พระอาจารย์สุรพงค์เปรียบการหลอมรวมใจกับองค์พระธรรมกายว่าเหมือนนักแสดงที่สวมความรู้สึกเป็นตัวละคร ท่านยังอธิบายมลทินประจำมิติและวิธีขจัดด้วยการกำหนดรู้กาย เวทนา จิต ธรรม ก่อนนำเข้าสู่การวางใจที่ศูนย์กลางกายฐานที่ 7 เห็นองค์พระธรรมกายแก้ว เจริญเมตตา และอุทิศส่วนบุญPra Ajarn Suraphong compares merging the mind with the Crystal Dhamma Body to an actor who fully takes on the feeling of a character. He also explains the defilement bound to each dimension and its three functions, and how to clear it by discerning body, feeling, mind, and dhamma — before leading into settling the mind at the seventh base, seeing the Crystal Dhamma Body, radiating loving-kindness, and dedicating merit.
This practice is necessary and vitally important for every life, because every life needs pure energy to drive it toward , success, and fulfillment. In every moment, our life is never free from the flow of energy — sometimes the energy of merit flows through us, sometimes the energy of demerit, sometimes the energy of the neutral nature (). Each of these natures takes turns seizing control of the mind, drawing in its own energy to drive its own system for governing all beings. Only nature ever brings genuine benefit — able to draw in the energy of merit to drive our life toward happiness, success, fulfillment, growth, and goodness. Every other nature brings no benefit whatsoever; it only causes suffering and harm, bringing in demerit that damages and destroys our life.
Why We Discern Body, Feeling, Mind, and Dhamma
We therefore need to learn, understand, and train ourselves to abide with the wholesome nature through the practice of the . The Buddha taught: "Monks, you should clearly discern the body, feelings, mind, and , in order to eliminate craving and aversion toward the world." To establish ourselves firmly with the wholesome, the first requirement is to fix attention. He taught monks to fix attention in order to know — fixing attention means to mark, to specify, to point to a position in the body, feelings, mind, and dhamma. He taught us these four grounds, because only through these four can we come to understand how the three natures operate when they seize the mind.
Each nature's behavior manifests in the body — polite and composed behavior, or aggressive, coarse, stubborn, defiant behavior, or neither. The unwholesome nature takes many forms: when greed seizes control, behavior changes one way; when anger seizes control, it changes another way. If we discern the body, we come to know how each nature operates when it takes hold. Beyond this , discernment also helps calm the mind. When we fix attention, the sphere of knowing — — arises, drawing in the pure energy of merit to cleanse the defilements. As defilement lightens, turmoil lightens too, and we can manage situations more easily.
Fixing attention means marking or specifying — wherever we mark, wherever we specify, the mind settles there; this is called "paying attention." Once we pay attention, we go in to know. As the sphere of knowing, mindfulness, arises — mindfulness is a , a dhamma that can only arise in one place, the mind, nowhere else — it draws in pure energy to flow within the brightness of that sphere of knowing. Wholesome dhamma always takes the form of a clear, bright sphere; all 84,000 sections of wholesome Dhamma appear as clear, bright spheres, while unwholesome dhammas appear as dark spheres. When arises, it draws in the energy of demerit to drive the unwholesome system, pressing the elements downward. When the wholesome arises, merit flowing in drives the wholesome system, refining the elements to be clean and pure, and the defilements that cause trouble and hardship lighten. When the defilement bound to a dimension is exhausted, we are freed from that dimension into a subtler one.
The Defilement Bound to Each Dimension and Its Three Functions
Every dimension we abide in carries some defilement, as long as we have not attained arahantship — but that defilement lightens progressively; the subtler the dimension, the less defilement it holds, while the coarser the dimension, the more defilement, and the more it presses down on and burdens our life with troubles. This dimension-bound defilement performs three functions. First, when the unwholesome seizes control, it brings in unwholesome mental factors — greed, hatred, delusion, and — to shape and direct us toward wrong, unwholesome thought, speech, and action, drawing in demerit to drive the unwholesome system and press the elements downward. Second, while we remain within that dimension, defilement stirs up the hindrances to create confusion, agitation, and restlessness, so that we cannot find peace. Third, if we wish to be liberated, defilement holds us back, binding us to that coarser dimension — this is the very function of the energy of demerit.
We therefore need to see the suffering and danger of the unwholesome with wisdom. If we see this suffering and danger with wisdom and, with a sense of weariness, wish to be free, liberation (vimutti) will do the work of freeing us — within us are the spheres of Dhamma: morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and knowledge-and-vision of liberation. Liberation will free us, but first we must see the suffering and danger, through discerning body, feeling, mind, and dhamma. Discerning the body reveals behavior: when the unwholesome takes hold, stubborn, defiant, inappropriate behavior arising from greed, hatred, and delusion manifests in bodily conduct. As for feeling, whichever nature takes hold manifests its quality: the wholesome as happiness and ease, the unwholesome as suffering, and the neutral nature as neither suffering nor happiness. As for discerning the mind — our thoughts and reflections — whichever nature takes hold brings its own mental factors to overlay the mind, and its thoughts and feelings appear within us. The mind is simply the instrument of knowing; whatever thoughts and feelings of whichever nature appear there, that is what we come to know.
