength and tenacity of the kilesas which are the overlords ruling the heart to realise more and more how much tenacity and resistance they have and how much they oppose and torment beings in the world. Because training the citta is just the work of eliminating or driving out the kilesas from the heart. But the one who drives them out does not want to do so, for the one who has for ages been the overlord, having power over the hearts of people and other beings, does not want to go. Because to go and live elsewhere is not so easy as living over the heart of a person where it gets such affectionate treatment and lavish care all the time and where it is not likely to go wanting or be hard up for anything. If it wants to admire forms, sounds, smells, tastes, feelings and mental perceptions (ārammaṇa) of any kind, the one who is acting as the servant of the kilesas immediately runs about searching for these things to gratify them without delay. However much the cost or the credit payment, the pleasure of it satisfies the craving and the accounts can be left to be thought about later.

 

Chapter 3 - The Story of the White-robed Upāsaka

Forest Dhamma Audiobooks
The foregoing methods have been used by those Bhikkhus who go to live in the forest, to train themselves, and they have gained satisfying results from them, and the tigers have never harmed any of them. Here, it is appropriate to relate a story so that the reader may think about what happened in this incident. There was an Ācariya who was a senior follower of Venerable Ajaan Mun, and at this time he was practising the way of Dhutanga while wandering along the bank of the Mekong River on the Laotian side and with him was an Upāsaka — a white-robed lay follower. This Ācariya was temporarily staying under an overhanging cliff and the Upāsaka who maintained the eight moral precepts was staying under another such cliff about 120 meters away. This Ācariya who told the story, said that he had stayed there for several months for he reckoned that it was good for the health of both his body and heart, and the practice of the “Dhamma of a recluse” (Samaṇa–Dhamma) developed smoothly without any obstacles, both for him and for the Upāsaka. The obtaining of food on the alms round (piṇḍapāta) was not difficult for they were no more than four kilometres from the nearest village where there were about fifteen houses and the villagers did not come out and bother them, making difficulties and wasting a lot of time when they could be developing the practice of Dhamma, for each of them went about their own business accordingly. One day in the afternoon the Ācariya felt a bit unwell as if he had a slight fever, now hot now cold and the body feeling not quite normal. When the Upāsaka came to where he was staying he told him to go and boil some water to mix with some medicine that he thought he would try, thinking that it may effect a cure. A doctor had told him that this medicine could cure malaria and he was afraid that this was the beginning of a bout of malaria. For there was a lot of it about in that district and many people suffered from it as the forest was very thick and people accustomed to living in open country and farmland were not able to go and stay there. It was also teeming with all sorts of wild animals, tigers and other members of the cat family, and at night their cries and roars were very noisy. It seems that there were also some man-eating tigers in the district which was said to be due to the Vietnamese who make them ferocious and not afraid of people. As soon as the Upāsaka understood what was required he took the kettle to the place where he was staying, to boil the water. After that the Ācariya did not see him again and he did not bring the hot water back to him. The Ācariya waited until it got dark, but still he did not come, so he thought that the Upāsaka may have forgotten about it because he was sitting in meditation and becoming absorbed in the practice and neglecting his duties. Meanwhile the symptoms of the Ācariya’s fever became steadily milder until it went away altogether. As for the Upāsaka, after getting the kettle he prepared things to make a fire, but however he tried to light it, the fire would not catch, until he started to get angry. Then, forgetting that he was an Upāsaka and a follower of an important Kammaṭṭhāna Bhikkhu, he stood up suddenly and thought with anger: “I have made a fire here many times, but why won’t it catch this time? Maybe it needs some water. If it needs water I will give it some!” Thereupon he urinated all over the place where he set the fire until it was all wet and then walked away without saying anything to the Ācariya who waited for some hot water until it was night time. Once the night had fully set in some very strange and unusual things occurred.

 

Chapter 4 - More About Training & Venerable Ajaan Mun's Talk

Chapter 5 - Stories of Bhikkhus Who Practise

Chapter 6 - The Ascetic Practices the Dhutangas

Forest Dhamma Audiobooks
Feb 13, 2019

 

Chapter 7 - The Story of Venerable Ajaan Chob 2.5 Hrs.

