..續本文上一頁econd consideration.

　　Ven. Acariya Mun was very astute both in external and in internal matters. On the external level, he wouldn”t be willing to disclose things too readily. Sometimes, after listening to him, you”d have to take two or three days to figure out what he meant. This, at least, was the way things were for me. Whether or not this was the way they were for my fellow students, I never had the chance to find out. But as for me, I”d use all my strength to ponder anything he might say that seemed to suggest an approach to the practice, and sometimes after three days of pondering the riddle of his words I still couldn”t make heads or tails of it. I”d have to go and tell him, ”What you said the other day: I”ve been pondering it for three days and still can”t understand what you meant. I don”t know where to grab hold of it so that I can put it to use, or how much meaning your words had.”

　　He”d smile a bit and say, ”Oh

　　 So there”s someone actually pondering what I say

　　”

　　So I”d answer, ”I”m pondering, but pondering out of stupidity, not with any intelligence.”

　　He”d then respond a little by saying, ”We all have to start out by being stupid. No one has ever brought intelligence or wealth along at birth. Only after we set our mind on learning and pondering things persistently can we become intelligent and astute to the point where we can gain wealth and status, and can have other people depend on us. The same holds true with the Dhamma. No one has ever been a millionaire in the Dhamma or an arahant at birth.”

　　That”s all he would say. He wouldn”t disclose what the right way would be to interpret the teaching that had preoccupied me for two or three days running. It was only later that I realized why he wouldn”t disclose this. If he had disclosed it, he would have been encouraging my stupidity. If we get used simply to having things handed to us ready-made from other people, without producing anything with our own intelligence, then when the time comes where we”re in a tight spot and can”t depend on anything ready-made from other people, we”re sure to go under if we can”t think of a way to help ourselves. This is probably what he was thinking, which is why he wouldn”t solve this sort of problem when I”d ask him.

　　Studying with him wasn”t simply a matter of studying teachings about the Dhamma. You had to adapt and accustom yourself to the practices he followed until they were firmly impressed in your own thoughts, words, and deeds. Living with him a long time was the way to observe his habits, practices, virtues, and understanding, bit by bit, day by day, until they were solid within you. There was a lot of safety in living with him. By and large, people who studied with him have received a great deal of trust and respect, because he himself was all Dhamma. Those who lived with him were bound to pick up that Dhamma in line with their abilities. At the same time, staying with him made you accustomed to being watchful and restrained. If you left him, and were intent on the Dhamma, you”d be able to take care of yourself using the various approaches you had gained from him.

　　When you”d stay with him, it was as if the paths, fruitions, and nibbana were right within reach. Everything you did was solid and got results step by step. But when you left him, it wouldn”t be that way at all. It would turn into the other side of the world: If the mind didn”t yet have a firm basis, that”s the way it would usually be. But if the mind had a firm basis -- in other words, if it had concentration and discernment looking after it -- then you could benefit from living anywhere. If any doubts arose that you couldn”t handle yourself, you”d have to go running back to him for advice. Once he”d suggest a solution, the problem would usually disappear i…

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