The Three Sides of Nature: Only the Wholesome Side Ever Truly Benefits Us

Phra Ajarn Suraphong opens by explaining that practice is deeply important and necessary for every life, because every life lies under the control of three sides of nature, and only the wholesome side ever gives benefit, helping us find happiness and prosperity. The other sides of nature bring no benefit at all — worse, they bring suffering and harm. So we must learn and understand how to act in accordance with the wholesome system — learning, understanding, and training ourselves to align with it. This is the duty of the human body.

If we learn and align ourselves with the wholesome system, much goodness will arise for us — happiness, prosperity, and many good things will come into our lives; our lives will change, and past mistakes will fade away, because we move away from the unwholesome system, which keeps steering us into error, whispering inside us like our own thoughts, guiding us toward what is wrong and harmful. The neutral side, meanwhile, lures us into eating, playing, dancing, wandering, or losing ourselves in things of no real benefit. Only the wholesome system continually brings us benefit, great or small.

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

We must therefore learn and understand the wholesome system and practice in accordance with it, which the Buddha taught as follows: "Bhikkhus, you should clearly determine body, feeling, mind, and dhamma, in order to eliminate the world's ignorance and grief." We need to memorize this essential sentence by heart — it is the sentence that turns ordinary worldly people into noble ones, that lets our lives encounter the truly astonishing.

The essential meaning: the Buddha taught the monks that they must determine — learning and training themselves to determine what is correct and good. If we do not determine, some other nature will step in to direct, control, and pressure us into determining as it wishes, which brings us no benefit whatsoever — worse, it brings us suffering and harm, all for that other side's own benefit. So we must seize the determining first — cooperating with the wholesome system, determining what is correct and good, in order to draw in pure energy together with subtle treasures and blueprints for success.

Mindfulness and Clear Comprehension: Two States of Knowing With Different Roles

What do we determine? We determine to know, because knowing is mindfulness, knowing is clear comprehension. Both mindfulness and clear comprehension are states of knowing, but they play different roles. Mindfulness always arises first, every time the wholesome system arises — after the contest for continuity has been won. Mindfulness is a wholesome state that arises together with a wholesome mind, a mental factor born together with wholesome consciousness.

We recollect first; once we recollect, the sign of that recollection is bodily awareness — mindfulness of the body arises, knowing what is what, knowing through the various sense bases. After knowing the body, we then determine what we wish to know. What we wish to know right now is the meditation object our teachers recommend: "Samma Arahang." Mindfulness registers this topic in order to draw in pure energy — the meditation object simply gives mindfulness something to anchor to and rely on, because all we need is for the sphere of knowing to arise.

Purity and Defilement Are Enemies: Whoever Has More Energy Prevails

Once the sphere of knowing — mindfulness — arises, it draws the pure energy called merit into the center of its brightness. So we must keep mindfulness firmly established in the heart continuously, to keep drawing that pure energy in. Merit flowing in from constant, unlapsing recollection flows continuously. Once it flows in, it purifies defilement, because purity and defilement are enemies — purity purifies defilement, or conversely defilement corrupts purity, depending on which side has more energy.

So we must determine and know without lapsing, so this pure energy keeps flowing in continuously until defilement is fully purified. As long as we keep determining and knowing without lapsing, pure energy keeps flowing in to purify defilement continuously. But if we stop before defilement is fully purified, defilement then dominates and controls us, preventing us from continuing. So we need sustained effort until defilement is purified — otherwise it will dominate us, directing us toward what it wants. If defilement remains, it will dominate our mind and direct us toward wrongdoing.

Reciting Word by Word: Staying Aware Without Lapsing

In determining and knowing, let us stay attentive and reflective continuously — focused, reflective, reciting word by word: "Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang." Stay attentive, focused word by word, staying aware without lapsing. What we want is the sphere of knowing, staying aware without lapsing, knowing what we are knowing. Right now we are knowing the recitation, knowing it word by word, using the recitation as an anchor for mindfulness to rest on. Let us determine and know with a relaxed mind, open, light, and at ease, reciting word by word, staying aware without lapsing.

The Flavor Simile: Unseen, Untouchable, Yet Nameable All the Same

"Samma Arahang" is the designated name of the Dhamma body. At times it seems unseen, untouchable, yet it can be known by the heart — like sound, which cannot be touched yet is perceived by the ear. Taste is the same — flavor cannot be touched or seen, yet perceived by the tongue. Smell is the same too — untouchable, yet perceived by the heart.

Even without seeing it, each kind of dhamma has its own name, the way flavors do — sour, sweet, salty, savory. Even though we cannot see or touch them, each flavor has its own name; we name things by feeling, by their qualities. "Samma Arahang" is the same — a designated name meaning one who practices well and rightly, far from all defilements. When we utter his name, he appears — with a physical presence as a noble image seated within a crystal sphere, within a sphere of dhamma filling the lap, clear and bright. This is the form; the designation is his quality — one who practices to be, and has become, far from all defilements.

