About This Teaching
Worldly intelligence without moral virtue can be harmful, Ajahn Dtun observes, as when people in authority let greed or anger lead them to abuse their power. A good person keeps the five precepts, pursues what they want within those bounds, and meets anger with patience and metta, supported by truthfulness to one's word.
Speaking to retreatants, he explains that leaving everyday life reduces sense contact, making it easier to put down worries about work and family and stay in the present. The untrained mind is like a naughty monkey, used to having its own way, so concentration takes patience. When it settles, rapture, happiness and equanimity arise, and mindfulness can see that happy and unhappy feelings alike are impermanent, returning the mind to its midpoint.
Outer wealth stays behind when the body is burnt or buried, he says, whereas inner wealth, the ten perfections built through generosity, precepts and meditation, goes with the mind. Since Buddhas and arahants realised enlightenment in the human realm, this birth should not be wasted.