พระอาจารย์สุรพงค์สอนว่าสัมมาสติตอนลืมตากับสัมมาสมาธิตอนหลับตาเกื้อกูลกัน และเปรียบการฝึกกรรมฐานกับการหัดเขียนหนังสือ หัดอ่าน หัดเรียนภาษา หัดดนตรี หัดกีฬา ที่ล้วนยากในช่วงแรกแต่จะง่ายขึ้นเมื่อฝึกฝนต่อเนื่องจนกลายเป็นระบบอัตโนมัติ พร้อมนำเข้าสู่การนั่งสมาธิเต็มรูปแบบ อุทิศส่วนบุญ และแผ่เมตตาPhra Ajarn Suraphong teaches that sammā sati (open-eyed awareness) and sammā samādhi (closed-eyed meditation) support one another, and compares meditation practice to learning to write, read, learn a language, play music, or play sport — all difficult at first but growing easy through steady practice, until they become automatic. He then leads the full sitting practice, merit dedication, and loving-kindness.
Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration: Two Halves That Support Each Other
Phra Ajarn Suraphong teaches that practice has both an eyes-open and an eyes-closed component. Practicing with eyes open is called sammā — being aware in the body, present in ourselves, aware of our posture and movement, or resting with our meditation object — something we must do at all times. Closing the eyes is the cultivation of sammā , because we are entering an inner dimension of rest, one with successive layers of depth. Right and support each other: we cultivate mindfulness to support concentration, and cultivate concentration to support mindfulness, because we wish for our lives to be easy and comfortable, with nibbāna resolving matters for us in advance. Whoever can sustain dwelling with the Triple Gem and nibbāna is truly fortunate — the stream of merit flows through, along with a stream of treasures.
Raising Our Inner Standing to Raise Our Outer Standing
He teaches that entering each inner dimension, layer by layer, is essential, because it represents an elevation of our true standing. Our real standing is internal; external standing — wealth, status, and appearances — is merely a result of lightened defilement, which makes everything appear favorable. But we must build the inner standing first, because each inner layer represents a new, better standing than before: the pure energy we draw in becomes purer and more sacred, the treasures within the sphere of merit become finer, our life's blueprint becomes more complete, and the knowing, powerful beings who protect and help us gain greater power. This is why cultivating sammā samādhi is so essential — because outer standing is only ever a result of inner standing.
The Inner Knower Guides Us, or the Unwholesome Side Takes Control
Practicing Dhamma is therefore vital for every life. When we let system take the seat as ruler of the heart, that system improves every area of life — economics, relationships, society. Positive thinking and doing what is right and fitting are all guidance from the wholesome inner knower. But if we neglect to let the wholesome system rule, or neutral side seizes control instead, pressuring us into wrong thoughts, words, and deeds, feeding sin into the sphere of the unwholesome. That sin then yields suffering and misfortune within its own sphere, destroying our wealth. The neutral force, while not oppressive, persistently lures us toward eating, playing, and wandering, wasting our time to no benefit.
Cultivating the Wholesome System Ourselves, as Parents Once Taught Us
He teaches that Dhamma practice is genuinely a daily necessity — we simply need to cultivate ourselves toward what is right, the way parents and teachers once instilled in us as children not to speak coarsely or covet others' belongings. But this wholesome system we must now instill in ourselves, to be able to practice it daily. If we manage it in this life, we can manage it in the next; if we fail now, it becomes harder later — because if we cannot do it now, knowing what we know, we certainly cannot do it in a future life not knowing at all. We must therefore train in this very life.
Handwriting, Reading, Music, Sport: Anything New Is Hard Before It Becomes Easy
He teaches that everything depends on practice. We learn to write beautifully only by holding the pen as a child and slowly, gradually writing well until it becomes beautiful on its own. Learning to read, learning a language, learning music, learning a sport — everything requires practice; there is no shortcut to skill without it. Cultivating meditation is no different — simply recite "," or be aware of the breath, of the body, of posture, or of our familiar meditation object, gradually practicing continuously until it becomes second nature, effortless on the lips and in the heart. The difficulty lies only in our reluctance to keep re-anchoring our awareness. At first it feels manual and deliberate; with repeated, sustained practice, we may grow tired or bored and must simply endure a little — as with any skill, whether music, language, or sport, everything is difficult and awkward at first. But being difficult, it brings benefit to us in this life and the next.
Worth the Effort: Results That Last Countless Lifetimes
He points out that we spend our whole lives training in other pursuits for only small returns, and still we make the effort. But Dhamma practice yields benefits that last countless lifetimes — once fluent, both this life and the next become easier, with benefits reaped both now and in the near and distant future. When we maintain awareness of "Samma Arahang," the stream of merit flows through us along with refined treasures — this is the benefit we gain. Nibbāna and the Triple Gem settle layered within us. Whoever can sustain the Triple Gem dwelling within them is a person of great fortune. When the Triple Gem settles within us, we dwell at the center of nibbāna, and nibbāna dwells at our center — the boundless knowing and powerful beings watch over, protect, and resolve matters for us in advance.
