The Three Natures and the Energy Flowing Through Our Lives at Every Moment

Meditation practice is essential and vital for every life, because when we practice, the pure energy called merit flows through the center of our mind, through the center of the bright sphere of mindfulness. Every life has energy flowing through it constantly, day and night. Sometimes it is unwholesome energy, sometimes it is the energy of the undetermined, neutral nature (abyakata), and sometimes it is wholesome energy -- merit flows at times, unwholesome force flows at other times. Our life is never free from this flow of energy even for a moment. Whenever a wholesome state takes hold of the mind, it draws in the energy of merit; whenever an unwholesome state manages to seize control, it draws in the energy of unwholesome force; and sometimes the neutral, undetermined nature takes hold and draws in its own kind of energy. These three are constantly competing to take control.

Even at night, before we fall asleep, whichever state of mind we fall asleep with is the one that draws in that type of energy. This is why our revered Luang Phor taught us to "sleep in the harbor of the sea of merit" -- whatever state of mind we fall asleep with, we will wake with that same state of mind. Our life is under the control of three natures, constantly competing to become the "resident" of our mind. Whichever one succeeds draws in its own energy to drive its own system, directing us to think, speak, and act according to its own nature. Only the wholesome nature can benefit us -- giving us what is right and good, happiness, and the fulfillment of our wishes. The other natures give no benefit at all, and worse, cause suffering and harm.

Determined Awareness of Body, Feeling, Mind, and Dhamma to Clear Away Delight and Displeasure

The Buddha taught: "Monks, you should clearly determine and know the body, feelings, mind, and dhamma-objects, in order to clear away abhijjha [delight] and domanassa [displeasure] regarding the world." To determine (kamnod) means to mark and specify precisely, so as to come to know -- this is mindfulness, the act of recollecting and being aware. When mindfulness arises, the drawing-in of pure energy, merit, occurs, driving the wholesome system, refining and purifying the elements of our being. We move continuously from one dimension to a subtler one, even while things still feel dim and unclear.

In this determined awareness, the Buddha's purpose was for us to clear away abhijjha and domanassa. **Abhijjha is delight; domanassa is displeasure. Abhijjha is not the same as avijja [ignorance].** We clear away delight and displeasure, because delight gives the unwholesome an opening to lead us into greed and craving for pleasant things, while displeasure -- disappointment and sorrow -- gives the unwholesome an opening to produce anger and irritation in us. This is why we are taught to let go of worldly gladness and sorrow. We look out at the world through eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, toward forms, tastes, smells, sounds, and touch -- together, these outer objects are called "kama," sensuality. The inner world is the delight and displeasure that affects the mind. We cannot escape from forms, tastes, smells, sounds, and touch themselves -- their beauty or ugliness is simply their own nature. What matters is not letting them affect the mind, which is our inner world. Whether something is beautiful or ugly, let the mind remain neutral, in equanimity -- neither delighted nor displeased -- and greed and anger will not arise.

Resting the Mind in Neutrality Through the Tatramajjhattata Mental Factor

In meditation practice, we are working within the inner world. Controlling delight and displeasure is therefore something we must train during practice -- training to abide in equanimity, relying on the tatramajjhattata cetasika, the mental factor that keeps delight and displeasure in check, letting the mind rest in balanced neutrality. As we practice, entering the inner world with determined awareness, staying alert without lapsing, even when something unpleasant, some tightness or frustration, appears, we rest the mind in neutrality. When confusion or turmoil appears, we rest the mind in neutrality. Even when suffering -- the state that must be endured and is hard to endure -- appears, we rest the mind in neutrality, neither delighting in it nor being displeased by it. In this very act of resting the mind in neutrality, the sphere of mindfulness we are cultivating arises, continuously drawing the pure energy called merit into the brightness of that sphere, driving the wholesome system to clear away the defilement that causes confusion and turmoil. All that is needed is determined, unwavering awareness.

