Hi Robert,

I don't know for sure exactly what Ajahn Mun
studied, but it certainly did not indicate to me that
he devoted much time to book learning. The
overwhelming impression is that the focus of his
practice was very practice oriented - lots of walking
meditation, sitting meditation, observances of
[certain] austerities.
Concerning how much of the abhidhamma A. Mun
actually studied and mastered, I don't know. I'm not
surprised he was somewhat familiar with it, if that's
the case.
From the link you posted, here is another paragraph
from the mouth of ajahn mun that makes the point I was
trying to emphasize more elegantly:
http://www.purifymind.com/HeartReleased.htm
�1. Practice is what keeps the true Dhamma pure.
The Lord Buddha taught that his Dhamma, when placed in
the heart of an ordinary run-of-the-mill person, is
bound to be thoroughly corrupted (saddhamma-patirupa);
but if placed in the heart of a Noble One, it is bound
to be genuinely pure and authentic, something that at
the same time can be neither effaced nor obscured.
So as long as we are devoting ourselves merely to the
theoretical study of the Dhamma, it can't serve us
well. Only when we have trained our hearts to
eliminate their 'chameleons' (see � 10) -- their
corruptions (upakkilesa) -- will it benefit us in full
measure. And only then will the true Dhamma be kept
pure, free from distortions and deviations from its
original principles.

> A question that occurs is how you would know that
> someone is an
> arahant or sotapanna. Would anyones words be more
> valuable than
> those that have been carefully recorded over the
> millenia and are
> recited at the councils (such as the one last
> century in Burma)? Why
> did the monks keep the commentaries for so long if
> they are are
> without merit?
> RobertK

I don't know whether any of the thai forest monks were
ariyas, just as I don't know whether any of the
commentators, abidhamma authors, and even the buddha
and chief disciples were ariyas. But the acid test of
a buddha and ariya is successful realization of the
4NT. The criteria that would show in their outward
behavior would be complete destruction, or at least
superhuman mastery over delusion, lust, anger. That
kind of behavior could be ascertained through
sustained observation, which is why I place a high
premium on outstanding cultivators who live a saintly
way in the modern era, not just talk a great game or
have written a sophisticated and compelling
commentary, book, etc.

-fk




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