New Practice Feels Forced at First, but Grows Fluent Until It Becomes Automatic
He encourages us that new practice feels forced at first, but with continued practice it grows more fluent, easier, and easier still, until it becomes effortlessly easy, entering an automatic system where no more deliberate effort is needed. We must strive to reach that point — reminding ourselves, encouraging ourselves, inspiring ourselves. We can rightly hope the future will be better, if we dwell within the wholesome system, letting it settle layered within us — meaning the Triple Gem settles within us, and nibbāna resolves matters in advance, making everything convenient and easy.
Dharma Arises Only in the Heart: The Mind as a Computer Awaiting Software
He teaches that all dharma — wholesome, unwholesome, or neutral — can arise in only one place: the heart, nowhere else. When wholesome dharma arises in the heart, the heart becomes ever brighter, purer, and more sacred; but when unwholesome dharma possesses the mind, the heart turns dark and clouded with . Once established, the unwholesome presses and constricts, because its very nature produces unbearable suffering, forcing us into wrong thought, speech, and action. We must therefore be vigilant and continuously dwell with wholesomeness. The heart is like a computer: whichever software is installed — wholesome or unwholesome — draws in that corresponding energy. Unwholesome software draws in sinful energy; wholesome software draws in the energy of merit.
The Sphere of Knowing Arises: Pure Energy Purifies Defilement
Mindfulness belongs to the wholesome side; once established in the heart, it draws in the pure energy called merit, flowing into the center of the sphere of knowing's brightness. This pure energy purifies all defilements, lightening and eventually dissolving them. We are not the ones who purify ourselves — the pure energy itself performs that function. Our role is simply to maintain awareness, keeping the sphere of knowing steady and unbroken. The wholesome sphere of mindfulness draws in the pure energy, and that energy alone purifies defilement. Human suffering exists because of defilement; without merit to correct it, we face endless hardship across countless lifetimes. We must therefore practice, sustaining awareness continuously.
Staying With Every Present Recitation: A Gauge of Concentration
We maintain awareness with each recitation of "Samma Arahang," dwelling only in the present moment, paying no attention to the syllable just past, even the immediate past — always remaining in a fresh present. We may count: Samma Arahang 1, 2, 3, and so on, which becomes an indicator of how long we can sustain the present moment — can we reach 20, 30, 40, 50, even 100 repetitions? This tells us the true strength of our concentration, whether long or short. Reciting "Samma Arahang" is itself the name of the subtle Arahant Dhamma body; as we utter this name, that being arises accompanying us — never appearing in vain — expanding and settling as one with us.
Reaching the Buddha Image from 1% to 100%: Luang Phor's Teaching
He has us recite while the subtle Dhamma-body Buddha images arise one after another, layering and merging with us until they become one with our human form. Our head becomes the crystal-clear, pure sphere of ; our forehead, eyes, lips, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, back, hips, thighs, knees, shins, and feet all become the radiant crystal Dhamma body. We are the Buddha image; the Buddha image is us. He reminds us to affirm our true identity — the Dhamma body itself is who we truly are. We cycle through birth and death in samsāra wearing one bodily "uniform" after another, but this Dhamma body remains with us always. At this moment, the Triple Gem appears bright and layered within us; we appear bright within it, and it appears bright within us. Luang Phor once said that attainment of the Buddha image ranges from 1% to 100%, differing for each person according to their faith and confidence. As we recall him, he appears bright and clear within us, and we appear bright within him.
Dedicating Merit to Ancestors and Karmic Counterparties
As the stream of merit, along with a stream of treasures, continues bubbling through us, we dedicate this merit to our ancestors — recalling our parents, siblings, grandparents, teachers, and benefactors, the devas who help and support us, our caretakers and guardians, and all beings we may have wronged, our karmic counterparties — asking that we forgive one another and share equally in this merit.
Radiating Loving-Kindness Across the World and the Cosmos
We then generate goodwill for the world and all beings: may those with much suffering have less, those with little have none, those with little have more, and those with much have ever more. We expand this -filled heart to cover our home, village, district, province, Thailand, neighboring countries, and the whole world, until it becomes a radiant crystal sphere — reaching the heavenly beings, the Brahma realms, and even beings in hell, as hungry ghosts, and as animals — and further still, across the countless stars and galaxies of the boundless cosmos. Whoever benefits the world and the cosmos may make use of its treasures, as the Bodhisatta of old did, practicing loving-kindness for the world and all beings until the end of his life, becoming a Great Brahma and later a universal monarch ruling the four continents, by the power of this very cultivation of loving-kindness.
Closing Aspiration
In closing, Phra Ajarn leads an aspiration for success to be established in us, now and in all lives to come. May the merit and blessings of our teachers and our own accumulated goodness since beginningless time combine into sacred, potent merit. May we be freed from misfortune, karmic results, demonic obstruction, and obstacles of every kind; may greed, hatred, delusion, lust, ignorance, wrong view, craving, and clinging come to an end; may we gain the eye that sees the Dhamma and penetrate the of the Dhamma body; may we be strong in health and steadfast in spirit as we build perfections toward nibbāna. He closes by asking that old wrongdoing be forgiven, and that new merit bear fruit successfully for us all.