Why We Practice: Life Under Three Natures

Phra Ajarn Suraphong opens by stressing that Dhamma practice is essential and necessary for every life, because every life is controlled by three natures competing to seize the seat of our heart. If we neglect this, life simply follows random fate — and when that happens, what can we hope for regarding our future? Struggling to accumulate wealth becomes pointless. If the unwholesome side overpowers and directs us, it directs us wrongly, and our economic and social life brings nothing but trouble. What our future becomes depends on how much we support the wholesome system.

If we support the wholesome system, it will guide our life to develop, flourish, and find peace, living correctly and well. But if the unwholesome mind seizes the seat, it directs us wrongly, because its aim is precisely to destroy the world and all beings. Though greed, hatred, delusion, and lust remain a normal part of being human, we should still aim to dwell with the wholesome system. What we want is a life that is comfortable, easy, and happy — a life wondrous enough to matter. Such good feelings and thoughts that impress us can be trained through establishing the wholesome system, and that is not difficult at all.

The Buddha's Words: Clearly Knowing Body, Feeling, Mind, and Dhamma for Wonder From Beginning to End

The Buddha taught in the Tipitaka, regarding the cultivation of right mindfulness: "Bhikkhus, you should clearly know body, feeling, mind, and dhamma, in order to eliminate covetousness and grief regarding the world." He explains that this teaching must be repeated every time, because it is the dhamma capable of bringing life to wonder from the beginning, through the middle, to the end. Whoever dwells in this dhamma will, in the beginning, encounter wonder and escape the defiling stains — good things will come to their life, and they become fortunate. In the middle, they enter the dimension of the knowing, powerful ones, connecting to them continuously. And in the end, they reach a truly wondrous life, free from all defiling stains, reaching the subtle Gotrabhu Dhamma body, free of defilement, attaining the various stages of noble persons up to arahantship through this very dhamma.

The Six Dimensions of Existence: Five Outer Dimensions of Sense Pleasure and One Inner Dimension of Dhamma

He explains that covetousness and grief are the world's gladness and sorrow, arising from sense pleasures — the eye, the ear, form, taste, smell, sound, touch. The outer world has only five dimensions: the dimension of form, taste, smell, sound, and touch. The inner dimension is dhamma — one more dimension, making six dimensions altogether. We dwell with five outer-world dimensions and one inner-world dimension, the dimension of dhamma. He teaches that we should not be pleased or displeased by form, taste, smell, or sound — we should not be glad or sad over these things at all.

But to avoid gladness and grief over these things, we must cultivate right mindfulness by clearly determining — knowing is mindfulness, clarity is clear comprehension. Yet we must determine; not determining is not an option, because we haven't yet reached the automatic stage. We must train until it becomes automatic — once automatic, we wake up each morning and the determining simply runs on its own. In the beginning, we necessarily determine manually, because if we don't determine, some other nature will determine for us. The Buddha taught that if a monk does not determine, some other nature will come to direct, pressure, and dictate to him — which brings him no benefit at all, and worse, brings suffering if the unwholesome side is the one pressuring. The neutral nature, while not bringing suffering, still spends our precious time and resources wastefully, contributing nothing of value.

Mindfulness and Clear Comprehension: Mental Factors That Arise Only With Wholesome Mind

Determining requires mindfulness and clear comprehension. Mindfulness is recollection, recollective knowing, and it can only arise together with a wholesome mind — other natures cannot produce it. Mindfulness is a mental factor (cetasika) that arises together with the wholesome mind, alongside faith, mindfulness, and the cetasika of even-mindedness (tatramajjhattatā), which produces the state of equanimity — neither glad nor sad, keeping the mind neutral. Faith rooted in reason, once established, makes our feelings and thoughts wise; belief becomes reasonable, and the mind settles into neutrality through the tool of the equanimity cetasika.

There are many other subtle mental factors as well — non-greed, non-hatred, moral shame and moral fear of wrongdoing, and the mental factors that produce bodily and mental lightness and refinement. When we practice, we come to access these refined mental factors, recognizing lightness of body and mind, gentleness, softness — all results of mental factors that arise together with wholesome dhamma, but at a subtle level. The key is not to rush, push, or pressure ourselves, because doing so makes the mind hard and unable to recognize these subtle factors. Simply let the mind practice gently, determining again and again.

Like Threading a Needle: Sustained Focused Attention

He compares this determining to threading a needle — we must know precisely where the eye of the needle is, angle it just right, and gently guide the thread through, staying focused and attentive for a while until the result occurs. Or when we touch thumb and index finger together for a moment, we come to notice the throbbing pulse of blood flow. Knowing the body works the same way, because the mind is bound up with the body — we must go and recognize whatever state arises.

When the mind stays with the body, knowing the body, we gain mastery over ourselves, dwelling visibly in balance, not easily shaken — unlike not knowing the body, which leaves us startled and shaken by whatever occurs, unable to control ourselves, the mind scattering and unable to stay neutral. But when we know the body, we can keep the mind neutral — whatever arises, we remain unshaken, unstartled, neither glad nor sad; the mind stays balanced.

