Why We Practice: Life Under the Control of Three Natures

Phra Ajarn Suraphong opens by stressing that Dhamma practice is essential and necessary for every life, because we live under the control of three natures competing to seize the seat of our heart and direct us toward their own aims. The unwholesome side aims to utterly destroy us, sparing us not even at death, dragging us down into the realms of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals. The neutral side, while it does not destroy or harm us, brings no benefit either — it spends our precious time, our bodily strength, our mental freshness, and our wealth on idle pleasure, contributing nothing to our future.

Only the wholesome nature can truly be relied upon, because it is our real self, working to free us from the other two natures, to help us understand life as it truly is, and to give rise to clear vision and the inspiration to live rightly — developing us toward ever greater purity and sanctity. We therefore need to learn and understand the wholesome system so we can practice in a way that supports it, letting it become the lord of our heart and guide us.

The Buddha's Words: Know Body, Feeling, Mind, and Dhamma to Eliminate the World's Covetousness and Grief

He cites the Buddha's teaching recorded in the Tipitaka: "Bhikkhus, you should clearly know body, feeling, mind, and dhamma, in order to eliminate covetousness and grief regarding the world." If we do not determine for ourselves first, some other nature will determine for us, serving its own aims rather than ours — and if the unwholesome system takes the seat, it will direct us toward actions that bring us suffering.

Determine what? Determine with clear knowing — knowing is mindfulness (sati), clarity is clear comprehension (sampajañña). Mindfulness at this basic level simply knows the topic at hand, nothing complicated — whatever is asked of it, that is what it determines: knowing the breath, knowing the body, knowing the posture, or knowing the words of recitation paired with visualization. No need to rush. All we want is for the sphere of knowing to arise; even without seeing it, we know what we are determining in each moment.

Knowing Word by Word Until We Forget the World: The Recitation Technique

He teaches us to stay with the word "Samma Arahang," word by word, continuously, dwelling in each present moment without drifting into even the recent past. Continue until it becomes enjoyable — enjoyable to the point of forgetting everything else. Give it time, all day and night if needed, until that enjoyment arises. Don't rush, don't push; do it with a relaxed mind — open, spacious, light, comfortable, clear, cool, clean, and pure.

The more at ease we are, the clearer the mind becomes — clear as crystal, clear as diamond. Comfort is the key. He notes that the best time to sit is right after finishing our duties for the day, because at that moment the mind is naturally at ease — that is exactly when to close the eyes and continue.

The Sphere of Knowing Draws In Merit, Purifying the Defiling Stains

As we stay continuously with the recitation, this sphere of knowing draws in the pure energy called merit, flowing continuously into the center of the brightness of the sphere — the sphere of mindfulness. This pure energy purifies the defiling stains, the obscuring elements that create obstacles in meditation practice. As these obscuring elements thin out to a certain degree, subtle dhamma states begin to appear, and the mind shifts from mindfulness into clear comprehension, recognizing that subtle state. Everything unfolds through its own process; our only role is to keep determining, staying aware without lapsing.

He explains that "body, feeling, mind, dhamma" refers to body and mind. Body covers what is tied to the body — knowing the body, the breath, the posture. The mind knows feeling — pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. If we feel at ease right now, the wholesome side holds the seat, and noting it is easy because the wholesome side will help correct us. But if the unwholesome side holds the seat, we will recognize a state that must be endured, one that is difficult to bear.

Suffering Exists Only to Be Noted: The Advantage of Suffering as a Meditation Object

The Buddha stated clearly that suffering exists only to be noted — that is enough. When the state that must be endured arises, we simply note: this is suffering, the unwholesome side holds the seat. The advantage of suffering is that it is actually easier to note than any other meditation object, because its signal is present continuously. If we note it, the sphere of knowing arises together with endurance (khanti), accompanied by an ascetic quality (tapa) that protects us from being tormented. The sphere draws in merit to purify the defilement that causes the suffering, until it thins and finally disappears — the state that had to be endured simply vanishes on its own. Once suffering is gone, we continue noting: if there is no suffering, there is also no pleasure — empty, as if nothing at all remains; the hindrances are gone because the defilement is gone. We then return to the recitation, "Samma Arahang."

From 89 Spheres to 121: Determining "I Am the Noble Image"

He explains that "Samma Arahang" means one who practices well and rightly, one who is far from the defilements — it is the designated name for the subtle Dhamma body's qualities. When we utter his name, he appears at the center of our heart and body, and he does not appear in vain — he expands, overlaying and becoming one with us, image upon image, until our whole body becomes the crystal Dhamma body, radiant, cool, clean, and pure.

