Practice Is the Cultivation of Right Mindfulness

Phra Ajarn Suraphong opens by teaching that practice can be done with eyes open or closed, through determining awareness. Practice is the cultivation of right mindfulness (samma-sati); whether eyes are open or closed, it must begin there. He cites the principle recorded in the Tipitaka: "Monks, you should determine clear awareness of body, feeling, mind, and dharma, in order to eliminate covetousness and grief toward the world." This teaching, given by the Buddha to the monastic Sangha more than 2,500 years ago, says that monks must determine their awareness — it doesn't simply arise on its own. If we don't determine it, some other nature will command us to determine it instead, to no benefit at all. Each nature pursues its own benefit, seeking to draw energy to power its own system, and so commands us to determine our awareness for its purposes.

Mindfulness and Clear Comprehension: Knowing the Topic Before Knowing the Detail

We must therefore determine — determine what? Determine knowing: knowing is mindfulness, knowing is clear comprehension. The two differ in that mindfulness arises first, perceiving the topic, while clear comprehension knows the subtle state that has not yet appeared. This subtle state requires mindfulness to first know the essential topic or meditation object. The sphere of knowing — mindfulness — anchors itself in the meditation object as a resting point for arising. Once this sphere of knowing arises, it continuously draws pure energy through the center of its brightness. This pure energy refines the mind and heart, dispelling the defilement, because the pure energy called merit is the natural enemy of defilement. When purity arises, it moves to purify the defilement that causes problems and obstacles in the many forms of the hindrances — the source of suffering and misfortune, whether in life, in work, or during practice itself.

Our Duty: Determine Awareness and Keep It Continuous, Without Lapsing

We must purify defilement, but we cannot do it ourselves — we don't know what it looks like or where it is. We must rely on pure energy, and pure energy can only arise once the sphere of knowing, mindfulness, has first arisen. Once mindfulness arises, it draws pure energy in. Our duty is to determine awareness so this sphere arises, and to sustain it continuously without lapsing — because the moment we lapse, the sphere of knowing vanishes, and the sphere of not-knowing rises in its place; the drawing-in of pure energy stops, and the refining of the elements can no longer continue. "Stay continuously aware without lapsing" is Luang Pu's own phrase, repeated every time he taught. Our teachers therefore recommend the recitation "Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang" to make this easier for students — determine continuous, unlapsing awareness with a relaxed, open, at-ease heart, keeping balance, neither delighted nor distressed.

Staying Neutral: Eliminating the World's Delight and Distress

This teaching — not to be delighted or distressed — comes from the Buddha himself. The purpose of cultivating right mindfulness is to eliminate covetousness and grief, delight and distress, toward the world. Covetousness (abhijjha) is delight; grief (domanassa) is distress — delight or distress over good and bad experiences alike. When something good happens, we get excited, and excitement scatters the mind, breaking its balance; once scattered, we fall into the dimension of the unwholesome or the neutral nature, which then directs us this way and that. Whether an experience is good or bad, keep the heart neutral. An unpleasant experience results from defilement simply doing its job — creating problems and obstacles that bring difficulty — it's an indicator that defilement is present. Keep determining awareness patiently, without delight or distress, staying continuously aware; the defilement will lighten and eventually disappear on its own. If suffering — a state that must be endured — is present, endure it a little while the sphere of knowing draws in pure energy to lighten that defilement bit by bit.

Reciting "Samma Arahang" with the Focus of Threading a Needle

Recite syllable by syllable, unhurried — we're not after quantity, only the quality of continuous, unlapsing awareness on each syllable. Focus solely on the recitation, nothing else — the way one focuses on threading a needle, aware of nothing but the needle's eye and the thread; the whole world vanishes while absorbed in that act. The same applies to the recitation: there is only "Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang." As it becomes familiar, the refinement of the mind stretches time itself — we perceive the beginning, middle, and end of each syllable, and become absorbed in this perception. Recite with a relaxed heart, open and at ease — this ease of heart matters greatly, because it automatically clarifies the mind.

The Buddha Image Appears at the Center of the Heart: A Name Born of His Qualities

"Samma Arahang" is the descriptive name (nemittika-nama) of the subtle arahant Dhamma body, since all Dharma arises from the heart. Naming or uttering a name is determining a name according to the qualities of that state — "Samma Arahang" is called according to the qualities of one who practices rightly and well, far from every defilement. When we utter the name of the arahant Dhamma body, calling him, he appears within our heart; and once he appears, he does not appear in vain — he expands, layering as one with our body, making it radiant, clear, and pure.

Merging Body and Mind as One with the Buddha Image

Beginning at the head: bright, pure crystal of the Dhamma body, radiant, gentle, tender. The head becomes his crown; the face, his countenance; the forehead, clear crystal; the eyes, his eyes, closed gently, with a serenely smiling face. Neck, shoulders, arms all become the clear, pure crystal Dhamma body; chest, belly, lower belly, back all become the radiant, gentle, tender crystal Dhamma body; hips, thighs, knees, shins, calves, soles, and the tops of the feet all become the radiant, gentle, tender crystal Dhamma body. He teaches that this subtle arahant Dhamma body is our true self, while every other body we have used through the cycle of birth and death is impermanent, forever changing — we discard one body for another as our lifespan allows. But the arahant Dhamma body follows us everywhere, watching over and helping us always. We merge with him by putting on the feeling, the way an actor does; whatever we recollect, its mental factors arise layered within the mind. Phra Dej Phra Khun Luang Phor taught that reaching the Buddha image is hard for those who don't know and understand, easy for those who do, because the heart is an accomplishing element — however we determine it, so it becomes. Reaching him ranges from 1% to 100%; whatever we reach, we take as our starting point and gradually develop further.

