Two Parts of Life: Our True Self and the Inner Universal Monarch Who Sustains Us

Phra Ajarn Suraphong opens by explaining that practice is deeply important and necessary for every life, because our life has two parts. One part is our own true self; the other is the caretaker that supports our life. Given this, the role of our true self is to mobilize goodness — to learn and understand the truth of life.

The other part that supports and cares for us is the universal monarch, the caretaker within the center of our sphere of merit, who administers and manages our resources, supporting us so we can sustain our life on this earth and continue our search for life's truth.

Karaniyakit: The Essential Duty of the Human Body, As the Great Master Father Named It

The human body arises with an essential duty that the Great Master Father called "karaniyakit" — the essential duty of being human is to seek the truth of dhamma, to learn and understand the true nature that governs all beings. Once we understand this, we know we must dwell within the wholesome system, because doing so lets us draw in pure energy together with subtle treasures and blueprints for success.

This pure energy gets used automatically, driving the automatic wholesome system to clear away defiling stains, karmic results, demonic obstruction, and sacred sin, causing them to vanish entirely. At the same time, subtle treasures arise as we dwell within the wholesome system.

The Stream of Merit With Its Treasures: The Subtle Wealth Flowing Through Us

The stream of merit — the flow of pure energy called merit — flows through the center of our body and heart, and at its center flows a line of treasures too: treasures of form, wealth, retinue, fortune, fame, praise, happiness, and the path and fruit of nibbana, all complete within each sphere. When we create good causes by dwelling within the wholesome system in each activity, we receive this whole blueprint of success as our reward.

The caretaker — the universal monarch within the sphere of merit — handles the administration and management for us; we need not worry about anything. We are only the ones who mobilize goodness in support; fundraising itself is the universal monarch's job. Our job is to mobilize goodness, creating virtuous causes so the wholesome system can arise.

Mobilizing Goodness: Giving, Precepts, Renunciation, Wisdom, Effort, Patience, Truthfulness, Resolve, Loving-Kindness, Equanimity

Mobilizing goodness spans giving, precepts, renunciation, wisdom, effort, patience, truthfulness, resolve, loving-kindness, equanimity, and other wholesome qualities, so that merit and perfections may flow. There are thirty levels of perfections flowing through us. We are born to seek merit, build perfections, and reach the Triple Gem within — these three are our essential duty: seeking merit, building perfections, and reaching the inner Triple Gem.

We can reach the inner Triple Gem simply by cultivating right mindfulness through determining and knowing. Let us understand the principle the Buddha taught about cultivating right mindfulness.

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

The Buddha taught: "Bhikkhus, you should clearly determine body, feeling, mind, and dhamma, in order to eliminate the world's covetousness and grief." The essential message is that the Buddha instructed the monks that the human body's role is to determine and know, because we are the owners of this house of body and mind; we have the right to command or determine, and however we determine, so it becomes, because the heart is an element that accomplishes whatever is determined.

So if we determine correctly — determining ourselves toward what is wholesome — the wholesome system arises and draws in pure energy together with subtle treasures and blueprints for success. In this determining, the Buddha taught us to determine and know, because knowing is mindfulness, knowing is clear comprehension. He taught us to learn to bring mindfulness into being through determining and knowing.

The Sphere of Mindfulness and Pure Energy: Purifying Defilement, Easing Life

When we determine and know, the sphere of knowing — mindfulness — a round, clear, bright sphere, arises in our heart. Wholesome, unwholesome, or neutral states can only arise in one place: the heart, nowhere else. Once a wholesome state arises in the heart, it draws in the pure energy called merit, flowing continuously into the center of the brightness of this sphere of mindfulness.

This pure energy, once flowing in, purifies the defiling stains that cause problems and obstacles in the many forms of hindrance. These stains bring hardship to our life and to our practice. So we must determine and know so that the sphere of knowing draws in pure energy to purify these stains, thinning them. As defilement thins, problems and obstacles thin, and hardship eases on its own. As hardship eases, ease and convenience arise for us, whether in daily life or in practice.

Knowing the Body Before Determining: Mindfulness Anchored to the Recitation "Samma Arahang"

Determining begins with knowing the body first. Once the mind recollects this bodily awareness, we then determine what we wish to know — our chosen meditation object, for mindfulness to anchor to and rely on. Our teachers advise us to determine on "Samma Arahang."