Settling Into the Recitation and the Mental Image

Our teachers advise us to determine our awareness at the center of the body, relying on the recitation (barikam-phawana) and the mental image (barikam-nimit), which go together as a pair. The mental image is the form; the recitation is the name. When we utter the name "Sammā Arahaṃ," the form appears, because Sammā Arahaṃ is the descriptive name of the Arahant Dhamma body -- the one who practices well, practices rightly, practices in a way that leads far from the defilements. When we utter this name, the form appears as a crystal-clear, pure Buddha-image, seated within a sphere of Dhamma that fills its lap, appearing at the center of our mind. Wherever we direct the mind, the mind appears there. We are advised to recite with a refined mind, with deep, subtle awareness, because the mind is a substance of accomplishment: whatever we determine, that is what it becomes.

Seeing the Crystal Dhamma Body at the Center of the Body

When the Buddha-image appears at the center of our body and mind, it does not appear empty-handed -- it appears together with drawing the elements of our being -- seeing, remembering, thinking, knowing, earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness -- to refine them, clean and pure, clearing away all defilement completely. When the image appears at our center, it expands to fill our entire body, overlapping as one with our human body. Our head becomes the crown of the crystal Dhamma body, with a lotus-bud crest, clear, glittering, and radiant. Our face becomes its face, eyes gently closed, lips curved in a soft smile. Forehead, nose, cheeks, mouth, chin, and neck all become the crystal Dhamma body -- radiant, cool, clean, pure, delicate, soft, and gentle. Both shoulders and arms down to the fingertips, chest, belly, back, hips, thighs, knees, shins, and soles of the feet all likewise become the crystal Dhamma body, clear, glittering, and radiant. The Buddha-image rises from a small clear point at the center of the body, expanding to fill it entirely, one image after another, continuously. Whether we see it clearly or not doesn't matter -- all we need is for the sphere of mindfulness to stay attached to the Buddha-image.

Wearing the Feeling of Being the Buddha-Image

The Dhamma body is our true self. It is with us at all times, day and night, whether we are asleep, awake, standing, walking, sitting, or lying down. It is the guardian of the wholesome system, constantly refining and purifying the elements of our being. Its wish is for us to become one with it, because when we are united as one, it can help refine our being with far greater ease and effectiveness. All we need to do is wear the feeling that we are the Buddha-image, and the Buddha-image is us -- like an actor who, when playing a role, takes on the feeling of that character, and the mental qualities of that kind of person then arise. Simply by wearing the feeling that we are one who practices well, practices rightly, practicing in a way that leads far from all defilements, the wholesome qualities of the Buddha-image flow into our mind. We come to perceive its presence more and more clearly, little by little. Once we have merged our body with the body of the Buddha-image into one unity, we then merge our mind with its mind into one unity as well.

Stopping in Stillness, Resting in Rest, Aiming Toward Nibbana

At every moment that the Buddha-image abides with us, it is cultivating the attainment of cessation, stopping the mind, stilling the mind. Whatever it does, we do the same -- it gathers the mind, stops, stills; we gather our minds, stop, and still, into the center of the Buddha-image, the center of our body, the center of our mind. Stopping within stopping, stillness within stillness, soft and light and at ease. All we need is to determine, know, stop, and rest, soft and light and at ease, at the center of the Buddha-image, the center of our body. It doesn't matter whether we see it clearly or not. As we appear at the center of our body, we appear at the center of the Buddha-image, and both we and the image appear at the center of nibbana -- the center of the knower, of boundless power, uncountable across incalculable aeons.

Radiating Loving-Kindness to All Beings

Once we have done good for ourselves, we go on to do good for the people of the world and all beings, by cultivating loving-kindness. We simply set the sincere wish that the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and find happiness everywhere, free of enmity toward one another. May those with much suffering have little; may those with little suffering be free of it; may those with little happiness have more; may those with much happiness have ever more. We then expand this heart filled with loving-kindness to cover our home, our village, sub-district, district, province, the whole country, neighboring countries, until it covers the entire world, turning it into a crystal world, bright, cool, clean, and pure -- extending to earth-dwelling devas, tree-dwelling devas, sky devas, the heavenly beings of every realm, brahmas and formless brahmas, and beings in hell, hungry ghosts, and animals. We extend it further still, out into the atmosphere of the cosmos, covering countless stars, extending to ten thousand world-systems and countless universes, without limit. Loving-kindness has the special quality of being able to clear away patigha -- irritation and resentment -- completely. Not only that, it shines and refines every particle of earth, water, air, sky, mountains, forests, rivers, and oceans, and every home and belonging, making the environment fit for all people and beings to dwell in.

