Dear Members,
Thai people truly have utmost respect for Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera, Wat Pa Suthawas, Sakon Nakhon..Thailand. Tep/I went to this temple with the most beautiful hand-made pink lotuses to place in front of Thera Mun statue...we love him/his teaching very much..he's our great teacher.
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Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera's teaching
[by Acariya Maha Boowa Ñanasampanno, translated by Bhikkhu Dick Silaratano]
Because it is always embattled, the mind could well be called a
‘warrior’. It struggles with what is good and it struggles with what is
bad. Never pausing to reflect, it engages everything that comes along.
Whatever preoccupations arise, it insists on confronting them all
without exception, unwilling to let anything pass unchallenged. So
it’s appropriate to call the mind a ‘warrior’, since it recklessly confronts
everything that comes across its path. If the mind does not come to
terms with this dilemma while the body is still alive, it will keep on
fighting these battles indefinitely, unable to extricate itself. Should the
heart’s endless desires be indulged in without Dhamma to act as a
moderating influence, real happiness will always be out of reach,
regardless of how abundant material wealth may be. Material wealth
itself is not a true source of happiness, and can readily become a source
of discontent for the heart lacking inner Dhamma to serve as an oasis
of rest.
The wise have assured us that Dhamma is the power which oversees
both material wealth and spiritual well-being. Regardless of how much
or how little wealth we acquire, we will enjoy a sufficient measure of
happiness if we possess some measure of Dhamma in our hearts.
Unsupported by Dhamma and left to its own desires, the heart will be
incapable of finding genuine happiness, even with a mountain of
valuable possessions on hand. These are merely physical and emotional
supports that intelligent people can use wisely for their own pleasure.
If the heart is not intelligent in the way of Dhamma, or Dhamma is
absent altogether, the place where we live will resemble a wasteland,
no matter what our choice. The heart and all its wealth will then end
up as just so much accumulated waste – stuff that is useless for our
spiritual development.
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yawares/tidathep