Finding the Seventh Base
For this discernment, our teachers advise us to fix attention at , , because this is a critically important position. If we fix attention here, the mind returns to its original, true seat. As we discern it, the sphere of knowing arises and draws in the energy of merit. This position is where the mind must reside, because whether arising, ceasing, sleeping, or waking, the mind must come to rest here. It is enough simply to fix attention at the center of the stomach — but if we have practiced with the two threads forming a cross, those two threads will appear clear and bright at the center of the body. Placing the index and middle fingers at the cross-point and moving up two finger-widths marks the seat of the heart.
Our great teacher taught us to keep the eyes slightly open — just barely — which places us in the space between the inner and outer worlds. Outer light entering helps the inner vision become clearer; otherwise everything stays dim and unclear. But with the eyes slightly open, outer light helps brightness appear. Once a small brightness appears, recalling the Buddha-image becomes easier, because seeing an image — even in the mind's eye — requires light. Since inner light is not yet present, outer light can serve as an aid. And resting between the inner and outer worlds helps our mindfulness and become more complete.
The Recitation "Sammā Arahaṃ"
Our teacher taught that once we have settled the eyes, we then recite, from a deep and subtle level of consciousness, "Sammā Arahaṃ, Sammā Arahaṃ." This is an epithet of the subtlest arahant Dhamma body, meaning the One who has practiced well, practiced rightly, practiced in a way that leads far from all defilement. When we utter his name — his epithet, a name given according to quality — he appears, because form and name are always paired: form is the vessel, name is the quality contained within the vessel. When we utter his name, the One who has practiced well and rightly truly appears at the center of our mind. He appears together with the elements of seeing, memory, thought, and knowing, along with the earth, water, wind, fire, and space elements, and the consciousness element, refining them to be clear and pure. Beyond that, he expands and merges as one with our human body, to protect, watch over, and help us, because he is our true self. His wish is for us to merge fully with him into a single unity, so that he can help us with full effectiveness and the greatest possible result.
Wearing the Feeling of the Buddha-Image, Like an Actor Taking on a Role
We can merge ourselves with him into one unity by wearing the feeling — just as an actor, whatever role he plays, fully takes on the feeling of that character, becoming that person completely. In the same way, we take on the feeling of being the Buddha-image — the One who has practiced well, practiced rightly, practiced in a way that leads far from all defilement. We then merge ourselves with him into one unity: from the head, face, cheeks, shoulders, arms, and torso, everything becomes the radiant Crystal Dhamma Body, brilliant, clear, cool, clean, pure. Our head becomes the clear crystal of the Crystal Dhamma Body, crowned with a sparkling lotus-bud finial; our face becomes his radiant countenance, eyes gently closed, lips softly smiling; our forehead becomes sparkling, radiant crystal; our cheeks, nose, mouth, chin, and neck all become the radiant, clear, cool, clean, pure Crystal Dhamma Body. Our shoulders and arms down to the fingertips become the Crystal Dhamma Body; our chest, stomach, and back become the sparkling, radiant Crystal Dhamma Body; our hips, thighs, knees, shins, calves, and feet all become the Crystal Dhamma Body, exquisitely soft and gentle, clear, cool, clean, and pure.
Stopping Within Stopping, Stillness Within Stillness, Toward Nibbana
Once we have merged ourselves with him into one unity, let us merge our mind with his mind into one unity too. We need to know that he dwells with us, and what he is doing: he abides in the attainment of ceson, gathering the mind to stop, gathering it to stillness. Whatever he does, we do the same — gathering our mind, stopping, resting still, soft and at ease, at the center of the Buddha-image, the center of our mind. "Stopping within stopping, stillness within stillness" — soft, at ease, clear, cool, clean, pure, radiant. We settle, stopped and still, into the center of the Buddha-image, the center of our mind, resting soft and relaxed, into the center of the center, the center of knowing, the center of stopping, the center of stillness, continuously, within the Buddha-image. Then we send the mind directly toward the path to nibbana, stopping and stilling within the Buddha-image, within the center of the knowers of boundless power, incalculable in number, settling into the center of nibbana — every Buddha, every Silent Buddha, and every Arahant. The mind is a completing element — whatever we determine, so it becomes. Stay always aware, never lapsing; whatever we fix attention on, that is what we know. We fix attention on nibbana, and rest, stopped and still, in its center, with a mind that is relaxed, open, light, clear, cool, clean, pure.
When we abide within his center, he refines and helps us, clearing away all defilement completely. It is not only one who helps us — it is countless, incalculable Buddhas who descend to refine and help. Our mind holds him; his mind holds us. Simply by fixing attention on him, we appear bright within his center, and he appears bright within ours. As we discern this, the sphere of knowing, mindfulness, arises, continuously drawing in the pure energy of merit into its brightness.
