Humanity Lives Under the Control of the Three Natures

Phra Ajarn Suraphong opened the sitting with homage to the Triple Gem, then taught that Dhamma practice is essential for every life, because human beings live under the control of three natures. We need to practice in order to learn and understand the inner voice that feels as though it were our own thinking. We are already aware of this inner voice in daily life, but we tend to lapse because we're used to simply following it. When we practice, however, we want calm, not turmoil. So whenever a voice or a feeling arises to direct us, making us waver and lose our footing, following whatever feeling or voice has slipped in, we simply become aware -- aware of whatever appears before us, exactly as it is.

Simply Be Aware of What Is True, Even When Misleading Voices Intrude

He pointed out that voices we never intended arise anyway, directing us this way and that, even though we want to stop all thought, stop every unwholesome feeling. Yet these misleading voices and unwanted feelings keep trying to disturb the heart all the time. We simply become aware -- staying aware continuously, without lapsing, knowing things as they truly are, on and on. As we know, the sphere of knowing -- sati -- establishes itself, aware of these uninvited guests. Sati then draws in the pure energy called merit to flow into the brightness at the center of the sphere of mindfulness, driving the wholesome system to refine the elements of Dhamma, clearing the defilements that intrude in the many forms of the hindrances. These gradually fade and dissolve -- not instantly, but gradually -- and because it happens gradually, we need patience and perseverance, working at it little by little.

Body-Based Meditation Objects: Mindfulness of Breathing and the Seventh Base

He taught us to determine to know, staying with our meditation object -- some tied to the body, some to the mind. Body-based objects include determining on the nostrils to be aware of the in-breath and out-breath, called mindfulness of breathing; determining on the body itself, called bodily mindfulness; or determining on the seventh base at the center of the body, which is an extraordinarily important point in life.

The Seventh Base Is the Emperor's Center

He explained that this seventh base at the center of the body is the emperor's center, or the center of the wholesome elements of Dhamma -- the very same center shared by every dimension all the way up to Nibbana. This is precisely why this position is so critically important to every life. To enter the pure planes of existence, we must travel by this route; and to come to clearly know the plan of our life, we must rely on this very location. That said, in truth, other locations can also settle the mind and lead to brightness, radiant spheres, and various kinds of happiness. So whatever is easy, wherever is easy -- start there first. When we determine to know at that easy point, the sphere of knowing, sati, will draw the pure energy called merit into the brightness at its center, going to work refining and removing the veiling defilement that ignorance has used to conceal the subtle dimension we are entering.

From Ordinary Brightness to a Clear Radiant Sphere -- Then Shifting to the Seventh Base

As we determine to know continuously without lapsing at that point, without switching locations, simply knowing, stopping, knowing on and on, merit flows into that very location, refining it to clarity and purity, clearing away the veiling defilement until it is gone. We can then enter the inner dimension, which will draw us in automatically. Sati transforms into sampajanna, becoming aware of the inner states of Dhamma. Even while things remain dim and shadowy, we know that we have entered the inner dimension -- like a new room that is still dark; we need to bring about purity, and the brightness will come on its own. Brightness must arise by itself; we cannot force it to happen. As merit flows in and cleanses the defilement causing that darkness, it dissolves, and brightness naturally appears. Once it is bright, we want it brighter still -- whatever method works, we continue with that method. From ordinary brightness, it becomes a radiant sphere; from a radiant sphere, it develops into a clear, radiant sphere. What was once an uncontrollable brightness becomes something we can control, and we gradually shift it into position at the seventh base, staying still there, until it settles into its natural center on its own, entering the inner sphere of Dhamma, then resting continuously through the spheres of morality, concentration, wisdom, knowledge and vision of liberation, and liberation itself, reaching ever deeper into the bodies within the body -- simply by stopping and being still.

From Difficult to Easy, From Suffering to Happiness

As we determine to know, the sphere of knowing draws the pure energy called merit to flow in continuously. Within this sphere of merit lies sacred, pure dhamma-elements, possessing power and the capacity to dispel the defilements that give rise to the hindrances. This gradually eases the difficulty and hardship we experience, thinning it out until it disappears -- what was difficult becomes easy, what was hard becomes comfortable, what was suffering becomes happiness, developing gradually on its own.

