พระอาจารย์สุรพงค์สอนว่านิมิตที่ใช้เป็นกรรมฐานนั้นไม่จำเป็นต้องเป็นดวงแก้วหรือองค์พระเท่านั้น หากยังไม่คุ้นเคยกับสิ่งเหล่านี้ ก็สามารถใช้แอปเปิ้ล ส้ม หรือสิ่งใดก็ได้ที่เราคุ้นเคย ขอเพียงสัญญาณนั้นชัดเจนต่อเนื่อง ก่อนนำเข้าสู่การนั่งสมาธิเต็มรูปแบบ แผ่เมตตาทั่วโลกและจักรวาล และอธิษฐานจิตปิดท้ายPhra Ajarn Suraphong teaches that the visualized object used as a meditation anchor need not be a crystal sphere or the Buddha image — for those unfamiliar with such images, an apple, an orange, or any familiar object works just as well, so long as its signal stays clear and continuous. He then leads the full sitting, radiating loving-kindness across the world and cosmos, and closes with an aspiration for success.
Practice: Training to Dwell With the Wholesome System
Phra Ajarn Suraphong opens by stressing that practice is of the utmost importance and necessity for every life, because practice itself is the training to dwell with system — learning and understanding so we can live in accordance with it, a system the Triple Gem watches over, with Nibbana behind it all, caring for and supporting us.
We must dwell within the wholesome system because we ourselves are the ones drawing energy into our own body — whether that energy is merit, sin, or the neutral (avyakata) depends entirely on us. We need the intention and resolve to live in accordance with it, so as to draw in this energy rightly. The Buddha, in his awakening, saw clearly that the lives of the people of the world, if not lived within the wholesome system, could never hope for good things to arise — because no other system serves our benefit.
The Principle From the Tipitaka: Mark the Body and Heart, Never Anything Outside
That is why he taught the monks: "Monks, you should determine awareness" — giving them the intention to mark, to fix their attention, on the body and the heart, never on anything outside themselves. Mark the body — the breath, for instance, or the felt sense of the body; mark the body's center; mark the feet while walking, or the hands resting together, wherever we can feel and perceive directly — and stay knowing that marked spot continuously.
As for the heart, he taught us to mark feeling, mind, and Dharma. Feeling means pleasant, unpleasant, or neither. Whenever the wholesome enters and rules the heart, we feel at ease, happy — and we simply keep marking that feeling. But whenever rules the house, it arrives together with its own quality — a state that must be endured with difficulty, called suffering — so he taught us to mark suffering itself. When the state appearing before us must be endured with difficulty, that tells us the unwholesome now rules the house.
When Suffering Appears at the Heart, Simply Determine Awareness of It
The Buddha addressed exactly this case: suffering is a state that must be endured with difficulty, and when it appears at the heart, simply determining awareness of it is enough — no need to struggle against it or try to manage it, just determine awareness. The sphere of knowing — — that forms will, on its own, draw in to clear away the defilement causing the suffering, lightening it by itself; no amount of forcing could clear it otherwise. By determining awareness, the sphere of knowing draws merit in, and the wholesome system becomes able to clear away all this defilement.
Equanimity Versus the Blankness of the Neutral: A Bright Sphere Versus a Gray One
But whenever avyakata, the neutral, rules the house, we feel a strange, odd blankness — not quite good, not quite bad, genuinely peculiar. This is entirely different from the blankness of equanimity (upekkha). Equanimity's blankness is the calm of the wholesome, taking the form of a bright, clear sphere — quite unlike avyakata's blankness, which is a gray sphere. Equanimity, once established, brightens the heart and mind; we remain neither pleased nor displeased, the heart resting in balance, weighted toward neither pleasure nor displeasure, staying neutral and even. Once balanced, it becomes firmly established; once established, that establishment continues, mindfulness sustains itself, and steadiness arises.
When avyakata rules the house, we must determine awareness using whatever object balances the heart and mind — for example, resting the mind still at the body's seventh base together with a recitation and visualization, or keeping the heart with the felt sense of the body, or with the breath, or with whatever object we're familiar with and find settles the mind easily. What matters most is that the signal is clear and continuous. If it's clear, no vagueness, blur, or haze appears; if it isn't clear, vagueness and haze remain. It must also be continuous — it cannot drop in and out. The moment it drops, the unwholesome or the neutral seizes the opening to intrude. So our meditation object's signal must be clear and continuous, and we stay with it with a neutral, equanimous heart.
The Sphere of Mindfulness Can Form Nowhere but the Heart
As we determine awareness, this sphere of knowing — mindfulness — forms as a bright, round sphere. This mindfulness can arise nowhere but the heart. All 84,000 sections of the — wholesome, unwholesome, and neutral alike — can only arise at the heart, nowhere else. When a wholesome state arises, it continuously draws in pure energy — mindfulness works the same way. When an unwholesome state arises, it draws in energy that is itself defilement, sin, bringing a state of suffering. But when avyakata arises, it draws in its own neutral energy to drive its own system, because every system needs energy to run. The wholesome system runs on the energy called merit — a clean, pure stream of energy.