Forest Dhamma Audiobooks
Feb 13, 2019
At this point I shall relate the story of Ajaan Chob, an elder disciple of Venerable Ajaan Mun who had many experiences of a similar nature to those of Venerable Ajaan. When you who read this and have thought about his experiences and what the truth of them is, from your viewpoint, which is that of a reader reading about the experiences of someone else that are not your own experiences, you should consider how you will think and feel about it when the time comes for you to experience such things yourself — if you attain the ability to do so. This should be kept in mind constantly while reading the following. This Thera, who is still alive today, has a natural tendency to like wandering in the forests and hills, but he dislikes any involvement with other Bhikkhus and Sāmaṇeras. For he sees the value in living alone, deep in the forests and hills, both for himself and for other beings whose nature is subtle and mysterious, such as the Devaputta, Devatā, Indra, Brahma, ghosts, Nāgas, Asurakāya and so on. The beings in these realms of existence are hidden from the sight of human beings, so it seems as if they have no meaning and no existence in the world of people and in the “three worlds” of existence at all. These unusual beings begged the Thera to consider them, saying that they have belief in good and bad kamma, in merit and demerit, in the hells, the heavens and Nibbāna, in the same way as human beings who also believe in these things. But they have no way to show themselves and what they understand so as to let the world know about themselves in an open, self-evident manner like others who live in the world. Only rarely do they meet a person who is “long sighted” — meaning one who has special means of knowing which is not prejudiced or biased in the totality of what exists — who comes and acknowledges them once in a while. They said that: “None of these beings like becoming involved with human beings — men and women — who are gross in body and mind and whose minds have aggression hidden within them which gives no confidence and freedom from fear to others living together with them in the world. Excepting only those who have a moral nature (Sīla–Dhamma) in their hearts, for even though their bodies are gross, this is just the way of nature for those who are subject to the laws of kamma to which all must submit. For these, none of the Devatās hold any objection or dislike, but such people are very rare and difficult to find and to meet, although they are able to give peace to us because of their virtue which they also impart to others in various ways. But they are not able to know about and make contact with us directly and the only link between us is virtue.” “People of this kind bring widespread peace to the world, both directly and indirectly, and in ways that are manifestly apparent or hidden, and not restricted to place or time and are boundless. Even amongst the ghosts, those whose kamma is sufficiently mild also get peace from people of this kind who always give and share out their merit and virtue, and those who have Deva bodies always rejoice (anumodanā) with them. May they have prosperity and long life, and long may they continue to help the world before they give it up to go and enjoy their own valuable and subtle wealth.” “But in your own case Venerable Sir, you are a special person in that you are complete with moral behaviour, replete with Dhamma and your heart is bright with knowing and with the virtue of Dhamma, which is worthy of the highest praise and faith. All of us ask and invite you to stay here to bless us by your presence for a long time, and so as to help with your compassion those beings in the world who are unfortunate, in so far as their state of being and level of existence is concerned as understood from the viewpoint of people in the world. Then we could all come and listen to your teaching to increase our “pure merit” (puññā–pāramī) greatly and also to act as a condition or cause leading to the “Path, Fruition and Nibbāna,” which is the highest Dhamma in this kind of world.”

 