Form and Designation Appear Together: Great Compassion, Great Purity, Great Wisdom

When we utter his name, "Samma Arahang," he appears in the center of our heart and body, form and designation appearing together. When he appears, he does not appear in vain — he displays his qualities: merging with us as one through his quality of great compassion. That is his first quality — merging with us through great compassion. He also purifies all our defiling stains through his quality of great purity, and guides and helps us through his quality of great wisdom.

When he appears in the center of our heart, expanding and overlaying our human body, we merge with him as one unity by wearing the feeling of being the noble image, the noble image being us. Even without seeing him, we can still merge as one with him, using the technique of actors: whenever they play a role, they think of that type of person, wearing that feeling. When they recall the type of character they will play, that character's mental factors appear in the heart, as if it were software appearing there. Once they appear in the heart, the character displays its qualities there; the heart knows whatever it knows. Once they know, they can wear that feeling and perform the role convincingly, because the mental factors themselves tell them what to do.

Easy for the One Who Understands, Hard for the One Who Doesn't

We use the same principle: recalling the noble one who practices well and rightly, far from all defilements, as the radiant crystal Dhamma body, merging with him as one unity — we are the noble image, the noble image is us. On this point, the Great Master Father once said that merging ourselves with the Dhamma body can be said to be easy, or it can be said to be hard — reaching the noble image can be easy or hard: easy for those who know and understand, hard for those who don't, who must struggle before they succeed. But it is easy precisely because of understanding, since the heart is an element that accomplishes whatever is determined.

We can determine all the way to the highest — the Buddha himself — not to mention the lowest; we can determine anything at all. Once we determine, that thing appears at the heart, because the heart is an element that accomplishes whatever is determined — whatever we determine appears, and once it appears, that thing displays its qualities. It is never merely thinking with no effect — thinking has effect, because once a thing appears at the heart, it displays its qualities. For example, if we determine relaxation, a sphere of relaxation arises and displays the quality of relaxation. If we determine openness, spaciousness, that state of openness appears, purifying the stain that made the heart feel tight and cramped, dissolving that tightness completely.

From 1% to 100%: Perceive as Much as You Can, and Take That for Now

When we determine that we are the noble image, the noble image is us, he appears in our heart, and we merge with him as one. Reaching the Dhamma body, the Great Master Father once said, ranges from 1% to 100%; however much we can perceive right now, take that for a start. Whatever we manage, take that. The noble image will stay with us, watching over and helping us — we need only determine, staying aware of him without lapsing, and he will stay with us, caring for and helping us. Simply determining brings the noble image into being, which has real effect — not merely idle thought with no result. He will be with us; we will appear bright within him, and he will appear bright within us, whether we see him clearly or not.

Our Whole Body Becomes the Crystal Dhamma Body: We Must Train Like This Often

We are the noble image, the noble image is us; our whole body becomes the radiant, cool, clean, pure crystal Dhamma body. Our head becomes the radiant crystal Dhamma body, with a radiant bud-like crown of light on the crest. Our face becomes the radiant, cool, clean, pure countenance of the crystal Dhamma body, eyes gently closed with a soft, gentle smile. Our neck, shoulders, and both arms become the radiant, cool, clean, pure crystal Dhamma body. Our chest, abdomen, and back become the gentle, soft, cool crystal Dhamma body. Our hips, thighs, knees, shins, calves, and feet become the radiant, gentle, soft, cool, clean, pure crystal Dhamma body — from head to face to cheeks, arms, torso, all the way to the feet, all becoming the radiant, beautiful, gentle, soft crystal Dhamma body.

Let us merge both body and mind as one with him — we must train like this often, always, merging ourselves with him as one unity. This is essential, because it lets him help and correct us with full effectiveness and the greatest result. He himself wishes for us to merge with him as one unity. With every word of "Samma Arahang" recited, the noble image appears in the center of our heart and body, overlaying and merging with him, continuing on and on.

Stopping Within Stopping, Stillness Within Stillness: The Seventh Base and the Path to Nibbana

We are the noble image, the noble image is us. We then merge our mind with his mind as one unity — whatever he does, we do the same. He gathers, stops, and stills the mind; so do we, stopping and stilling within the noble image, within the body and mind, at the position of the seventh base — the imperial center, the center of the sphere of dhamma of every body: the coarse human body and the refined human body, the celestial body coarse and refined, the Brahma and formless-Brahma bodies coarse and refined, the lineage Dhamma body coarse and refined, the path and fruit of the stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, and arahant — eighteen bodies in all, their spheres of dhamma converging at this same center, the seventh base.

