พระอาจารย์สุรพงค์สอนหลักอภิธรรมว่าจิตนั้นมีถึง 89 ดวง เมื่อกำหนดถึงจิตดวงใด กายในกายของจิตดวงนั้นจะบังเกิดขึ้นซ้อนที่กายเรา ดังนั้นเราจึงควรสวมความรู้สึกในสิ่งที่สูงส่งดีงามที่สุด คือกายธรรมอรหัตละเอียด ก่อนนำเข้าสู่การหลอมรวมกับองค์พระ อุทิศส่วนบุญ และแผ่เมตตาPhra Ajarn Suraphong teaches an Abhidhamma principle: the mind has as many as 89 cittas, and whichever one we focus on, that citta's "body within body" arises and layers onto our own. He therefore teaches adopting the feeling of the loftiest, most sublime state possible — the subtle Arahant Dhamma body — before leading into merging with the Buddha image, merit dedication, and loving-kindness.
Why We Practice: Three Natures Compete for the Seat of the Heart
Phra Ajarn Suraphong opens by teaching that practice is essential for every life — we are born to practice, and earning a living exists only to support that practice. Every life is governed by three natures, competing every instant to take the seat of our heart. Whichever nature seizes that seat controls the body, and therefore our time and resources. If side takes the seat, it uses us to destroy ourselves and others; if the neutral side takes it, it squanders our time and possessions on frivolity without benefit. Only system, once seated, develops us toward and prosperity, a correct and dignified life both now and in the future — even after this life ends, carrying happiness into future existences.
The Buddha's Words: Clearly Knowing Body, Feeling, Mind, and Dhamma to Eliminate the World's Covetousness and Grief
The Buddha taught: "Bhikkhus, you should clearly know body, feeling, mind, and , in order to eliminate covetousness and grief regarding the world." This means we must maintain awareness; if we do not, some other nature will direct our attention instead, bringing no benefit and only further suffering. We must know clearly — and — knowing the body and the mind together: bringing the mind into the body, aware of the body itself, the breath, our posture, aware of every present moment the heart can register. If there is suffering, know suffering; if there is ease, know ease; if neutral, know neutral.
The Heart Is an Instrument of Knowing: Arising Thoughts Are Not Always Our Own
He teaches that we maintain awareness so the sphere of knowing can arise — aware even of mind, of thought, of whatever dharma-state appears in each present moment. Whichever nature has intruded and taken the seat of the mind, its feelings and thoughts layer onto our own; every one of its thoughts appears in our heart, because the heart is our instrument of knowing — whatever it thinks, we register, as though we thought it ourselves, even though we never actually did. If we did not think it, where did the thought come from? All thoughts originate from the three natures directing us. In truth, we rarely think anything entirely on our own — everything is steered by these three natures.
The Unwholesome Side's Tools: Boredom, Stress, and Fear Layered On to Control Us
When the unwholesome force intrudes, it pressures, squeezes, and directs; a voice of command appears in the heart as though it were our own thought, but arrives together with pressure compelling us to act — whether toward something appealing (producing greed) or something unappealing (the result of aversion or delusion). Boredom, gloom, tedium, stress, irritation, exhaustion, discouragement, hopelessness, depression, restlessness, discomfort, and resentment, along with every kind of fear, are all tools layered into our heart to force us to comply with what it wants — without our ever realizing someone is directing us from behind. This stands opposite the wholesome side, which guides us sincerely and purely toward what is correct and good — toward what is fit to think, say, and do.
Our True Self Is the Subtle Arahant Dhamma Body, Connected Through "Samma Arahang"
He teaches that dhamma is what produces goodness and benefits us, because it is our true self, dwelling at our center, with us at all times. We must clearly recognize that our true self is , the subtle Arahant Dhamma body, and we can connect with it through reciting ", Samma Arahang" continuously, word by word, with a relaxed, open, spacious, light and easy mind — attending and reflecting without rushing, not dwelling on words already past, staying with each word in each present moment. When we abide in each word in the present moment, we become free from the past.
The Sphere of Knowing Arises, Ignorance Falls Away: The Mechanism of Mindfulness and Merit
As we stay anchored in recitation, the sphere of knowing arises — mindfulness, a wholesome sphere, bright and clear by nature. Every dharma-state can arise in only one place, the heart, and nowhere else; once the wholesome sphere arises, it brightens the mind and heart entirely. Once the sphere of knowing — mindfulness — arises, the sphere of not-knowing — — falls away and cannot remain. So if we lapse and fail to maintain awareness, losing mindfulness, that is exactly when ignorance arises. Our life has only two states: mindful or not. Once the wholesome sphere arises, the stream of merit bubbles continuously into the center of the sphere of knowing's brightness, carrying refined treasures within this pure energy. This pure energy purifies the defilements that create obstacles and hindrances, lightening them, until difficulty becomes ease, hardship becomes comfort, and suffering becomes happiness.