Chapter 8 - Bhikkhus of the Modern Kind

Chapter 9 - About Beings in the Realm of Ghosts

We must return once again to the story of Venerable Ajaan Chob which is not yet finished. At one time he was staying in a cave in the province of Chiang Mai and it seems that it was very favourable for his practice of Dhamma. While there he experienced all sorts of things both internally and externally, much more than before and much more extensively and quite different from everywhere else he had been. He soon saw that this was a good opportunity for him to progress, so he stayed on doing his practice there for many months. His investigation of Dhamma was good and clear both by day and by night, the weather was good and the cave was open with a good flow of air through it all the time, so he had no problems with external conditions which were comfortably cool and constant. But in that place there was something which he felt was unusual in connection with samādhi bhāvanā. When he did some investigation within his heart it became calm in a very subtle way, and when he came out of samādhi to go the way of developing wisdom, it was nimble and skilful without any fumbling, groping and sluggishness, which are signs that laziness has crept in. He said that while he was there he was constantly visited by Devatās from many different levels and places, both high and low, but he considered that this was quite normal. What was unusual was the large number of ghosts that were moving house with their families from various districts in the Northeast of Thailand and going to settle in the hills of the province of Chiang Mai. Some were riding on horses or cattle holding their children and belongings, and moving their families, passing by in front of the place where he was staying. As soon as they came close to where he was staying, the leader of the group would bring all his followers to pay respect to the Ācariya. He asked them why these ghosts were all moving like this. They replied that they were moving their families and relatives from their village — they told him the name of the village — and they were going to a hill, which they named, in the province of Chiang Mai. They also told him that where they had come from there was little food, conditions were very difficult and other ghosts had no sense of morality (Sīla–Dhamma). All the time they were robbing, plunder-ing and killing each other. As ghosts have characteristics that are very like human beings, they become ghosts without any moral sense by following the ways of people. They tormented and harmed each other in the same way as people were doing, causing trouble and confusion so that it was not peaceful like it used to be. Then they heard from relatives who came to visit them, that here in Chiang Mai one can find happiness for the moral behaviour of the people is better than elsewhere. They also heard that there were other beings living in the district of Chiang Mai who were similar to themselves and who were unknown and unrecognised by human beings, and that they were also well imbued with moral behaviour and had more peace and happiness than elsewhere. Therefore they decided to move there following the advice of their relatives (one must understand that their relatives were also ghosts). The Ācariya asked their leader: “When you say that conditions are difficult and there is little food, how is this since you do not depend on rice, fish and other foods, nor on housing, clothing and other things connected with living and eating, as people do. For these are what would make you work with hardship to plant and build things, as well as providing the conditions for those who make trouble by thieving and plundering from each other, as happens in the world of people?”

 

Chapter 10 - The Practice of the Dhutangas

Chapter 11 - The Nature of Greed & Fighting Pain and Kilesas

Chapter 12 - A Short Biography of Venerable Ajaan Khao

Chapter 13 - Methods of Bhāvanā

Forest Dhamma Audiobooks

 

Chapter 10 - The Practice of the Dhutangas

Chapter 11 - The Nature of Greed & Fighting Pain and Kilesas

Chapter 12 - A Short Biography of Venerable Ajaan Khao

Chapter 13 - Methods of Bhāvanā

Forest Dhamma Audiobooks

 

Chapter 13 - Methods of Bhāvanā
The Method of Walking Cankama The Venerable Ajaan Mun who experienced Dhamma quite clearly in his heart practised in a consistent, even and elegant manner which can and should most certainly and wholeheartedly be called the “Middle Way of Practice” (Majjhima Paṭipadā) of a Bhikkhu in this present age. But I did not describe the method of walking caṅkama which he used when I wrote his biography. For I forgot to explain how he did it, whether he walked in any special direction or not, how long the path should be for walking caṅkama, and before starting to walk caṅkama, were there any preliminary practices which he used? Therefore we shall now make good this omission and explain all these things in this book so that those readers who are interested enough may take them as the basis of their practice in the future. Truly speaking, Dhamma and Vinaya are the basic pattern of the “Middle Way of practice” for those who are interested enough to follow and practise them rightly and fully, and these are already available. Because of this, Venerable Ajaan Mun used to set them up as the guiding pattern for what he did in a faultless manner, both in his ordinary activities and in the various forms of meditation practice which he used. But we will explain his method of walking caṅkama before any others. Firstly, the direction by the compass in which the caṅkama path is made and its length are as follows. Venerable Ajaan Mun determined that the direction of the caṅkama path should be east–west, but it may vary from this between Northeast–southwest to Southeast–northwest, although it should be made within these limits and he always maintained this practice. The length of the path will depend on what is suitable. He did not give any fixed ruling on this and one must consider for oneself what is reasonable. Normally it should be about twenty paces long, although there is no fixed limit. He also said that it should not be less than ten paces long for those occasions when one cannot find any place longer and more suitable. Though generally speaking, a path of between twenty and thirty paces is most suitable. He made a special point of keeping to the limits of direction as mentioned above and always maintained this without deviating from it unless he had no other alternative, and he taught the Bhikkhus and Novices to practise in this way also. Occasionally he would see a Bhikkhu walking caṅkama in the wrong direction and he would tell him off and teach him saying: “When I teach my followers, whether in the way of Dhamma or Vinaya, I always teach according to a regular pattern without deviating from it. Even in walking caṅkama, which is an aspect of Dhamma, there is a regular pattern of how it should be done which accords with Dhamma. When they walked caṅkama in the time of the Lord Buddha, did they specify in what direction they should walk, or not? I have found out that they specified three directions as I have often explained to you, and nobody should think that this is an insignificant thing, which you have no interest in practising and accepting. For this would show that you are only determined to train yourself in whatever interests you and everything else you will see as being insignificant — which is how it has been with you in the past — seeing nothing as significant! Being like this is a clear indication of the insignificance of yourself. For you came here originally with a full commitment to train yourself in the whole teaching. But when you leave this place you will be bound to take this view and habit of seeing everything as insignificant, along with you and to put it into practice. This will lead you to believe that there is nothing of any real significance within all those who practise the way of Dhamma — for even having come to stay with a Teacher, an Ācariya who you respect with faith, you still don’t see any significance in his teaching and admonishment. This means that at some time you will be creating things that will lead on more and more to your own ruin.”