The Sphere of Merit Holds Every Subtle Treasure
As we determine awareness and stay continuously alert without lapsing, merit flows in continuously to the bright center of the sphere of mindfulness. This merit takes the form of a bright, round sphere much like the wholesome itself, but within it lies a pure Dhamma element, brimming with purity and . At its very center rests every treasure — physical wealth, material wealth, , retinue, fame, praise, happiness, the path and fruit of Nibbana, and the of — all fully present within that sphere of merit. When merit flows through us, subtle treasure flows through us too, and this subtle treasure continuously draws worldly treasure toward us.
Beyond that, the pure energy flowing in drives the wholesome system to clear away the defilement binding us — the very cause of the problems and obstacles that make life difficult, that bring suffering into daily living and even into practice itself. Merit drives the wholesome system to clear this defilement away, lightening it dimension by dimension until it dissolves completely, and we're liberated from one dimension into another. To achieve this liberation, we need only dwell within the wholesome system by determining awareness — staying continuously alert, without lapsing. That's all it takes.
Resting Properly: With the Sphere of Knowing Formed
He teaches us to stay soft, relaxed, light, and pleasantly at ease, without tension or excessive seriousness — as though we've come simply to rest comfortably. We've rested plenty of times before, but that kind of resting produced nothing beyond the rest itself. If we rest the right way, though, we gain both the rest and the pure energy called merit, together with subtle treasure and accomplished intentions — and we can even become liberated from one dimension into another, simply by determining awareness, staying continuously alert without lapsing, with our chosen object of meditation.
Resting the right way means resting together with the sphere of knowing — mindfulness — formed. It can form anywhere on the body or in the heart; whatever part of the body we choose, we can determine mindfulness to form there. We mark it, then go on to know it at that spot — the breath, for instance: marking the breath, we perceive the air touching the tip of the nose; or marking the body's center, we perceive it there.
Any Familiar Object Will Do — Even an Apple or an Orange
To perceive it, we can bring to mind any object we like — a small star, the moon, the sun, the Buddha image, a crystal sphere — or, if none of these feel familiar, an apple, an orange, or anything else we're comfortable with, so long as it doesn't invite the unwholesome to arise. Recite ", Samma Arahang" alongside it, staying continuously alert without lapsing, staying with our chosen object. Know what we're aware of; stay with the clear, continuous signal of our object, letting the sphere of knowing — mindfulness — anchor to, rely on, and perceive what we've determined. As the sphere of knowing forms, the sphere of not-knowing — — dissolves; and once formed, it continuously draws pure energy into the bright center of that sphere of mindfulness.
Reciting With Counting: Gauging Our Progress
Recite along with counting — Samma Arahang one, Samma Arahang two, Samma Arahang three. Counting each recitation lets us gauge our progress in practice and helps us advance, letting us know how long we can sustain a steady, continuous mind. If we keep counting and defilement creeps in, we grow hazy and forget — when we forget, we simply start over: Samma Arahang one, two, three, four, five — continuing on with a relaxed, light heart, as though we've come simply to sit and play, while still determining awareness, staying continuously alert without lapsing. Consider this training in resting the right way.
Merit Flowing Through the Sphere of Knowing Drives the Wholesome System Automatically
Merit, once it flows into the center of the sphere of knowing — mindfulness — drives the wholesome system to clear away every defilement that gives rise to , lightening them until they're gone. Stay continuously alert without lapsing, knowing pleasantly, staying still, soft, relaxed, and at ease. Once we've brought about this good cause for our own benefit, letting the stream of merit flow through continuously by determining awareness and dwelling within the wholesome system, abundant good things arise — beyond the stream of merit and treasure flowing through our center, we're also purified and liberated continuously, from one dimension to another, from one sphere to another. Whether we're aware of it or not, this process refines and corrects our elements toward purity, liberating us layer after countless layer, entirely without our noticing — even while sitting with our eyes closed in the dark.
Radiating Loving-Kindness: A Bright Sphere Born Only in the Heart
From here, we go on to bring benefit to the people of the world and all beings, through , a wholesome sphere. This loving-kindness takes the form of a bright, round sphere that can arise nowhere but the heart. As we generate goodwill, loving-kindness appears bright and clear at our center, at the center of our heart — within this Dhamma element of loving-kindness, brimming with pure love and goodwill. Once established in our heart by determining that this sphere of loving-kindness arise, all it takes is generating goodwill — goodwill toward ourselves, toward those we love, our parents, siblings, children, and circle, and all who have supported us.
