About This Answer
Answering questions from monks and lay people, Ajahn Dtun describes in detail how he trained in his early years. On tudong (wandering in search of solitude), he recalls seeing villagers living near his cave who still hunted, and realising that right view, not a quiet place, is what matters. After that his mind was peaceful wherever he stayed, so he rarely travelled.
For community life, he advises meta (goodwill), treating other monks as elder or younger brothers, and watching one's own heart. Having vowed as a teenager never to act on anger, he stayed calm when a monk kept tugging his robe. He slept about four hours, contemplated food as elements, stirred his bowl so a favourite dessert lost its taste, and patched one robe for four years.
He recalls Ajahn Chah calling him "mad", of the higher kind, and remarking that blowing up a mountain is easier than changing fixed views. He avoided books so as not to mistake borrowed knowledge for insight. Each day he assumed he would die at 10 pm. That deadline worked like a wall that bounced back thoughts of the future, much like a tennis ball.