 

Chapter 14 - The Importance of Mindfulness

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Guarding the citta most of the time or the whole time, is the way to promote mindfulness and the citta so as to make it competent in the work of samādhi bhāvanā and in other kinds of work also. For then, whatever type of work is done, is done deliberately, with mindfulness to keep one’s attention on that work, and it will tend to be elegant and free from fault. As to oneself, one will not be a “playboy” wasting one’s life in dissipation, but a person or Bhikkhu who keeps within his level or status and does not act in ways that diminish his status and the standard of his work so that it becomes despicable. Therefore the saying that: “Mindfulness is desirable in all circumstances” is correct and most appropriate and cannot be disputed. The necessity of mindfulness will come to be seen when one practises samādhi bhāvanā or one investigates Dhamma in all its different aspects. In work of this kind it is essential that mindfulness should go along with it at every moment in order that one may be able to know what is happening to the citta and Dhamma with enough precision for one’s purpose. This becomes increasingly important for those whose “ground” of citta and “ground” of Dhamma are above the normal level; and right up to the highest levels, mindfulness is still an essential Dhamma every time and it cannot be dispensed with. In fact, whatever acuteness, strength and capability of wisdom one has, it depends on mindfulness to support it and promote it. So even if wisdom is about to reach the ground of “Great Wisdom” (Mahā–Paññā) it gives an indication to mindfulness that it also must reach the ground of “Great Mindfulness” (Mahā–Sati), because mindfulness is that device of Dhamma which leads the way in all kinds of work. Ordinary people like ourselves who are at times unmindful, display characteristics at those times which are unseemly and inelegant; and in those cases where they let go of mindfulness in a big way, as if they have lost all interest, it seems that the time has come for them to be taken off to an “institution” — for certain! It is for the above reasons that those who practise the way and attain Dhamma, do so either slowly or quickly depending upon the strength of their mindfulness and wisdom which are very important, and this is true even allowing for differences in character. Therefore those who urgently drive themselves to develop mindfulness will soon find that samādhi appears and their thoughts and insights in the direction of wisdom will come much more quickly than otherwise. It makes me think about the task of writing a book such as this one. For it becomes quite clear how, on a day when mindfulness slips and drifts about due to a lot of confused thoughts, one’s writing is full of mistakes, confusion and many corrections. But on a day when the heart is not confused and one has mindfulness present one’s writing is mostly correct and good with little need for any corrections. Those who are well known and renowned for their abilities in the citta and Dhamma are generally those who have mindfulness and who are able to see the importance of it. So they try to establish mindfulness the whole time without letting their minds slip into forgetfulness. In particular, when they do samādhi bhāvanā as well as the investigation of all forms of Dhamma, their mindfulness and wisdom must blend into one another all the time, and they do not allow them to be present sometimes and absent at others. Whoever acts and lives like that will have “Jāgara Dhamma” — the Dhamma which wakes and arouses him to be vigilant — within himself wherever he goes and in whatever he does. He has a means of protecting himself which is strong and lasting, so it is difficult for an enemy to reach him and there is no danger to his heart. This is entirely different from those who are not mindful and who accumulate dukkha and however much they have they go on accepting it to the end.