In determining "Samma Arahang," we must give it full attention and focus, like threading a needle where only the eye of the needle and the thread exist — at that moment everything else vanishes, leaving only the recitation. Let us stay focused on reciting "Samma Arahang," attentive and reflective, word by word, continuously, with a relaxed mind, open, light, and at ease.

"Samma Arahang": The Name of the Dhamma Body, a Living Presence Who Can Smile and Speak

"Samma Arahang" is the designated name of the Dhamma body, meaning one who practices well and rightly, far from all defilements — this is his quality. When we recite "Samma Arahang," we are uttering his name; when we utter it, he appears together with his form — the crystal Dhamma body, clear, clean, pure, and radiant. This is both name and form.

His physical presence is a crystal noble image, radiant, clear, clean, and pure, with a bud-like crown of light. He has life and mind — he can smile, speak, blink — a living presence like us, yet he is one who practices well and rightly, appearing as a radiant crystal noble image. Simply by uttering his name, "Samma Arahang," he appears bright in the center of our heart and body. When he appears, he does not appear in vain — he expands, overlaying and becoming one with us, our human body. He expands and overlays, one layer after another, making our whole being a radiant, clear, clean crystal noble image.

Wearing the Feeling of the Noble Image: An Actor's Technique for a Body Made of Crystal

Once he has expanded to fill our whole body, we merge with him as one unity. Even if we cannot see it, that's no problem — we simply wear the feeling of being the noble image, the noble image being us. Like an actor about to play a role, thinking of that type of person — whatever we think of, its mental factors appear in the heart. The heart is an element that accomplishes whatever is determined; once its mental factors appear in the heart, it displays its qualities there. The heart knows whatever it knows; once it knows the qualities of the character to play, it can wear that feeling as one with it and perform the role.

We use the same principle: wearing the feeling of being the noble image who practices well and rightly, far from all defilements. We are the noble image; the noble image is us. Our whole body becomes the radiant, cool, clean, pure crystal Dhamma body — our head, the crystal crown of the Dhamma body with its bud-like radiant crest; our face, his gentle, radiant countenance; our eyes, his radiant, cool, clean, pure eyes; our neck, shoulders, and arms, gentle and soft; our chest, abdomen, and back, radiant crystal, cool, clean, pure; our hips, thighs, knees, shins, calves, and feet, radiant crystal, gentle and soft.

Merging Body and Mind: The Seventh Base, Two Fingers Above the Navel

Once we merge with him as one unity, in both body and mind, whatever he does, we do the same. He stops and stills the mind; we gather, stop, and still our mind within the noble image and within the body — at the center of the body, the seventh base, two finger-widths above the navel.

We may not be familiar with the seventh base, but our mind is — it arises and passes there constantly. Once familiar, we simply determine that we are at the seventh base, and it appears there automatically. Stop within stopping, still within stillness, into the center of the center, mind stopping, mind stilling. The seventh base is the imperial center, the same center shared by every body — coarse human, refined human, celestial, Brahma, formless-Brahma, the Dhamma bodies of lineage, stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, up to arahant, path and fruit, coarse and refined — all share this one center.

When we determine at this position, the center shared by every body, the stream of merit pours in continuously, bright and clear — the sphere of merit appearing across the coarse body, the refined body, the celestial body, the Brahma body, the formless-Brahma body, the Dhamma body — all eighteen bodies radiant, cool, clean, pure. Stop within stopping, still within stillness, into the center of the center, not left, not right, not forward, not back, not up, not down, going ever deeper into the center of the center, the knowing center, the stopping center, the stilling center.

Toward Nibbana: The Center of the Boundless Knowers of Power

As we determine to stop and still into the center of the center, we perceive spaciousness and ease; the heart expands into an open, light, cool, clean, pure, radiant space. Stop within stopping, still within stillness, into the center of the center — the deepest refinement is the sphere of nibbana itself, the abode of every Buddha, every Pacceka Buddha, and every arahant.

When we gather, stop, and still the mind within them, we are heading straight along the path to nibbana. We appear radiant within nibbana; every nibbana appears bright and beautiful within us. Stop within stopping, still within stillness, into the center of the center, the countless knowers of boundless power. We appear bright within them; they appear bright within us.