Knowing in Each Present Moment: The Most Important Point of All

He taught: stay aware continuously without lapsing, knowing what you are aware of at each moment -- this matters greatly. Knowing in each present moment, in every present moment, is of the utmost importance. Learning to be aware in each present moment means our life is filled only with happiness and constant freshness. If we train ourselves to be aware moment by moment, each moment always fresh and new, merit flows in with every single present moment. This is why each present moment matters so much. When the wholesome nature and its wholesome consciousness arise, sati arises with it; the wholesome directs us to dwell with sati in every present moment, staying aware continuously without lapsing, moment by moment. Right now, what are we aware of? Aware of the center of the body, aware of the recitation and its mental image, moment by moment. We recite "Samma Arahang" continuously, without dwelling on what has passed or worrying about what is yet to come -- simply aware, moment by moment.

The Coffee-Straw Bubble Analogy: The Stream of Merit

Simply by dwelling within the wholesome system, performing good deeds continuously, merit rises up through the brightness at the center of the heart. The sphere of merit rising at the center of our being takes the form of a clear, round, radiant orb, brimming with happiness and purity within. He compared it to dipping a coffee straw into water and blowing through it -- bubbles rise continuously, one after another. Within this pure sphere of merit also lie treasures of form, wealth, virtue, retinue, gain, honor, praise, happiness, and the paths and fruits of liberation, all complete within the sphere of merit. These subtle treasures automatically draw the coarser treasures of the world toward us. As merit flows through, sphere after sphere in continuous succession, it forms a stream of merit; at the center of this stream flows a stream of treasure. We simply determine to know, receiving this stream of merit and treasure, pleasantly, at ease.

Like a Child Growing Day by Day, Even Without Realizing It

He compared this to a child growing a millimeter at a time, their awareness and understanding developing from infancy into early childhood, gradually gaining strength of body and mind, vigor and vitality -- our spirit develops the same way. Simply by dwelling within the wholesome system, performing good deeds continuously, even if we're not aware of it at all, a life of liberation is arising continuously as we dwell within the wholesome system. As the wholesome system takes the merit we determine to know, moment by moment, and uses it to refine and correct the elements of Dhamma, clearing away the defilements until they thin out and disappear, we become liberated into a subtler dimension, where good things await us -- merit that is purer, more sacred, more powerful in cleansing defilement, and happiness within that sphere of merit that is even greater.

Choosing a Meditation Object With a Clear Signal, Relying on Investigation of Dhamma

He continued teaching: stay aware continuously without lapsing, remaining with a familiar meditation object that gives a clear, continuous signal, so the sphere of knowing, sati, can anchor and rest upon it. If the signal isn't clear, sati has a hard time anchoring, and we need to rely on investigation of Dhamma (dhammavicaya) -- trying different approaches, examining what works, and choosing the best one. Once the signal is clear and continuous, without gaps, sati can anchor there. Samma Arahang, one; Samma Arahang, two -- a second Buddha image appears; Samma Arahang, three -- a third Buddha image appears at the center of the body. Repeating it again and again, the more we repeat, the clearer it naturally becomes; the more we recite, the firmer it becomes. The merit that flows in cleanses the defilements, thinning them out.

Radiating Loving-Kindness to Ourselves and Those We Love

After we have performed good deeds and refined our own aggregates, the next task is to benefit the world of sentient beings and the physical world, using the tool of loving-kindness (metta), the tool of the wholesome system for benefiting people and beings. We simply determine our love and goodwill toward ourselves, toward our parents and siblings, toward those we love, toward all who have shown us kindness, toward the devas who help and support us, and toward all beings who have ever been our karmic counterparts, wishing mutual forgiveness for past wrongs, so that our heart brims with love and goodwill. If we still cannot fully taste the flavor of loving-kindness, Luang Pu advised us to draw on the heart of a mother, brimming with love and goodwill toward her own small child, and let that quality of mind arise within us.