 

Chapter 15 - The Kammaṭṭhāna Bhikkhus' Ways of Behaviour

Chapter 16 - The Customs of Kammaṭṭhāna Bhikkhus

Chapter 17 - How Questions Differ in Samādhi & Paññā

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The word “question” or “problem” above is a general way of speaking and it does not give any clear indication of what kinds of questions or problems are involved; nor how they arose, or under what circumstances. So I will give some words of explanation which should be enough to show the way to those who do the practice of citta bhāvanā. For this can be something to think about as a way to overcome their problems when they arise, by grasping and relying upon the principles which have been laid down, as a way to test and try to bring about a cure. The problems that arise in the fields of samādhi generally arise in those cases in which the citta has already become calm and then it draws back from this state and comes to know all sorts of things of endless varieties with which it gets involved. In order to overcome this difficult problem, which is beyond one’s ability in the early stages shortly after one has developed the practice, one should turn the citta back and go inwards into the state of samādhi entirely, without getting involved in probing and thinking about those things which become manifest at all. Then whenever the citta goes down into a state of calm one should have mindfulness to watch and take care of the citta, causing it to remain in that calm state and preventing anything from putting pressure on it to leave this state and go outside. Such as for example, suggesting that it should fly up into the sky, or to go on a tour of the hells, the heavens and paradise, or play about in samādhi by thinking of doing things like wanting to look into the cittas of other people when one’s own citta is calm. Things such as these disturb and excite the citta, making it move about and go out towards external objects and situations (ārammaṇa). Instead, one should let the citta remain calm and happy with the objective situation which is there within the samādhi — this being the state of calm present at that time. One can admire this calm and happiness with a pure heart without anything disturbing and inciting one and causing trouble and bringing up questions and problems uselessly; because it is not yet the right time and one has not yet reached the level of development to be able to know and gain value from such questions. For instance, wanting to know whether good and evil are true things, and whether hell, heaven and Nibbāna are true facts, or not. All such questions are nothing but self-indulgence — or, indulgence in the world within one. So one should develop samādhi and paññā — which is the way to know good and evil, to know heaven and hell, and to know Nibbāna — and to make it firm and strong. These things will not be beyond the ability of the heart which does the training well. Or if the training has already been done well, it can go ahead and is bound to know them clearly for itself by experience rather than by guesswork and mere thinking, which is a way of dealing with problems that damages the heart. We should realise that those who have told us and pointed out what is good and evil, heaven, hell and Nibbāna make us, who hear about these questions, speculate and use guesswork until we go wrong in the head. Like a child who climbs onto the roof of his home and jumps off holding on to an ordinary umbrella to break his fall, and ends up breaking his legs and getting concussion. But the true Ācariyas know them by the fundamental principles in their hearts and in Dhamma, and this is what enables them to know and to see. Therefore, they know clearly, speak clearly and can point out the way clearly without making mistakes or deviating from the truth. But even though the truth of those things is available in the true knowing and seeing of the Ācariyas, we still use false guesswork.

 

Chapter 18 - More on Behaviour & Dhamma Discussions

The Dhamma conversations which occur amongst Kammaṭṭhāna Bhikkhus are bound to bring up various problems arising from both samādhi and paññā of a kind that involves both inseparably. This is why I have brought in some of the stories which should be thought about as examples of some of the things which some people have come across and experienced from their practice, such as the things that happened to the Nun Khun Mair Kaew. I have only brought in those stories which are isolated cases, and not those which are long and involved such as occurs amongst those who themselves do the practice. For each case is individual and dependent on the inherent characteristics of each person concerned, and they differ considerably. So I have always found these Dhamma conversations to be very varied and involved, in accordance with the basic level of those concerned, who do the practice and have experienced various aspects of it, each in their own way. What is the nature of the problems which are associated with samādhi that has “integrated” down, and which arise at that time? Having “integrated down”, it stops at one of the levels of samādhi such as khaṇika (momentary), upacāra (close by) or appaṇā (full attainment). When it integrates, goes down and stops at the level of upacāra, the citta goes out, contacts and acknowledges various things, and this is the type of samādhi which tends to bring up more problems than any other type. Some of these problems are the source of questions which those who practise may have come across in some cases, which they then bring up in conversation with their companions, or with a teacher whom they respect and have faith in, because they need the answer to them. Those others who also have similar problems, or problems associated with various different levels of paññā, then bring them out for discussion, so as to check their own knowledge and understanding to make sure that it is right on both sides. In other words, on the side of the one who has come to learn and ask questions to make sure there is no danger of his being at fault in all the problems and questions which have been discussed. Secondly, on the side of the one who gives the teaching, he can feel confident that the questions that the others ask him are leading in the direction and are for the purpose of getting rid of the kilesas; and also, that they are instrumental in promoting investigation into all sorts of things that happen, wherever it is necessary. Problems concerning the overcoming of obstacles obstructing investigative thoughts which are for the purpose of progressing past difficulties step by step, are very important. When someone does such an investigation: what is the citta attached to? And, how should he investigate to penetrate the problem and go beyond it? The one he talks to or the Ācariya must try to point out and make clear a method for curing such a problem, until he has understood it sufficiently well so that he can use that method to practise in the right way and steadily get results from it. Any of the problems which arise at the various levels of samādhi and paññā are liable to cause a lot of worry and concern to the one who has them, which can be quite noticeable. Not only must he try to work out his problems for himself, but he must also depend on those Venerable Ones who have already gone this way, to consult with from time to time, so that he may be quite sure that the practice and problems which he has worked out for himself and consulted others upon, are firmly embedded in his heart with all the reasons for them. For this reason, Kammaṭṭhāna Bhikkhus are likely to get together for talks on Dhamma very frequently, due to the fact that their practice is going on all the time.

