"Acariya Mun was especially gifted as a motivator and teacher. Many of the monks who trained directly under his tutelage have distinguished themselves by their spiritual achievements, becoming well-known teachers in their own right. They have passed on his distinctive teaching methods to their disciples in a spiritual lineage that extends to the present day. As a result, the dhutanga kammatthana mode of practice gradually spread throughout the country, along with Acariya Mun’s exalted reputation. This nationwide acclaim began to escalate during the last years of his life and continued to grow after his death until he came to be considered a national “saint” by almost unanimous consent. In recent decades, he has gained recognition beyond the confines of his native land as one of the 20th century’s truly great religious figures.

    Acariya Mun’s life epitomized the Buddhist ideal of the wandering monk intent on renunciation and solitude, walking alone through forests and mountains in search of secluded places that offer body and mind a calm, quiet environment in which to practice meditation for the purpose of transcending all suffering..."

    “Over on that hill, in that cave, or under that overhanging cliff the air is good, it is right for meditation (bhavana) and the heart (citta) can easily become concentrated and drop into a state of calm. Once the citta has become calm one will be able to see various strange and mysterious things that are beyond the ordinary level of perception. On that hill, in that cave, under that cliff — there are such things out there and anyone who goes to stay there should be careful and self-controlled. They should not carelessly think that because there are no other people and things to be seen or heard, that there is nothing else there. For there are many things which are more mysterious and subtle than the ordinary mind (citta) is able to experience. In fact, there is far more than the material things which we see about us in this world — but we have no senses which are suitably adapted to display clearly their existence to us in the way we perceive other things in the world. So even though they are there, few or many as it may be, it is as though they did not exist at all...”

    "At present, all that is left of Buddhism are the words of the Buddha. Only his teachings – the scriptures – remain. Please be aware of this. Due to the corruption caused by the defiling nature of the kilesas, true spiritual principles are no longer practiced in present-day Buddhism. As Buddhists, we constantly allow our minds to be agitated and confused, engulfed in mental defilements that assail us from every direction. They so overpower our minds that we never rise above these contaminating influences, no matter how hard we try. The vast majority of people are not even interested enough to try: They simply close their eyes and allow the onslaught to overwhelm them. They don’t even attempt to put up the least amount of resistance. Since they lack the mindfulness needed to pay attention to the consequences of their thoughts, all their thinking and all they do and say are instances of the kilesas giving them a beating. They surrendered to the power of these ruinous forces such a long time ago that they now lack any motivation to restrain their wayward thoughts..."

    "Anapanasati Bhavana (developing the awareness of breathing) uses the breath as the objective support of the heart and consists in knowing and mindfulness (sati) of in and out breathing. In becoming aware of breathing, one should at first fix attention on the feeling of the breath at the nose or the palate (roof of the mouth), as it suits one, because this is where the breath initially makes contact, and one may use this as a marker point for holding one’s attention. Having done this until one has become skilled, and the in and out breathing becomes finer and finer, one will progressively come to know and understand the nature of the contact of in and out breathing, until it seems that the breathing is located either in the middle of the chest or the solar plexus. After this one must just fix one’s attention on breathing at that place and one must no longer be concerned about fixing attention on the breathing at the tip of the nose or the palate, nor about following it in and out with awareness..."

    “The truth of the Buddha’s teaching will be revealed to those who truly practise his teaching with diligence and an unwavering determination to discover the truth. In order to fully realise the truth about their own nature and about the nature of Dhamma, seekers of the way must strive to become spiritual warriors on the path to liberation. Their hearts need to have a firm resolve that can boldly stand up their internal enemies, finding the strength of will to fight with all their might without becoming weak or disheartened, and without retreating when the struggle becomes difficult. When this kind of fighting spirit is exhibited in the pursuit of Dhamma, then time and place are not relevant to their quest for the truth. Regardless of whether it is the Buddha’s age or our present age, Nibbana can always be attained by those who earnestly follow the way with diligence, because the true Dhamma always exists in the present moment – the timeless present, here and now.”

    “People often say that the way Buddhism teaches constantly about the suffering of living beings is unpleasant to them and makes them so depressed that they get no joy out of listening to the Dhamma. They feel as if the sufferings and discontentment being talked about are joining forces with the sufferings and discontentment already inside them, making them despondent and sad. If that weren’t enough, the basic principles of the Buddha’s teaching – the four Noble Truths – start out with suffering as their primary theme, since that’s what the religion teaches about far more than anything else. When people say things like this, it shows that they haven’t had enough training in the religion to understand its true aims. The fact that Buddhism teaches about suffering is completely in line with the way things are. It is in keeping with the name ‘Noble Truths’. These truths are the religion’s basic principles. They’re true. The Buddha was a person who truly knew. This is why he was able to point out the lacks and deficiencies in living beings – for the sufferings we experience all have deficiencies as their basic cause.”

    “Training the heart to attain happiness is the way that all the Buddhas proclaimed to be the right and true way. When our hearts never have time to rest and attain calm, they are not fundamentally different from those of animals. But when our hearts rest, relax and receive training, we will be able to see the harmful affects of thinking and imagining, and turbulence they cause in the heart. Then we will come to see the value of a calm heart. Once we have attained a state of mental calm, we will have reached the first stage of Dhamma, which will lead us steadily onwards. In other words, we will have a firmly established faith in the principles of Dhamma.”

    “Buddhism is derived from practice. The Buddha himself practised until he fully understood the true nature of Dhamma; only then did he begin to teach others. Buddhists, therefore, understand the importance of practising meditation and training themselves according to the teachings. When they are not put regularly into practice, the knowledge and understanding gained from learning will not bring satisfactory results. So you should learn about and practise the moral precepts until they become higher morality, and learn and practise all the different levels of wisdom until you reach the level of higher wisdom. You must then practise until you truly reach freedom from dukkha and escape from the round of repeated birth and death. Because of that, practice is the most important part of Buddhism.”

    “The heart is pre-eminent. Nothing surpasses the heart in importance. The business of the heart is therefore extremely pressing and imperative. All things originate from the heart – just this much is enough to shake the entire physical world. Even the slightest motion must originate in the heart. All things have the heart as their basis. Nothing but the heart can discern all the various phenomena. Since nothing else is capable of this, we must try to understand the heart’s essential knowing nature.”