Reciting Until the Outer World Fades: A Beautiful Sound From Within
He teaches us to recite "Samma Arahang" continuously, staying focused on the recitation until we forget everything else — people, animals, objects all fade away entirely, leaving only the recitation. We then dwell within a dimension made of the recitation "Samma Arahang" itself, with nothing else present but the sound of the recitation, until we and that sound become one. At that point we perceive a sound arising from deep within, from a subtle level of consciousness, resonating with a beauty we have never heard before in our lives.
"Samma Arahang" Is the Name of the Arahant Dhamma Body: One Who Practices Well, Far From Defilement
Luang Phu taught that recitation and visualization are a pair — form and name always go together; wherever there is a name, there is a form. "Samma Arahang" is a state-name, called according to the pure qualities present within the Dhamma body. "Samma Arahang" means one who practices rightly and well, far from defilement — this is the subtle Arahant Dhamma body itself. Even though defilement still exists in the world, this being remains far removed from it — this is the very quality named by "Samma Arahang." When we speak this name, the image appears at our center — and not for nothing, but expanding and layering, dwelling as one with us.
The Buddha Image Merges as One With Us, From Head to Toe
Each Dhamma-body image continually arises and layers, becoming one with us — image after image appearing at our center and expanding to fill our entire body, from head, face, cheeks, shoulders, arms, torso, down to our feet, all becoming the radiant, clear, cool, clean, pure crystal Dhamma body. We are the Buddha image; the Buddha image is us. He teaches us to reaffirm this true identity as often as possible, until we can recognize it fully. Each time we reaffirm this true self, its qualities flow into us — boundless wisdom, , and compassion.
Adopting the Feeling Like an Actor: Why the Mind Is a "Successful Element"
He teaches that we are like an actor: whatever role one plays, one must adopt the feeling of that role. Once we adopt that feeling, we come to understand the behavior and qualities of that state, because the mind is a "successful element" — whatever we determine, that is what becomes.
The Mind Has 89 Cittas: Whichever Citta We Focus On, That Citta's Body Within Body Arises
He teaches a crucial principle: the mind has as many as 89 cittas (states of consciousness). Whichever citta we focus on, that citta arises; the "body within body" — the body belonging to that citta — layers onto our own body, and its feeling and its dharma appear in our heart. Body within body, feeling within feeling, mind within mind, dhamma within dhamma — all arise the moment we determine, or adopt the feeling, that we are that thing; that thing then appears. Given this, he teaches that we should adopt the feeling of the loftiest, most sublime state possible. "Samma Arahang" is the name of the Arahant Dhamma body, one who practices rightly and well, far from defilement. Let us adopt the feeling of the subtle Arahant Dhamma body, our true self. When we speak this name, it appears bright at our center and expands, layering as one with us.
Do What You Can, Then Let the Rest Be His Work
He teaches that reaching the Dhamma body can only happen in the present — never through the future. It is enough that we determine we are the Buddha image, the Buddha image is us, merging ourselves with it into one unity; the sense of unity between us then arises. However far we can still our mind at his center, that is enough for now — he will continue refining and helping us improve. Our only duty is to sustain this much; everything beyond that is his work of correcting and helping us. Most people wish for his help but, after pleading for it, go right back to cooperating with the unwholesome or neutral side, letting it retake the seat of the heart. He can only help once our mind and his mind become one. When we think of him, recall him, we appear bright at his center and he appears bright at ours; the stream of merit bubbles continuously through our center, and he refines our dharma-elements to be as clean and pure as possible, purifying defilement as much as it can be purified, and connecting a stream of merit and treasure to us.
Dedicating Merit to Ancestors and Karmic Counterparties
As the stream of merit continues bubbling through our center without pause, we dedicate this merit to our ancestors — recalling our relatives, our parents, siblings, grandparents, our 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 mutual forgiveness and sharing this merit equally with all.
Radiating Loving-Kindness Across the World and the Cosmos
Once merit is dedicated, he has us generate goodwill toward the world and all beings, drawing on the heart of a mother's love and goodwill toward her child. May the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and find happiness — may those with much suffering have less, those with little have none, those with little happiness have more, and those with much have ever more. We then radiate this light of , starting from ourselves until we are entirely bright and clear, then expanding to cover our home, spreading to neighbors, the village, subdistrict, district, provinces across the country, neighboring countries, and finally the whole world, until it becomes a radiant, clean, cool, pure crystal sphere — reaching the earth-bound devas, tree devas, sky devas, all the heavens, the Brahma and formless-Brahma realms, and even beings in hell, as hungry ghosts, and as animals — expanding further into the atmosphere of the cosmos, covering the countless stars across the boundless galaxies.
He teaches that whoever benefits the world and the cosmos may, in turn, make use of the treasures of the world and cosmos — as every Bodhisatta of old did, benefiting the world and all beings through loving-kindness until reaching attainment. Upon death they were reborn in the Brahma realm, enjoying bliss for an immensely long time, and when that life ended, returned to the human world as universal monarchs, governing the four continents continuously in happiness.
Closing Aspiration
In closing, Phra Ajarn leads an aspiration for success to be established in us, now and in the future. 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 every obstacle; 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.