 

Chapter 19 - The Story of Venerable Ajaan Brom

We are near the end of this book ‘Paṭipadā: Venerable Ācariya Mun’s Path of Practice’ and it seems appropriate to write about an important Ācariya who was a direct follower of Venerable Ajaan Mun. This will be a memorial and a record to his excellence for those who have not seen his biography. He was known as Venerable Ajaan Brom (Brahma) and he used to live at Wat Baan Dong Yen, in the district of Nong Haan, Udon Thani province, where he died a short while ago. I read the short biography that was printed and distributed at the time of his cremation, but since then I have forgotten some of the details of it, for his cremation took place on 6th March 2514 BE (1971 CE). However it is probable that many people have not read that biography, so I shall repeat the story in brief to show what kind of Bhikkhu he was. The following account will not cover the period of his life when he was a lay person, but only those incidents which were important as well as the practices which he did as a Bhikkhu. Before he was ordained, it seems that he announced to the world at large that he intended to renounce all his possessions and give everything away, both those which were material and those which had life, until there was nothing left. Then he and his wife would leave home and become ordained and follow the way of the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas so as to reach their state in this life, for they no longer wanted to go on living through endless births and deaths in this world anymore. Those who wanted to help may come and receive these gifts and take them away freely to use as their own property without any recompense being expected in return. But they must come within a specified time limit, which he announced, and it seems that he allowed many days for giving away these things. Many poor and needy people came to him and received gifts, and this went on until all his possessions of all kinds had gone in a few days. He had many possessions, for he had been a wealthy and well established merchant in that region, who dealt in all sorts of goods. But for the whole of his married life he had no children and he just had his wife and various relatives, all of whom felt very happy with his renunciation of his possessions in order to become ordained. When he had given away everything, he and his wife separated and went their own ways. He went and became ordained as a Dhutanga Kammaṭṭhāna Bhikkhu, after which he set out to reach Venerable Ajaan Mun where he entrusted his life as a monk (Brahmacariyā) to him. His wife went in a different direction to be ordained as a Nun with the intention of gaining freedom from saṁsāra in accordance with her resolution, and they both lived the Good Life (Brahmacariyā) for the remainder of their lives without becoming restless and concerned in the material world. Both of them should be a good example to others. When Venerable Ajaan Brom became ordained he could not at first do as he had intended. For he had to stay with Venerable Ajaan Sāra who trained him for some time until it was appropriate for him to leave. Then he went wandering in the district of Chiang Mai to find Venerable Ajaan Mun who, at that time, was also living there. It is said that Venerable Ajaan Brom wandered through all sorts of places until he crossed over into Burma and stayed in many places there. He was accompanied by Venerable Ajaan Chob who had a very determined and courageous character who stuck by him whatever happened. They were like two flawless diamonds attached to the same ring as friends going the same way. This story was related to me by Venerable Ajaan Brom, but I cannot remember all he said and I can only recall what I have written. I also apologise for any errors which I may make.
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Chapter 20 - Venerable Ajaan Mun's Practice & His Methods of Teaching

