Episode Transcript
THE VENERABLE ĀCARIYA MUN’S MODE OF PRACTICE
The nature of the Venerable Ācariya Mun’s mind was quite
dynamic, quick and sensitive to the various events with which
it came into contact. In the beginning of the practice of bhāvanā
he used ‘buddho’ as the parikamma object. When the citta
converged into calm there arose a picture-nimitta, sometimes
of himself lying dead and sometimes of remnants of a corpse
that seemed lying in front of him. He therefore took up these
images as the objects of bhāvanā. Sometimes he would
establish them to appear loathesome (paṭikūla) by various
techniques which depend on the proficiency and skillfulness of
sati-paññā to devise. It would sometimes be totally broken up
leaving just the skeleton, and sometimes these bones would
be collected together in a heap and burned down to ashes.
The picture-nimitta of himself lying dead and the remnants
of a corpse were all established by the same method. They
appeared at different times, only depending on the suitability of
the investigation that was being carried out at that time.
After having established the fire burning the bones to ashes,
his citta converged fully to the base of samādhi where it
rested for hours before withdrawing. When the citta withdrew,
he continued with the establishing. He said that from the day
the citta experienced the picture-nimitta – and the establishing
of the nimittas into various appearances according to his wish,
together with the ability to burn the remnants of the corpse
at any time – he constantly established the remnants of the
corpse with just the skeleton remaining with him at all times. It
remained with him regardless of whether he was standing or
walking, sitting or lying down – excepting only the time when he
was investigating the corpse by the various techniques or when
the citta converged into samādhi and rested alone. During this
time there was no concern for any other things.
The strength of his citta could be clearly seen to progress –
and his base of samādhi to become firmly established – due
to his consistent acquisition of the nimitta as the sharpening
stone for discernment (sati-paññā). He was able to establish
the mental image (nimitta) of the skeleton within himself. He
and the skeleton became one and the same, until there was
no question concerning the origin of this skeleton or who
became this skeleton. He then dispensed with this way of
establishing, for once the nimitta had become himself it
was no longer necessary to send the citta to establish the
external picture. From then on, he used the body as the basis
of investigation. It was up to the proficiency and skillfulness of
sati-paññā to decide the aspects as to how the body should be
investigated. The investigation was then carried on as he wished.
He said that, during this time, his concentration was very firm
and stable due to investigating the body with paññā until the
citta very easily converged into samādhi.
The parikamma object of ‘buddho’ (that originally was used
to direct the citta) was given up the very day that the
picture-nimitta clearly appeared. He then used both the nimitta
and the parikamma object of ‘aṭṭhi’ (bones) as the ārammaṇa
of the Heart in place of ‘buddho’. There was only establishing
and investigating the states of integration, change, and
dissolution of the body in every posture excepting only the
time of sleep. This continued until his body, although really
still there, turned into the space element due to the power of
investigation. The citta was devoid of all materiality such as the
body. This was due to the power of discernment (sati-paññā)
which relentlessly investigated without pause. He was very
skilled in every level of samādhi and just as proficient and quick
in the vipassanā (investigation) of rūpa-dhamma (the body,
both one’s own and others’).
He said that the vipassanā of this level caused the citta
to become very bright and marvellous. If one is not
mindful and discerning one might enjoy this happiness
and comfort, to the point of forgetting to develop
more penetrating insight (paññā). One could become
unknowingly addicted to this state of voidness, because
one might think that it was definitely Nibbāna. For one had
constantly heard, until it was deeply embedded in one’s Heart,
that Nibbāna was just the state of emptiness. But one didn’t
know what the characteristic of Nibbāna’s voidness was. With
that specific emptiness that had appeared, one didn’t know
if there was anything hidden within it, for in truth it was just
the very subtle and mysterious delusion (kilesa) of one’s
Heart, rather than the emptiness of Nibbāna.
