พระอาจารย์สุรพงค์สอนว่าดวงรู้คือดวงสติเป็นธรรมที่มีอุปการะที่สุดในบรรดา 84,000 พระธรรมขันธ์ เพราะเป็นทางเชื่อมสู่ผู้รู้ผู้มีอานุภาพและเป็นผู้เหนี่ยวนำพลังงานบริสุทธิ์เข้ามาชำระมลทิน ท่านชี้ว่าความบริสุทธิ์กับมลทินเป็นศัตรูกันโดยธรรมชาติ ต้องต่อสู้กันจนฝ่ายหนึ่งสิ้นซากเสมอ ดังสุภาษิต "น้ำน้อยย่อมแพ้ไฟ" จึงต้องกำหนดรู้อยู่เสมอไม่เผลอ ก่อนนำเข้าสู่การนั่งสมาธิเต็มรูปแบบPhra Ajarn Suraphong teaches that the sphere of knowing — mindfulness — is the most supportive teaching among the Buddha's 84,000 sections of Dhamma, because it connects us to the Knowing Ones and draws in the pure energy that purifies defilement. He explains that purity and defilement are natural enemies that can never coexist — one must always defeat the other, as the proverb says, “little water loses to fire” — so we must determine our awareness continuously, without ever lapsing, before leading the full sitting practice.
Practice: The Only Way Under the Rule of Three Natures
Phra Ajarn Suraphong opens by stressing that practicing the is essential and necessary for every life, because we live under the control of three natures. We must practice so system can take up residence as ruler of our heart — only then can our life find and prosperity. This is the one way, the one exit, the one path to safety, and the one road to a truly wondrous life. Practice itself is nothing difficult: simply bring the body together with the mind, let arise, staying continuously aware without lapsing, with the recitation and the mental image.
The Sphere of Knowing Above All: The Teaching the Buddha Praised Most
This sphere of knowing matters immensely. It can only arise when wholesome arises. The sphere of knowing is the sphere of mindfulness; once it arises, the sphere of not-knowing — — falls away. Ignorance blocks what is right and good from being known, obscuring it in darkness through obscuring elements, then lets wrong view take over as guide. Once the sphere of knowing arises, it connects us to the Knowing Ones, who guide and teach us to live rightly and well. We come to have faith, because of the soundness of their guidance — faith in goodness and reasonableness that lets understanding and wisdom arise in us.
The Knowing Ones guide, direct, instruct, and teach; the Powerful Ones refine and correct, dispelling the stains of defilement. We must therefore dwell within the wholesome system, because the sphere of knowing not only connects us to the Knowing Ones — it also draws in the pure energy called merit, flowing continuously through the center of its own brightness. But without the element of knowing, without mindfulness as this sphere of knowing, we could never connect with the Knowing Ones at all, and the Powerful Ones could do nothing for us. This is why the sphere of mindfulness matters so greatly — so much that the Buddha declared it, among the 84,000 sections of the Dhamma, one of the most supportive of all teachings, singling out mindfulness and as tools of the greatest benefit to us.
What Arises Together With the Sphere of Knowing: Faith, Equanimity, and the Wholesome Factors
Once the sphere of knowing arises, beyond connecting us to the Knowing Ones, it also becomes the channel through which every dharma arises — , compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity, whatever we wish to determine — the sphere of knowing leads all these dharmas to arise for us to perceive. This sphere of knowing must be present at all times, never fading; the moment it fades, the wholesome system fades with it, because every time the wholesome system arises, the sphere of knowing — mindfulness itself, a — must arise together with the spheres of faith and equanimity.
The sphere of equanimity (tatramajjhattatā) lets us dwell in balance, holding a neutral heart without excitement or dejection. Other spheres arise too: moral shame and moral dread (hiri-ottappa), non-greed and non-hatred — the heart settles into neutrality, with a sense of conscience and fear of wrongdoing. When a wholesome mind arises, many mental factors arise together with it. The subtler ones — lightness of body, lightness of mind, gentleness, softness — are all refined factors that arise together with a wholesome mind. But if our own mind isn't refined enough, we don't yet feel them; if we refine the mind, we can perceive the subtle state of these factors.