We have done good throughout the day; once evening comes and we have bathed and cleansed the body, we come to practice meditation, fixing attention so that the sphere of knowing, mindfulness, arises, drawing in pure energy together with refined treasures and completed blueprints. This pure energy refines the elements within us to be clean and pure, clearing away defilement completely, and we are freed from one dimension into the next, continuously. In each dimension we reach, valuable resources await us — purer merit-elements, more valuable refined treasures, and more exquisite completed blueprints. The subtler the dimension we reach, the more valuable these resources become, and the proportion of wholesome within us increases as well. Our inner state is the cause; our outer circumstances are the result.
Radiating Loving-Kindness to All Beings
Once we have done good for ourselves, we turn to benefit the people and beings of the world through () — the dhamma the wholesome uses to benefit people, beings, and all things. Loving-kindness takes the form of a clear, bright sphere, arising when we set a sincere good wish. We simply set the wish: may the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and find happiness everywhere. May those with much suffering have less; may those with little suffering be freed from it and find happiness; may those with little happiness find more; and may those who already have much happiness find even more.
Loving-kindness has the special quality of being able to dissolve ill-will and resentment completely, but we must set this wish with genuine sincerity. Our great teacher advised us to draw on the mind of a mother filled with love and genuine goodwill toward her small child, and let that quality of mind arise within us, because a mother's loving-kindness toward her child is a mind of the highest quality. Once we have set this wish, we expand the mind filled with love and goodwill toward our home and dwelling; loving-kindness shines through every corner of the atmosphere, making people, beings, and all things radiant, clear, cool, clean, and pure. We then expand it further, to the village, district, province, and many provinces, covering the entire country, extending to neighboring countries, until it covers the whole world, making this world a radiant crystal sphere, clear, cool, clean, and pure. May the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and find happiness everywhere. We expand this loving-kindness further still, to the whole universe, embracing countless stars, extending to ten thousand world-systems and infinite universes.
Loving-kindness shines into the center of the minds of people and all beings, dissolving the ill-will and resentment lodged there as defilement completely. The wholesome nature takes this opportunity to reside within their minds, drawing in the pure energy of merit to drive the wholesome system, refining their elements to be radiant, clear, cool, clean, and pure, bringing and liberation to people and beings. Beyond that, loving-kindness also shines to refine the environment — earth, water, air, sky, mountains, oceans, forests, and crops — making them clear, clean, and pure, fit for the dwelling of people and all beings.
Dedicating Merit to Family and All Beings
We gather the mind to stop, gather it to stillness, within loving-kindness. The river of merit continues to pour into the brightness of that loving-kindness without interruption, and we dedicate this merit to the people and beings of the world, as well as our ancestors and relatives. May all beings share in the merit we have sincerely accumulated, and be free from suffering and find happiness everywhere. May our ancestors — parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, companions, and relatives — as well as our teachers and all who have shown us kindness, and the devas who protect and help us, and all those who have cared for beings, and all those we may have wronged as karmic counterparties, forgive one another and share fully in this merit.
Merging with the Triple Gem and the Great Teachers
We gather the mind to stop, gather it to stillness, within the river of merit, within happiness, within purity, within the radiant brightness of the merit-element pouring in continuously. We settle, stopped and still, in the center of the Triple Gem — the Buddha Jewel, the Dhamma Jewel, and the Sangha Jewel — and in the center of our great teachers: the finest inner Dhamma body of our Great Master, of our great teacher, and of our grandmother teacher. The mind is a completing element — whatever we determine, so it becomes.
Closing Aspiration
We then settle, stopped and still, in the center of nibbana, the center of the knowers of boundless power, incalculable in number. Once we appear radiant within his center, we come to pay respects and ask for blessings, setting our resolve to be sealed within the radiant sphere of merit, so that from this moment forward, throughout our path of accumulating perfections, our life may be filled with knowledge, happiness, and purity, and success in everything right and good. May the merit, power, radiance, and absolute authority of nibbana throughout all realms, together with the perfected merit of our great teachers, combine with the merit and perfections we have sincerely accumulated across countless past lives, gathering into sacred, powerful merit that refines our body, speech, mind, and elements to be radiant, clear, cool, clean, and pure. May we be freed from calamity, sin, the results of past karma, and every obstruction in life; may greed, hatred, delusion, lust, , wrong view, craving, and clinging be exhausted without remainder. May we gain the eye that sees the Dhamma, reaching fully into the Dhammakaya knowledge; may we have strong health and long life to build merit throughout our lives; and when the time comes to close our eyes on this world, may we be born in the Tusita heaven, in the realm of the special merit lineage of the Bodhisattas-to-be, and when we return to the human world, may we be born into a family of right view, a crystal family, a Dhammakaya family. May all these good aspirations come to fulfillment for us all, from this moment forward, in every life, until we reach the very end of the Dhamma, by the boundless power of the Lord Buddha. May it be so in every respect.