Before one can pass beyond the rūpa-dhamma – by using
the various techniques of investigation – sati-paññā must
revolve around the body nearly all the time. The exception
being the time when the citta, after having investigated and
analysed, becomes very tired due to its work and exertion and
rests calmly in samādhi. When it withdraws, restrengthened,
it then continues on with this work of body analysis, having
the Ti-lakkhaṇa 9 as the way. This is because the body is an
important object in the circle of practice and the more one is
proficient and skillful in the investigation of the body, the more
one will be bold and fearless in one’s practice. For the body
is the source and home of the coarser kinds of sexual craving
(rāga-taṇhā) and wrong view (māna-diṭṭhi). They take up
residence openly and, in some cases, manifest themselves
in a very coarse and disgusting manner. Even amongst
those who have kilesas, it is found to be distasteful and
unbearable to the point of being sickening.
For this reason, the practitioner who endeavours to destroy
the kilesas must concentrate on the body analysis
(kāya–vibhāga) until becoming proficient, adept and capable
of definitely cutting out sexual craving (rāga-taṇhā) at all
times. The kilesa of wrong view (māna-diṭṭhi) is much more
piercing and adverse to both oneself and others than any other
kind of kilesa because it manifests itself so quickly, essentially
depending on attachment (upādāna) to the body. It is taught
that one should investigate the body (‘kāyagatāsati’ in
the Four Satipaṭṭhāna) and the Four Noble Truths (Ariya
Sacca) 10, for these are the most important dhammas in
the circle of the religion. This should be done a lot, until
all doubts disappear. Then one will pass beyond, without
any trace of yearning remaining.
The Venerable Ācariya Mun was very proficient and adept
in mindful investigation of the body (kāyā-nupassanā-
satipaṭṭhāna), and therefore very proficient in the various
dhammas both internal and external – more so than the other
practitioners. He said that once beyond the body, there were
no longer any problems with lust (kāma-rāga) – without having
to ask anyone else about it. This is wasting one’s time and
showing one’s stupidity for others to laugh at, for it is something
within oneself. By the thoroughness of the insight (sati-paññā)
of this level, it disappears from oneself. The Heart can live quite
comfortably without having any troubles when just this sexual
craving (rāga-taṇhā) is destroyed. This is because rāga-taṇhā
is a thing that consumes without ever coming to satisfaction.
It constantly disturbs and incites the Heart making one
become cowardly, lacking in courage, easily disheartened
and weak in one’s way of practicing for magga, phala, and
Nibbāna. For these are within the circle of Sacca-Dhamma
(the True Dhamma) and satipaṭṭhāna (the establishment of
mindfulness), which the one who practises can reach with
persevering effort.
The Venerable Ācariya Mun said that before the body ceased
to be a problem for investigation, all the aspects of the body
that were being investigated by the various techniques
converged together into the Heart. The aspects (sankhāra)
on the side of suffering’s cause (samudaya) – which from the
beginning had thought of the body as beautiful, pleasant and
pleasing – and those on the side of the path (magga) – which
conceived the body as unpleasant, repulsive, loathsome (paṭik-
kūla), impermanent (aniccaṁ), unsatisfying (dukkhaṁ), and
not-oneself (anattā) – both ceased at the same moment when
the image of the body converged into the Heart.
The pleasant and beautiful (subha) and the unpleasant and
repulsive (asubha) diverged, leaving a way for the Heart to
pass through without any yearning between the two. No more
were there nimittas to follow and deceive with their pleasant
and unpleasant aspects. Every time he investigated, he just
saw the mind create the image within and then it ceased – only
that. From then on, the citta was devoid of the various kinds of
materiality: both that of the body and the external material that
existed everywhere. There was no sign (nimitta) to label them
as beautiful or repulsive as there had been in the past. There
was just brightness and the citta totally devoid of all things. It
just revolved with thoughts and reflections, with mindfulness as
the guiding factor.
The next targets for sati-paññā to concentrate on were the
dhammas that arose and ceased within the heart: vedanā,
saññā, sankhāra, viññāṇa, and, finally, avijjā – the origin of all
the kilesas.