Give It Time Like Boiling Water: The Sphere of Knowing Draws In Merit to Purify Defilement

He teaches us to bring the mind to the breath, noting the breath in and out, determining with a relaxed mind, and giving it time — because as the sphere of knowing arises with the breath, it draws in pure energy to purify the defiling stains, the obscuring elements programmed by ignorance. We must purify these stains first; once they thin to a certain degree, the subtle dhamma state already present but obscured begins to appear — like boiling water, which needs time for the heat to gradually warm it, or dark clouds covering the sky, which need time for sunlight to gradually thin and disperse them. While giving it time, we must stay continuously aware without lapsing, so the sphere of knowing can keep drawing in pure energy. Giving it time without determining accomplishes nothing, because the drawing-in of energy never occurs.

Samma Arahang: The Designated Name of the Subtle Arahant Dhamma Body

Our teachers advise cultivating recitation paired with visualization — "Samma Arahang" — attending word by word, without rushing. We are not after a quantity of repetitions; we simply want the sphere of knowing to stay established without lapsing, in every present moment, never drifting into past or future. Training to dwell in each present moment frees us from imprisonment in the past.

He explains that "Samma Arahang" is the designated name of the subtle Arahant Dhamma body, named according to its qualities. All dhammas, wholesome or unwholesome — all 84,000 categories of the Dhamma — can arise only at the heart, nowhere else. Each sphere has its own name reflecting its particular qualities — such as boredom, relaxation, openness, lightness, comfort. "Samma Arahang" is likewise the designated name of the Dhamma body dwelling within its own sphere. When we utter his name, he appears within that bright, clear sphere.

Merging Into the Crystal Dhamma Body

When he appears, he does not appear in vain — he expands, overlaying and abiding as one with us, arising continuously, image upon image, merging our coarse physical body into unity, until our entire body becomes the noble image. We repeatedly affirm the truth that has appeared: "I am the noble image, the noble image is me," merging our body with his body into one.

Phra Ajarn guides us to perceive part by part, starting from the head — the crown bearing a bud-like lotus finial, radiant and clear — the face, forehead, closed eyes with a gentle, compassionate smile, neck, shoulders, both arms, chest, abdomen, back, hips, thighs, knees, shins, calves, and feet — all becoming the crystal Dhamma body, radiant, gentle, soft, tender, full of vitality, freshness, joy, openness, lightness, and ease.

Merging the Mind, Stopping and Stilling at the Center of the Center: Faith Without Doubt

Once we merge our body with his body into one unity, we merge our mind with his mind as one. Whatever he does, we do the same — he gathers and stops the mind, stills the mind; we gather, stop, and still our mind at the center of the noble image, the center of our body — a position that is the same single center shared by us and the knowing, all-powerful one, countless beyond measure. The mind is an element that accomplishes whatever is determined; determine it, and so it becomes. Do not waver or doubt, because the unwholesome mind will lead us to waver and doubt — and when we doubt, progress cannot appear. All we need is faith in the wholesome system. Even if we cannot yet see, that's fine; don't let this become an obstacle — even a blind person can still live in this world. In the beginning we may not see, but we can still perceive, the way our eyes gradually adjust upon entering a dark cinema.

We gather, stop, and still the mind at the center of the noble image, at the center of our body — at the seventh base, two finger-widths above the navel, the seat of the mind. Every time we fall asleep, the mind goes there, which is why we can sleep; and it wakes there too — so this is not difficult. We keep stopping and stilling at the center of the center, continuing all the way to the subtlest center, which is nibbana. We are heading straight toward the path of nibbana simply by continuing to stop and still at the center of the center, entering ever subtler dimensions.

The Stream of Merit Bubbles Forth: The Knowing, Boundlessly Powerful Ones

This sphere of knowing draws in the pure energy called merit, flowing continuously into the center of its brightness. We are not doing this alone — countless knowing, all-powerful beings watch over our merit and dhamma at all times. Simply by staying focused, the stream of merit bubbles continuously through us. We keep stopping and stilling at the center of the center together with the sphere of knowing, staying aware without lapsing.

Each day, once our duties are complete, we need to bring body and mind to dwell at the center of the knowing, powerful ones, letting them purify our defilement — like putting sweat-soiled clothes through the washing machine, letting it run automatically. Our mind works the same way: bring it into the automatic system of the wholesome side, and purification happens automatically.

Dedicating Merit to Ancestors and Karmic Counterparties

As the stream of merit flows continuously through the center of our body and heart, we 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.

Radiating Loving-Kindness Across the World and the Cosmos

Once merit is dedicated, we set a wholesome intention for the benefit of ourselves, the world, and all beings. Following the Great Teacher's guidance, we draw on the heart of a mother's love toward her beloved child: may the world and all beings be free from suffering and find happiness everywhere — 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 fill our whole body, covering our home, spreading across village, subdistrict, district, province, all of Thailand, neighboring countries, and finally the whole world, until it becomes a radiant crystal sphere — reaching the earth-bound devas, tree devas, sky devas, all the heavens, the Brahma and form-Brahma realms, and even beings in hell, as hungry ghosts, and as animals, expanding further across the countless stars and galaxies of the boundless cosmos.

Loving-kindness that shines into people's hearts draws each person's and each being's own wholesome system into being, which then draws in pure energy to purify their own defiling stains, bringing happiness and prosperity to them. He teaches that whoever benefits the world and the cosmos may make use of its treasures — as the Bodhisatta of old did, practicing loving-kindness until the end of his life, becoming a Great Brahma enjoying long-lasting bliss, then returning as a universal monarch ruling the four continents in peace, free from all violence.

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.