Letting the mind stop and still at the seventh base, the sphere of merit appears radiant, overlaying all eighteen bodies as one. Stop within stopping, still within stillness; gather, stop, still, into the center of the center, the center of the sphere of dhamma, the center of the noble image of each and every body. Stop within stopping, still within stillness, soft and at ease, at the seventh base. Stop within stopping, still within stillness, into the center of the center, the knowing center, the stopping center, the stilling center, ever deeper, all the way to the deepest refinement — the sphere of nibbana itself, at the deepest point within 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. This is us upholding the mind straight toward the path to nibbana. When this happens, we appear bright within nibbana; nibbana appears radiant within us.

The Stream of Merit Heals Our Life: Work, Family, and Fading Problems

Stop within stopping, still within stillness, into the center of the center, the center of the countless knowers of boundless power. We appear bright within them; they appear bright within us. When they appear bright within us, 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, thinning our defiling stains — karmic results, demonic obstruction, sacred sin, all corrected until nothing remains, restoring our balance, making us clean and pure.

This purification of defiling stains extends to the problems and obstacles in every part of life — work, career, family — all corrected and gradually thinned, so we can find happiness and prosperity in our work with ease. He also corrects our path in advance, so our journey to reap success becomes easy. So anyone who entrusts their heart and mind to him will meet with good fortune and reach success and fulfillment in everything correct and good.

Defilement Is Like Dust on Our Clothes: Nowhere Is Cleaner Than Dwelling With the Triple Gem

Each day of our life, we must go out and face problems and obstacles, with the three sides of nature taking turns directing us behind the scenes. The defiling stains that cling to us are like dust that clings to our clothes and body. In the evening we wash our clothes clean and bathe our body with soap; our mind works the same way — we cleanse our heart too. Nowhere is as clean as dwelling with the Triple Gem and nibbana, staying within their center — they will purify us, simply by our dwelling with them.

Stop within stopping, still within stillness, into the center of the center, the center of nibbana, the center of every Buddha, every Pacceka Buddha, and every arahant. Stop within stopping, still within stillness, staying aware without lapsing, knowing we abide within the clear, radiant, clean, pure center of nibbana.

Dedicating Merit to Ancestors and Karmic Counterparties

The stream of merit pours continuously into the center of the brightness of our sphere of knowing, mindfulness. This pure dhamma-substance purifies the defiling stains that create problems and obstacles in the many forms of hindrance — the source of suffering and harm to our life and our practice. As this stream of merit pours continuously through the center of our body and heart, we dedicate this merit to our relatives and ancestors — recalling our parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, 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

Once merit is dedicated, we make the aspiration for goodness to arise for the world and all beings. The Great Teacher advised that every time we cultivate and radiate loving-kindness, we draw on a mother's heart of love and goodwill toward her beloved child, establishing it in our own heart, then aspire: 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 to cover 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, beings, and belongings, illuminating every leaf and blade of grass with its radiant, clean, pure light, along with the hearts of our loved ones: children, spouse, parents, and siblings.

We then aspire to expand loving-kindness wider still, benefiting our neighbors, covering the whole village, spreading to the subdistrict, district, covering the whole province, then 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.

Once this aspiration is complete, we expand our heart across the cosmos, covering the countless stars and galaxies of the boundless universe, letting our loving-kindness shine without limit, benefiting all beings and every element, bringing happiness and prosperity, freedom from suffering and harm.

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

Our great teachers guide our merit and dhamma at all times; in every fraction of a second where our refinement falls short, they overlay and correct it, through nibbana and the Triple Gem, correcting things from within, 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 cultivated loving-kindness, spreading love and goodwill to benefit all people and beings without limit, which let him easily attain jhanic absorption. When his human life ended, he was born into the Brahma realm, enjoying bliss for an immensely long time.

When his life there 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, keeping the world established in fine moral conduct. People and beings did not harm one another at all — no war, no violence — everyone dwelling in virtue and dhamma, without hardship in daily life, because he had the treasures to benefit the whole world. So let us diligently cultivate loving-kindness continuously.

Closing Aspiration

We gather, stop, and still the mind within loving-kindness, radiant and shining boundlessly in every direction around us. We become the center of the cosmos through the light of loving-kindness shining from the center of our heart. The stream of merit pours continuously into the center of the brightness of loving-kindness. We gather, stop, and still within the radiance of this stream of merit, stop within stopping, still within stillness, into the center of the Triple Gem — the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha jewels — stopping and stilling within the most refined Dhamma body of our great teachers, of the Great Master Grandfather, stopping and stilling within the most refined Dhamma body of the Great Master Father, stopping and stilling within the most refined Dhamma body of Khun Yai Acharn. The heart is an element that accomplishes whatever is determined.

We gather, stop, and still within nibbana throughout all elements and dhamma, within the countless knowers of boundless power. As we abide within nibbana, we use this auspicious moment to pay respect and make an aspiration for success to be set within the radiant sphere of merit, throughout our path of building perfections, 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.