Radiating Loving-Kindness Across the World and the Universe

We set the wish: may all beings be free from suffering and share happiness everywhere. For those who suffer much, may their suffering lessen; for those who suffer little, may it end and happiness arise; for those with little happiness, may it grow; and for those already abundant in happiness, may it grow still further. Having set this wish, we extend our heart, brimming with loving-kindness, to cover our home and dwelling, bright throughout every corner of the surrounding air, encompassing all people, beings, and things. We continue extending it across the whole village, sub-district, district, and province, and onward to many provinces, covering the entire country, extending continuously to neighboring countries and all nations until it covers the whole world, making this world a crystal world, bright, cool, clean, and pure. May the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and share happiness everywhere -- earthbound devas, sky-dwelling devas, celestial beings of every heavenly realm, the Brahma gods, as well as beings in hell, hungry ghosts, and animals -- may all beings be free from suffering and share happiness everywhere. We then extend it further, out to the atmosphere of the cosmos, encompassing countless stars, all the way to the ten thousand world-systems and the boundless universe, without limit.

Resting in the Refined Body of Our Teachers and Setting Our Aspiration

Once loving-kindness has been extended this widely, the stream of merit continues pouring into the brightness of that loving-kindness without interruption. We dedicate this merit to arise for the benefit of all people and beings, gathering our hearts to stillness, resting within the Triple Gem, within our great teachers, within the utterly refined Dhamma body of our late revered teachers, Luang Pu, Luang Phor, and Khun Yai. As we bring them to mind, we appear bright and clear within them, and they appear bright and clear within us; both we and they appear luminous within Nibbana. Taking this auspicious occasion, we set our aspiration and life-plan, so that both now and in the time ahead, our entire path of accumulating perfections may be filled with wisdom, happiness, and purity, and every rightful, wholesome wish may come true.

Asking for Blessings and Setting the Life-Plan in Detail

We pay respect and ask for the blessing, merit, radiance, power, and unequivocal authority of Nibbana throughout all elements and all Dhamma, together with the blessing of our revered teachers, Luang Pu, Luang Phor, and Khun Yai. May all this merit and these perfections combine with the merit and perfections we ourselves have sincerely accumulated since our very first existence, through countless lifetimes, up to this present moment. May all this merit combine into sacred merit, possessing power, might, and boundless force, refining our body, speech, and mind, our elements of Dhamma, our seeing, remembering, thinking, and knowing, the elements of earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness, making them bright, cool, clean, and pure. May we be freed from sacred misfortune, from the results of past karma, from obstruction by Mara, and from every manner of obstacle in life; may greed, hatred, delusion, lust, ignorance, wrong view, craving, and clinging all dissolve entirely, leaving no trace.

May we gain the eye that sees the Dhamma, reaching and penetrating the knowledge of the Dhammakaya, achieving the three knowledges, the eight knowledges, the six higher powers, the four kinds of analytical insight, the eight liberations, and the fifteen conducts, complete in every respect. May we also enjoy strong and complete health, a long lifespan, and the ability to accumulate merit and perfections throughout our entire life, safely to the very end, with an unceasing, elevated spirit in building perfections, heading straight along the path to Nibbana, to the very end of Dhamma. Wherever we travel, may we meet only good fortune and safety, may we be loved by both humans and devas, may we possess a bright wisdom that clearly penetrates the Dhamma of the Fully Enlightened Buddha, and whatever business or work we undertake, may it flourish and progress, yielding results beyond what we could imagine or expect.

When the time comes to close our eyes and leave this world, may we be reborn in the Tusita heaven, in the special sphere of merit reserved for future Buddhas and great Bodhisattvas, and when we return to build perfections in the human world, may we be born into a family of right view, a crystal family, a Dhammakaya family, a model family for the world, a warm and loving family, complete and abundant with the utmost treasures of form, wealth, virtue, retinue, gain, honor, praise and happiness, the paths and fruits of liberation, and the knowledge of the Dhammakaya. Whatever unwholesome deed we may have committed by mistake or through carelessness in the past, throughout countless lifetimes, may that unwholesome karma be unable to catch up with us or bear its result, and may it become forgiven karma forever; may we commit no new unwholesome deed through body, speech, or mind. May all the merit we have sincerely accumulated combine together and yield its sacred result, powerful and wondrous, continuously from this moment onward, until the very end of Dhamma.

Closing Chant

Phra Ajarn Suraphong closed the sitting by leading the chant of homage to the Triple Gem: Sabbe Buddha balappatta, paccekana nca yam balam, arahantananca tejena, rakkham bandhami sabbaso. Sabba-Buddhanubhavena, sabba-Dhammanubhavena, sabba-Sanghanubhavena, sadda-sotthi bhavantu te.