Training to Perceive the Subtlety of Wholesome Factors
Practice is itself the path that lets us access these mental factors. Simply by staying focused and aware of this subtlety, we can come to sense these refined factors directly — lightness of body, lightness of mind, gentleness of body, gentleness of mind. Just by staying focused, aware of the subtle dharma-state, determining a mind that is still, soft, and at ease, we find these states are already the baseline of wholesome dhamma. Simply keep the mind still, relaxed, and at ease, perceiving the subtle state continuously, focused and contemplative, relaxed and at ease, staying aware without lapsing.
If someone still cannot perceive these subtle states, they may simply keep reciting — ", Samma Arahang" — staying aware without lapsing at every moment. We must know what we are aware of: aware of the recitation, word by word, focused and attentive, without rushing, without forcing. What we want is the sphere of knowing, not the number of recitations — however much or little doesn't matter. We want only the sphere of knowing, knowing what we know; whatever we manage, that's enough for now.
From the Sphere of Knowing to Clear Comprehension: Everything Becomes Automatic
This sphere of knowing draws in pure energy to purify the defilement — the obscuring elements — lightening them until we can perceive the subtle dharma-state directly. At that point the sphere of knowing converts into the sphere of clear comprehension, perceiving the detail of that state on its own. Everything becomes automatic — we need only stay focused and aware continuously, letting it be enjoyable, easeful, and light. However long we wish to remain, we can remain in that focused feeling, until we find ourselves wanting to stay this way indefinitely.
Purity and Defilement Are Sworn Enemies: "Little Water Loses to Fire"
Here he points to the single most important principle of purifying the heart. He teaches that this pure energy is what purifies defilement, because and defilement are natural adversaries — sworn enemies that cannot coexist. They must always fight to a decisive end, one side or the other wiped out completely, every single time. He cites the proverb: **"little water loses to fire"** (น้ำน้อยย่อมแพ้ไฟ) — whichever side is weaker, loses. This is why we must determine our awareness continuously, without lapsing, so the sphere of knowing can draw in pure energy without interruption, until defilement is purified completely.
But if defilement isn't yet gone and we let our determined awareness stop, defilement will only expand further, like a disease taking hold and eating away at purity. We must therefore keep determining our awareness continuously, without lapsing, so the sphere of knowing can keep purifying defilement without a single break — because the instant either side pauses its fight, the other seizes the opening to expand in its place.
Speaking the Name "Samma Arahang": The Buddha Image Appears at the Center
When we speak his name, "Samma Arahang," he appears bright and clear at the center of our being. This name is a descriptive name (nemittika-nāma) of the subtle arahant Dhamma body — a quality-name of one who practices rightly and well, far removed from every defiling stain. When we speak his name, he doesn't appear in vain — he rises through and takes birth at the center of our heart, expanding and merging as one with our body, image after image, merging as one with us.
Merging Body and Mind Into the Crystal Dhamma Body
Once he has merged as one with us, we merge as one with him too, letting our entire being become the radiant, pure, cool, clean crystal Dhamma body. Let us keep reaffirming our true identity continuously; every time we do, the merging with him deepens further. Our head becomes bright, pure crystal of , radiant and gentle, crowned with a radiant lotus-bud crest. Our forehead becomes the radiant crystal Dhamma body; our eyes become his eyes, closed gently, with a serenely smiling face full of boundless loving-kindness. Our face becomes his face. Neck, shoulders, and arms all become the pure, clean crystal Dhamma body. Chest, belly, and back become the gentle, radiant crystal Dhamma body. Hips, thighs, knees, shins, calves, and feet all become the pure, clean, gentle crystal Dhamma body.
Luang Phor taught that reaching the Dhamma body can be called hard, or it can be called easy — easy because we know and understand, hard because we don't — because the heart is an accomplishing element: however we determine it, so it becomes. Reaching the Dhamma body ranges from 1% to 100%; whatever we can perceive, that's enough for now. We did not create this Buddha image — he already has his own, existing within us. If we're still dim and hazy, unable to sense him directly, we simply put on the feeling that we are him, the way an actor puts on the feeling of whatever role they play — a grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt, teacher, student, athlete, or monk, depending on the role. The mind and mental factors of that role shape our understanding, and the mental factors let its feelings show through on their own. So we simply put on the feeling that we are the Buddha image, the Buddha image is us.