We are getting near the end of this book, so it is appropriate that we should discuss the methods of practising citta bhāvanā that Venerable Ajaan Mun used, as well as the methods which he used in teaching those followers of his who went into training under him. This may act as sort of a guide to the way, in the form of a brief summary. But in particular, the way that he himself practised will first be considered, after which, the way he taught his close followers will be described. In this section, the names of the places where he practised and gained results will not be given, because they have already been detailed in his biography. So the following account will only deal with his methods of practising citta bhāvanā and all external phenomena such as contact with Pretas, ghosts, Devaputta, Devatā, Nāgas, Garuḍas, etc., will be omitted as they have already been described. The nature of Venerable Ajaan Mun’s citta was unusually dynamic, venturesome, quick and sensitive to whatever events he came into contact with. To begin with, in doing the practice of bhāvanā, he used the preparatory repetition (parikamma) “BUDDHO...” As soon as his citta dropped into a concentrated, calm state, he saw a “nimitta”, sometimes of himself, dead in front of him, sometimes of a corpse in front of him — as has already been described in his biography. Then he took that nimitta which had appeared before him as an indicator of the way his meditation practice should go from then on by defining it as being loathsome (paṭikūla) in various ways, according to where his greatest skill in sati and paññā lay. He would sometimes define it as breaking down and decomposing until all that was left of it was a skeleton; then he would define the bones as separate from each other, scattered about right in front of him. Then sometimes he would also sweep them together in a heap, and set them up to be burnt by fire until they became ashes in front of him. Both the corpse and his own dead body were visual nimittas right there before him and he defined them in the same way, but at different times, just depending on whichever was suited to the contemplation he was doing. After he had induced the fire to burn the bones down to fine ashes, his citta concentrated down to reach the basic level of samādhi in complete absorption and rested there for a long time, lasting for hours before withdrawing. As soon as his citta had withdrawn, he went on doing the same forms of practice as before. He said that from the day that his citta manifested these nimittas, and he could set them up to be as he wanted them, right through to cremating the remains of the corpse, he could go down and see them quite clearly in his heart at any time he wanted, regardless of whether he was standing, walking, sitting or lying down, for whatever his situation was, he would set up that corpse, which he had turned into a skeleton and see it as being attached intimately to his own body at all times. The only exception was at those special times when he contemplated that corpse in various ways after which the citta would then concentrate down into the state of samādhi and rest in itself alone for a while. At such times he had no interest or concern for anything. He could see clearly how the strength of his citta began to develop and how he attained the foundation of samādhi firmly because of his having gained that nimitta, which acted like a grind-stone to sharpen up his sati and paññā all the time. He went on in this way until he was able to get the skeleton image of that nimitta to stay within his own body, so that his body and the skeleton became identified as one, and this went on until he had no doubt as to where this skeleton came from and who became this skeleton.
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Ending the cycle of birth and death – Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatta
December 4, 2020
Time passes by so quickly like a dream. And then everything changes according to the law of nature.
When impermanence rushes in, all things are in the same state; they decline naturally. A bright youth becomes an old man with grey hair and blurry eyes who cannot maintain his charm anymore. Those who are not reckless will seek a way to escape from this power of wilting. Today you still have strength, do not wait. You must persevere with your practice to finally rise above all impermanence.


One day while I was eating, I suddenly noticed the starburst flowers in the vase which were cut while they were blooming. Their bright orange color was like the first flush of youth. But after only three days, they looked like a dying old man. The petals and stamens which were beautiful in bright color became distorted, bruised and dried out even with water. Then they fell off and scattered on the table in front of me.


The fact that everyone cannot deny is that humans or all kinds of animals must fall under the law of impermanence. When we are young, we look good, healthy and we are ready to take care of ourselves. Over time, the impermanence which is inevitable creeps in – the eyes that used to be bright and the body that used to be strong become withered. Then diseases replace that freshness and continue to affect us gradually. Even with anti-aging products, we can’t resist this natural law. So, what is the permanence that we used to desire? We can’t even maintain our body. Should we cling on or be fascinated with this body that is subject to the law of impermanence? And in the end, everyone has to leave the body on the Earth like a marigold flower that falls on the ground. Nobody can take anything with him.


Luang Pu Mun Bhuridattaò said about the wilt before he passed away that,
“The laypeople are gathering here to see the sick old monk. Look at my face, whether a monk or a layman, we have flesh and skin – we are the same. Layman can get sick. Monk can also get sick. In the end we all die. Now you see this, you must bring it back to consider. We are born, then get old, sick and die finally.”