When they appear bright within us, they do not appear in vain — they take our elements of seeing, remembering, thinking, and knowing, our earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness elements, and refine them clear, clean, and pure, clearing away all karmic results, demonic obstruction, and sacred sin until they vanish entirely. They correct our path in advance so we can carry out our work easily, clear away problems and obstacles so we can reap success with ease, and connect the lines of our merit and treasure. We simply need to keep determining to know, staying aware without lapsing.

Dedicating Merit to Ancestors and Karmic Counterparties

As the stream of merit pours continuously through the center of our body and heart, we dedicate this merit to our ancestors — recalling all our relatives: parents, siblings, grandparents, our benefactor teachers, 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 with all equally.

Radiating Loving-Kindness Across the World and the Cosmos: The Heart of a Mother Who Loves Her Child

Once merit is dedicated, we cultivate loving-kindness for the benefit of the world and all beings. The Great Teacher advised that in cultivating loving-kindness, we draw on the heart of a mother with goodwill toward her beloved child, establishing it in our own heart, then make the aspiration for all beings: 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 suffering have none, those with little happiness have more, and those with much have ever more.

Once this aspiration is complete, we expand this heart filled with loving-kindness outward, covering our home. Loving-kindness dwells in the heart as its birthplace; wherever the heart extends, loving-kindness shines through every particle of the surrounding air, touching people, animals, belongings, homes, and our loved ones. We then expand this loving-kindness-filled heart wider still, covering the whole village, subdistrict, district, province, many provinces, the whole country, neighboring countries, and finally the whole world, until it becomes a radiant, clean, pure crystal sphere — reaching earth-bound devas, tree devas, sky devas, every heaven, the Brahma and formless-Brahma realms, and even hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals.

We then expand our heart across the cosmos, covering the countless stars and galaxies of the boundless universe, letting our loving-kindness shine boundlessly, benefiting all beings and every element without limit.

The Fruits of Loving-Kindness: The Bodhisatta Who Became a Universal Monarch

Our Great Master Grandfather, Great Master Father, and Khun Yai Acharn guide our merit and dhamma at all times; the Triple Gem and nibbana overlay and refine us, helping us benefit the world and cosmos as much as possible. Whoever benefits the world and cosmos may make use of its treasures — as the Bodhisatta of old did. When he arose in the world, he diligently cultivated loving-kindness, benefiting all people and beings without limit, until the end of his life, attaining jhanic absorption. When his human life ended, he was born into the Brahma realm, enjoying bliss for an immensely long time.

When his life in the Brahma realm ended, he was born again on earth, and this time attained the status of a universal monarch, able to use the treasures of the world and cosmos to govern the four continents in peace. This is the fruit of cultivating loving-kindness — we should cultivate it morning, noon, evening, and night. Simply determine love, kindness, and goodwill toward the world and all beings, like a mother's boundless, pure goodwill for her child. Gather, stop, and still the mind within loving-kindness shining boundlessly around us; we become the center of the world and cosmos through this shining loving-kindness.

Closing Aspiration

The stream of merit pours continuously into the center of the brightness of loving-kindness. We gather, stop, and still the mind within the Triple Gem — the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha jewels — within the great teachers, within the most refined Dhamma body of our Great Master Grandfather, Great Master Father, and Khun Yai Acharn. The heart is an element that accomplishes whatever is determined. We gather, stop, and still within nibbana, within the countless knowers of boundless power.

As we appear radiant within these boundless knowers, we use this auspicious moment to pay respect and make an aspiration for success to be set within the radiance of these spheres of merit and perfection, throughout our path of building perfections, past, present, and future, across countless lifetimes — that we be complete with knowledge, happiness, and purity, and every rightful wish fulfilled.

May the merit, radiance, power, and authority of nibbana throughout all elements and dhamma, together with the merit of our Great Master Grandfather, Great Master Father, and Khun Yai Acharn, combine with the merit we ourselves have diligently accumulated since beginningless time 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.

May old wrongdoing be forgiven and new merit bear fruit successfully. May we be born into a family of right view, a crystal family, a Dhamma-body family, complete with the finest form, wealth, virtue, fortune, fame, praise, the path and fruit of nibbana, and the knowledge of the Dhamma body — studying the Dhamma-body knowledge correctly and faithfully alongside our teachers from youth until the end of life. May all these good aspirations be fulfilled for us from this moment forward, through every lifetime, until the very end of the Dhamma.