Gathering the Mind to Stillness at the Very Center: The Automatic Road to Nibbāna
Once we've merged our bodies as one unity, we merge our minds as one unity too. Whatever he does, we do the same — he gathers his mind to stop and be still, so we gather ours to stop and be still, at his very center. Stop within stop, still within still, into the center of the center, settling down gently, still, light, and at ease, resting in stillness at the center of the center. There we connect with Nibbāna, throughout every element and every dharma, at that very center — this is the road that leads directly toward Nibbāna. Simply by gathering the mind to stop and be still at the center of the center of the Dhamma body within, we travel automatically along the road to Nibbāna. Do this with a heart that is relaxed, open, spacious, empty, and at ease, staying continuously aware without lapsing — we need only let the sphere of knowing arise and keep it present, relaxed, easeful, clear, and cool.
The Stream of Merit and the Law of Combat Between Purity and Defilement
As the sphere of knowing arises, the sphere of not-knowing — ignorance — falls away. This arising sphere of knowing, the sphere of mindfulness, continuously draws the pure energy called merit to flow through the center of its own brightness. This pure energy is what purifies defilement, because purity and defilement are sworn enemies that cannot coexist — they must always fight to a decisive end, one side wiped out completely, every time. We must therefore determine our awareness continuously, without lapsing, so the sphere of knowing can keep drawing in pure energy without interruption, until defilement is purified completely.
Dedicating Merit to Ancestors and Karmic Counterparties
As this pure energy continues bubbling up through us, let us dedicate this merit to our ancestors and loved ones — recalling parents, siblings, grandparents, and all our teachers and benefactors, along with the devas who help and support us, our caretakers and guardians, and all beings we may have wronged, our karmic counterparties (คู่กรรมคู่เวร) — asking that we forgive one another and share equally in this merit.
Radiating Loving-Kindness: A Merit Greater Than Seven Days of Almsgiving
Once merit is dedicated, we cultivate loving-kindness, radiating love and goodwill to the world and all beings, including ourselves — may we and all beings be free from suffering and share in happiness; may those with much suffering have less, those with little suffering have none, those with little happiness have more, and those with much happiness have ever more. Once this wish is set, the sphere of loving-kindness appears bright at the center of our heart, because all 84,000 sections of the Dhamma can only arise in one place — the heart — nowhere else. Loving-kindness is itself a wholesome dhamma, so it carries clarity and brightness; its nature is a radiant, luminous goodwill. Resentment and irritation dissolve completely under its power.
He cites a passage recorded in the Pali Canon: whoever cultivates loving-kindness for even the snap of a finger — a single flick — reaps a merit beyond measure, greater than offering alms continuously for seven days and seven nights along an unbroken line one yojana long — sixteen kilometers. This is because loving-kindness, radiating outward, can benefit people and beings without limit, drawing the wholesome system to arise within them, letting the Triple Gem shine radiant at their center, drawing in the pure energy called merit to help that being's wholesome nature rule the heart once again.
Radiating Loving-Kindness Across the World and the Cosmos
We then expand this loving-kindness-filled heart to cover our home, then our village, subdistrict, district, province, the whole country, neighboring countries, until it covers the entire world, making it a radiant, clean, pure crystal world. May the world and all beings be free from suffering and share in happiness — the earthbound devas, tree devas, sky devas, the heavenly beings of every level, the Brahma and formless Brahma realms, and even beings in hell, as hungry ghosts, and as animals — may there be no enmity or harm between any of us; may all beings find freedom from bodily and mental suffering.
We extend further still, across the countless stars — tens, hundreds, thousands, millions — throughout the boundless cosmos. Whoever can benefit the world and cosmos may in turn make use of its treasures, as the Bodhisatta of old did: he cultivated loving-kindness until the end of his life, wishing for the world and all beings to be free from suffering; through his he was born in the Brahma realm, enjoying its long-lasting bliss, and when that life ended he was reborn on earth attaining the status of a universal monarch, using the treasures of the world and cosmos to govern the four continents in physical and mental happiness, established in the five precepts.
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 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.