He points to a key clarification: in the beginning, we may simply "wear the feeling" of being the noble image, the way an actor takes on a role. The mental factors of that role overlay accordingly. Our body-feeling-mind-dhamma consists of 89 spheres altogether, differing in kind — wholesome, unwholesome, and neutral. When we determine "I am the noble image, the noble image is me," the subtle Dhamma body's mental factors overlay onto that 89-sphere set of mundane consciousness, and it develops into 121 spheres, by adding the supramundane dhamma. The mental factors of the subtle Dhamma body then appear, overlaying and abiding as one with us. The mind is an element that accomplishes whatever is determined — determine it, and so it becomes.

Perceive as Much as You Can: Like Eyes Adjusting to Darkness

He guides us to perceive part by part — the head, face, cheeks, nose, mouth, chin, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, back, hips, thighs, knees, shins, calves, and feet — all becoming the crystal Dhamma body, radiant, gentle, and soft. Perceive whatever you can, and let that be enough; don't force clarity one way or the other. If you see something, fine; if not, that is also fine. Sometimes only the knee appears radiant, sometimes the hand, arm, or face — it may come and go, and that's not a problem, because he will gradually develop it for us regardless.

We should dwell in equanimity, which keeps the mind balanced — neither glad at perceiving part of the noble image, nor sad at failing to perceive it. The Great Teacher always said that reaching the Dhamma body can be easy or hard: easy if we know and understand, hard if we don't understand and refuse to accept anything less than 100%. Access ranges from 1% to 100%, depending on how much the obscuring defilement has been purified — seeing gradually appears as it thins, like a Buddha statue already present in a dark room: as moonlight or sunlight gradually enters, we begin to see its outline. We are not fabricating it; see as much as you can and take that for now. Even without seeing, simply wear the feeling of having it, of being it — and that wearing genuinely has an effect, evidenced by the fact that practitioners dwelling this way are assured a fortunate rebirth.

Clear Roles: We Simply Determine, He Is the One Who Corrects

He explains that because wearing this feeling truly has an effect, it means that in that very moment he is adjusting and correcting us. We and he are one at this level. This correcting is his role, not ours — our role is only to determine and sustain that knowing continuously. It is like staying with a doctor for treatment: we don't run away, we stay with him and let him treat us, and everything gradually improves. Don't overstep his role. Whenever we lapse, simply return to knowing again — don't be angry with or blame yourself; keep a kind heart, learn and understand, and if you go wrong, begin again, merging ourselves with him into one unity.

Stopping Within Stopping, Stillness Within Stillness: Heading Straight to the Center of the Center

Whatever he does, we do the same — he gathers the mind, stops, stills; we gather our mind, stop, and still it at the center of the noble image, the center of the body. We stop within stopping, still within stillness, going into the center of the center, connecting with the knowing, all-powerful one — nibbana — dwelling at that very center. As we set our mind straight toward the path to nibbana by continuing to stop and still at the center of the center, we reach the point where that dhamma state can truly be accessed. Keep doing this joyfully, and the stream of merit bubbles continuously through the center of our body and heart, bright and clear.

Dedicating Merit to Ancestors and Karmic Counterparties

We then dedicate this merit to our ancestors — recalling our relatives, 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. We invite the great teachers to carry this accumulated goodness to our relatives in the next world.

Radiating Loving-Kindness Across the World and the Cosmos

We then draw on the heart of a mother's love and goodwill toward her beloved child: may all beings, our fellow travelers in birth, aging, sickness, and death, 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 expand this loving-kindness-filled heart to cover our home, spreading across village, subdistrict, district, province, all of Thailand, neighboring countries, and finally the whole world, until it becomes a radiant, clean, 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 still across the countless stars and galaxies of the boundless cosmos.

He teaches that whoever benefits the world and the cosmos may, in turn, make use of its treasures — as the Bodhisatta of old did, practicing loving-kindness continuously until the end of his life, becoming a Great Brahma enjoying long-lasting bliss, then later a universal monarch ruling the four continents in peace, free from violence, with all people dwelling in virtue.

Closing Aspiration

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 knowledge of the Dhamma body; may we be strong in health and steadfast in spirit as we build perfections toward nibbana. He closes by asking that old wrongdoing be forgiven, and that new merit bear fruit successfully for us all.