Expanding Loving-Kindness to Home and Village
As we make this aspiration, the sphere of loving-kindness appears bright at our center, brightening our heart and mind. As we extend it to anyone — extending love, kindness, and goodwill toward them — that person becomes bright too; loving-kindness arises at the center of their heart, bright and clear as well. We expand our heart wider and wider, covering our own home; the heart, with loving-kindness as its realm of origin, shines brightly, covering everywhere the heart extends to. However far and wide it reaches, loving-kindness shines through every atom of that space — earth, water, air, and sky all becoming bright and clear; people, beings, and all things shine brightly, inside and out, in body and mind.
Expanding Loving-Kindness to the Country, the World, and the Cosmos
We then expand this loving heart to cover the whole village, onward to the subdistrict, district, province, many provinces, until it covers the whole country, and continuing onward to neighboring countries and beyond, until it covers the entire world, making this world a radiant crystal sphere, clear, cool, clean, and pure. May the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and share happiness together — earthbound devas, tree devas, sky devas, the heavenly beings of every level, Brahma and formless-Brahma realms, together with beings in hell, hungry ghosts, and animals — may all beings be free from suffering and share happiness together. Those with much suffering, may it lessen; those with little suffering, may it end entirely; those with little happiness, may it grow; and those already happy, may their happiness increase further still.
Having made this aspiration, we expand this loving heart out into the atmosphere of the cosmos, covering the countless stars — tens, hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of them — and continuing across the ten thousand world-systems and the boundless cosmos, letting our loving-kindness shine out and benefit every being, every thing, and every element without limit. This loving-kindness shines into the center of every being's heart, and it has the power to dissolve the resentment tainting their hearts completely, clearing away the defilement of people and beings. The wholesome nature — this very wholesomeness — takes up residence as ruler of the house of every heart, and once more the pure energy called merit pours continuously into the center of people's and beings' hearts. People and beings gain enormous benefit — every time the wholesome system can take up residence as ruler of the house, it draws in pure energy to refine and correct the elements, carrying everyone continuously toward purity and liberation.
Whoever Benefits the World and the Cosmos Comes to Use Its Treasures
Whoever benefits the world and the cosmos may in turn make use of its treasures. We gather the mind to stop, gather it to be still, at the center of this bright, clear, pure sphere of loving-kindness, shining out in every direction around us. We gather the mind still at the center of loving-kindness, while the stream of merit continues pouring through the center of that brightness. We then expand this loving heart, carrying this very stream of merit pouring through it now, out to benefit the people of the world and all beings. May the people of the world and all beings share in this merit we have intended to make; may they be free from grief and greed, their hearts filled only with happiness and prosperity, together.
Stopping Still at the Center of the Triple Gem and Our Teachers
We gather the mind within this stream, at the center of happiness, the center of purity. The heart is an accomplishing element: however we determine it, so it becomes. We gather the mind to stop, gather it to be still, at the center of the Triple Gem — the center of the Buddha jewel, the Dhamma jewel, the Sangha jewel, the center of our great teachers — stopping still at the center of the finest Dhamma body of Luang Pu, stopping still at the center of the finest Dhamma body of Luang Phor, and stopping still at the center of the finest Dhamma body of our teachers. As we reach them, we appear bright within their center; they appear bright within ours; and both we and they appear bright at the center of Nibbana, the center of the knower of boundless power.
Closing Aspiration
We make use of this most auspicious moment to set our aspiration for success, both now and across countless lives to come, so that our whole path of building perfections may be filled with knowledge, happiness, and purity, along with success in every good and rightful aspiration. May the radiance, strength, power, and absolute authority of Nibbana throughout every element and every Dhamma, together with the merit and perfections of Luang Pu, Luang Phor, and our teachers, combine with the merit we ourselves have sincerely accumulated since our very first life, across countless lives, up to the present — combining into sacred, potent merit of boundless power, refining our body, speech, mind, and the elements of seeing, remembering, thinking, and knowing — earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness — making them bright, clear, cool, clean, and pure. May we be freed from misfortune, karmic results, demonic obstruction, and every obstacle in life; may greed, hatred, delusion, lust, ignorance, wrong view, craving, and clinging end without remainder. May we gain the eye that sees the Dhamma, penetrating fully into the knowledge of the Dhamma body — the three knowledges, the eight knowledges, the six higher powers, the four analytical s, the eight liberations, and the fifteen conducts, in full. May we also enjoy strong health and long life, building perfections throughout our lives, with unfailing spirit as we press on toward Nibbana, the ultimate end of the path.
He closes by asking that any wrongdoing committed knowingly or unknowingly across countless past lives be forgiven fully, that no new wrongdoing be committed in body, speech, or mind, and that all the merit we have sincerely accumulated combine into sacred, potent, and wondrous power, bearing fruit continuously from this moment until the very end of the path, by the boundless power of every Buddha.