Will you let this happen to you over and over again? We should be weary of being born to die in vain. But we should make our birth worthwhile. Use our birth for ending the cycle of birth and death. There will be no this world and next world for us. We must transcend birth and death; that is Nirvana.

Manat Charee
Knowing Buddha Organization
Translation: Krittiya Teerachaichayut
:- https://thebuddhist.news/headline-news/ending-the-cycle-of-birth-and-death-luang-pu-mun-bhuridatta/

 

Precepts in the Heart Dhamma from Venerable Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatta
Suffering is in the heart, happiness is also in the heart. Everything in this world is born of the heart. A heart full of virtue and a heart full of sin are from the thoughts in the heart. So, which direction will we walk to? A wise man will choose the way of the good which is the path to the light. Precepts are in the heart. So, if you have a good heart, it means you are holding the precepts. Today, we will share with you a conversation between a man and the great Dhamma Master, Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatta. It is very valuable as it clarifies the precepts holding to everyone.


The man: “Venerable sir, I heard that you hold only one precept, not all 227 precepts like other monks. Is that right?”
Luang Pu: “Yes, I hold only one precept”
The man: “What is that precept you are holding?”
Luang Pu: “It’s the mind”
The man: “So you don’t hold 227 precepts, do you?”


Luang Pu: “As I keep my mind from thinking and doing wrong things that violate any rules set by the Buddha, I can be confident that I don’t do anything against the Buddhist principles. Anyone can say that he observes the 227 precepts, but it’s all up to his thoughts and his words. For me, I have strictly kept my mind as the principal of the body and speech since I’ve been ordained.”


The man: “So, holding the precepts means we have to take care of our mind. Is that right?


Luang Pu: “If you don’t take care of your mind, what will you do to have a good moral conduct?” Only dead people don’t need to take care of their mind, body or speech as they have no intention to hold the precepts. That’s why the wise don’t call the dead the moral ones. I’m not a dead person so I don’t keep the precepts like the dead. I have to perfectly keep morality in my mind.”


The man: “I learned from the book that if we are well-behaved, bodily and verbally, that means we are holding the precepts.Then I understand that keeping the precepts doesn’t require to maintain the mind so I asked this question.”


Luang Pu: “It’s correct to say that having proper manner, bodily and verbally means holding the precepts. But the body and speech can be moral only from the mind. It depends on how the mind commands yourself to control your body and speech so that you will be a respectable person. Even other businesses need the mind to take control to avoid mistakes and ensure the perfect quality of work. In medical treatment, they have to find the cause of the disease so they know how to cure it. If a person maintains morality without the mind as the chief, he will have tainted morality. He will be a pathetic person because his Dhamma will lead him to a useless life and take him to nowhere. This will not morally benefit the person and also look unworthy for others. And it will badly affect Buddhism.”
The man: “What is the condition of the word ‘precepts’ and what are the true precepts?”


Luang Pu: “A man who holds the precepts has consciousness in his thinking. He knows what he should or should not think of. He is careful with the three doors. He controls his body, speech and mind to act under the precepts. Holding the precepts is a normal condition – that is not acting through body, speech and mind with ugly manner. The good conduct of a moral person means the true precepts. It’s difficult to separate the precepts from the person who holds them. It’s not like a house and the owner that are different and can be separated. It’s difficult to separate the precepts and people. And for me, they cannot be separated. Even the result that is the kind heart coming from observing the precepts is inseparable. If the precepts can be separated, they could become a long-standing commodity or there might be thieves steal all morals from people. As such, morality would bring trouble to the owner, just like any other treasure. Also, it could make Buddhists tired of morality because it would not be safe for them to have it.


Therefore, not knowing what true precepts are can be dangerous to the precepts and also the person holding them. That’s why I don’t want to separate the precepts from myself. Even if they could be separated, it would be dangerous. But as they cannot be separated from me like this, I feel warm in my heart. When I go or stay anywhere, I don’t need to worry that the precepts will disappear or I will die and leave the precepts behind. Otherwise, after I die, I would become a ghost guarding my precepts like people who care about their treasure, then would be reborn as ghosts to watch over their property and could never be born in higher realm.”

5000s Magazine

Master Acharavadee Wongsakon

Translation: Krittiya Teerachaichayut
:- https://thebuddhist.news/headline-n...hamma-from-venerable-luang-pu-mun-bhuridatta/

 

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