Dedicating Merit to Relatives and All Beings

Once we have rested our minds in this boundless, radiant loving-kindness, the pure stream of merit continues pouring forth into its brightness. We then dedicate this merit to all beings, to our ancestors waiting in the other realm, and to our relatives, friends, and retinue. May the people of the world and all beings share in this merit we have sincerely accumulated -- our ancestors, parents, siblings, grandparents, teachers, relatives, friends, and all who have shown us kindness, as well as the devas who help and protect us, and all beings we may have wronged as karmic counterparts (khu-kam khu-wen). May we forgive one another and all share equally in this merit.

Merging with the Triple Gem and the Great Teachers

We gather our minds, stopping and stilling, into the center of the Triple Gem -- the center of the Buddha jewel, the Dhamma jewel, the Sangha jewel, and the center of our great teachers. We still ourselves into the refined Dhamma body of our revered Luang Pu, then of Luang Phor, and then of Khun Yai Achan. We remain resting at the center of nibbana -- the center of the knower, of boundless power, uncountable across incalculable aeons -- every Buddha, every Paccekabuddha, and every Arahant. They hold all beings at their center already. Any being who abides in universal goodness -- whether they follow Buddhism or not, whether they have any religion at all -- has the pure stream of merit from nibbana continuously pouring into the brightness of their mind.

Closing Aspiration and Setting the Blueprint of Success

We use this most auspicious moment to make our aspiration, setting the blueprint of success to remain fixed within this radiant sphere of merit, and return to pay homage and ask for the blessing of nibbana, that from this moment forward, throughout our entire path of building perfections, our lives may change, carrying knowledge together with happiness and purity, and success in everything right and good. We ask for the blessing, the merit, the radiance, the power, and the absolute authority of nibbana throughout all elements and all dhamma, together with the blessing of Luang Pu, Luang Phor, and Khun Yai Achan -- may all this merit combine with what we have sincerely accumulated since our very first life, becoming sacred merit of boundless power, purifying our body, speech, mind, and the elements of our being -- seeing, remembering, thinking, knowing, earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness -- making them bright, cool, clean, and pure. May we be freed from calamity, misfortune, karmic obstacles of every kind, and may greed, hatred, delusion, lust, ignorance, wrong view, craving, and clinging be extinguished without remainder. May we gain the Dhamma-eye and penetrate the Dhammakaya knowledge fully -- the threefold and eightfold knowledge, the six higher powers, the four analytic insights, the eight liberations, and the fifteen conducts, in full. May we have strong health and long life to build merit throughout our lives, with unfailing resolve toward nibbana, the end of Dhamma. Wherever we travel, may we meet only good fortune and safety, loved by humans and devas, with bright wisdom penetrating the Dhamma and the Dhammakaya knowledge. In whatever work we undertake, may we prosper beyond expectation, gaining the wealth of a universal monarch to build great generosity and perfections without end. When the time comes to leave this world, may we be born in Tusita heaven, in the realm of the great bodhisattvas of the special merit lineage, and when we return to build perfections on earth, may we be born into a family of right view -- a crystal family, a Dhammakaya family -- complete with the finest form, wealth, virtue, honor, and the path and fruit of nibbana and the Dhammakaya knowledge. May whatever unwholesome deeds we have committed in the past be forgiven and never bear fruit again; may we commit no new unwholesome deed; and may all the merit we have sincerely accumulated combine into sacred, powerful, wondrous results, continuing without end until the very end of Dhamma, by the boundless power of the Lord Buddha, every Buddha. May all these good wishes come true.

*By the power attained by all Buddhas, by the power of the Paccekabuddhas,* *and by the power of the Arahants, I bind this protection entirely.* *By the power of all the Buddhas, by the power of all the Dhamma, by the power of all the Sangha,* *may you always be well and at peace.*