Gathering the Mind to Stop and Be Still at the Body's Seventh Base

In merging our mind with his as one, whatever he does, we do the same — he determines to know, to stop, to be still at the center of the Buddha image, the center of his body; we determine to know, to stop, to be still at the center of the Buddha image, the center of our own body, at the seventh base. Imagine two threads: one from the right side of the waist to the left, one from the navel to the spine; where they cross, two finger-widths above, marks the seventh base. The heart already knows this position well, since we pass through it every time we're born, die, sleep, and wake — we need not worry whether we've found the exact spot; simply determine it. This position is the sovereign center, the gathering point of every body, from the coarsest human body to the subtlest Dhamma body, all sharing the same center as Nibbana itself.

Spaciousness and Ease When Stilled at the Center of the Center

Every time we stop and are still at this center of the center, we feel open, spacious, and at ease; the heart expands into spaciousness, without tightness or constriction. The more we stop, the more we are still, the more we are freed continuously into that spaciousness and ease. The stream of merit bubbles up continuously through the center of that brightness. Within this sphere of merit lie pure, sacred Dharma elements with the power to dispel suffering, sorrow, worldly danger, karmic residue, demonic obstruction, and every misfortune, resolving them without trace. Beyond that, the sphere of merit holds form-treasure, wealth-treasure, quality-treasure, honor, praise, happiness, the path and fruit of Nibbana, and the knowledge of the Dhamma body.

Appearing Bright at the Center of Nibbana

We are traveling the path toward Nibbana; a radiant stream appears at the center of every Nibbana, and Nibbana appears as a radiant stream at our own center. He does not appear in vain — once he appears, he takes our elements of seeing, remembering, thinking, and knowing — earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness — and refines them clear and pure. As this stream of merit bubbles up continuously through our center, we dedicate a portion of this merit to our ancestors.

Nibbana Shields All Beings from the Unwholesome

Phra Ajarn explains that Nibbana ordinarily holds all beings at its center — every being within a given cosmos is held at the center of Nibbana, protected, shielded, and cared for, so that unwholesome, sinful forces cannot act as freely as they wish. It is the very nature of the unwholesome to bring ruin upon all beings — that is its goal. But it cannot act freely, precisely because Nibbana continuously protects, shields, and cares for beings, holding them at its center. Any being who abides in universal goodness has the stream of merit bubbling continuously through their center, and appears bright and clear at the center of Nibbana, among the knowing ones of boundless power, uncountable as the sands. The refining of the elements toward purity proceeds continuously; he refines and helps us in both our work and our daily life, purifying the defilement and karmic residue that weighs on us, lightening what is heavy until it disappears.

Purifying the Heart, Just as We Wash the Body and Clothes

Phra Ajarn draws a comparison: every day we take off the clothes we've worn and wash them clean; we wash the body of its dirt by bathing, and freshness and comfort follow. Our heart is the same — besides washing our clothes and body, we must also wash the heart, and the best way to do that is to rely on our true self, on the wholesome system watched over by the Triple Gem, with Nibbana standing behind it all. Nowhere else can purify the heart's defilement as well as abiding with the Triple Gem, the wholesome system, and Nibbana. So every day, we should bring the mind to stop and be still at the center of our true self, the center of the wholesome system, the center of Nibbana, letting them refine away the old dirt that would otherwise cause suffering and misfortune, and clear the path ahead so we may live, gather happiness, and achieve success with ease. Life within the wholesome system should be easy, comfortable, and happy — what makes it hard is the defilement we accumulate when we drift, unnoticed, into the unwholesome system.

Dedicating Merit to Ancestors and Karmic Counterparts

Let us recall our parents, siblings, grandparents, ancestors, 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 counterparts (khu kam khu wen) — asking that we forgive one another and share equally in this merit.

Radiating Loving-Kindness Across the World and the Cosmos

Once the merit is dedicated, we generate goodwill for the world and all beings, drawing on the heart of a mother's love for her own child: may all beings who share this suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death be free from suffering and share in happiness — those with much suffering, less; those with little suffering, none; those with little happiness, more; those with much happiness, ever more. We expand this heart to cover our home, our loved ones, then village, subdistrict, district, province, Thailand, neighboring countries, until it becomes a radiant, clean, pure crystal sphere covering the whole world. This light of loving-kindness shines into every atom without casting a shadow — unlike moonlight, sunlight, or firelight, which illuminate yet still leave shadows behind. We extend further, to earthbound devas, tree devas, sky devas, the heavenly beings of every level, Brahma and formless Brahma realms, 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 in turn make use of its treasures, as the Bodhisatta of old did, practicing loving-kindness until reaching jhana attainment, then becoming a universal monarch ruling the four continents, whose people lived by virtue, free from harm and war.

Closing Aspiration

In closing, Phra Ajarn leads an aspiration for success now and in all lives to come, from the first beginning of the aeon. May the merit of our teachers and our own accumulated goodness 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.