Someone asked: if we keep our eyes open but recite Samma-Araham inwardly, does that still count as meditation, even with the eyes open?

Whether the eyes are open or closed, both work. Closing them simply helps the mind avoid distraction, because our mind can hold only one thing at a time — once we've set it on something, nothing else can appear. With the eyes open, the eyes more easily pick up stimulation from outside. If circumstances require the eyes to stay open, that's fine — practice both ways. It won't feel familiar at first, but with continued practice, it becomes natural. When we focus on what we've set our attention to, the mind is placed there and comes to know it. From there, we come to know the recitation Samma-Araham, which is invoking the name of the one who has practiced rightly and well — the Dhamma-body. We picture the Buddha-image, say the name, and picture his form as a clear crystal image. At first, we rely on a familiar image of the Buddha as a stand-in, because he already resides within us — we simply can't yet see him, since he is so refined. At that moment, the stream of merit flows in continuously, both the current of merit and of fortune flowing into the center of body and mind, refining the elements of dhamma to cleanliness and purity. We must practice this repetition again and again; it feels unfamiliar at first, but keep doing it until it becomes familiar — just as school, from first grade through fourth, never felt familiar at any stage at first, yet familiarity comes through study and practice. If we don't train now, when else would we?

When the questioner pointed out that meditating with eyes open feels less than fully focused, Pra Ajarn answered that it's fine — anything new feels unfamiliar at first, and it's still better than not practicing at all. Keep practicing and it becomes familiar; once familiar, the mind settles and merit can be drawn in, and the wholesome system continuously corrects and purifies us. If we don't train in this life, we'll have to train in the next — whenever we start, that's when results begin; if we never start, there's no telling when results will come. This practice is so beneficial that the Master himself said even being a Universal Monarch offers less benefit than reaching the Triple Gem within. So we must practice repeatedly until it becomes second nature. Try it for three days and results begin to show; then extend to seven days. Count the recitations as you go — Samma-Araham one, Samma-Araham two, Samma-Araham three — and wherever you get stuck, you'll know exactly where your attention slipped, and grow more careful, starting again. Once past that point, concentration gradually improves. Some reach absorption after 300-400 repetitions, others after 700-800, still others after 2,000-3,000 — because focused concentration draws merit in to refine and correct us.

If we lose focus without realizing it, counting the recitations helps us notice exactly where attention slipped, gradually lengthening how long concentration holds. The goal is to reach the Buddha-image itself, because as we constantly invoke his name, he appears and continuously refines us even if we don't see him — like someone calling us continuously, and we must go to them. This is us calling the Buddha-image, and he comes to us, helping and correcting us continuously, because form and name are always paired — the instant we speak the name, the form appears at once. The key point is: whatever we set our attention on will appear and bear its fruit. Set our mind on something bad, and the unwholesome delivers its result immediately — think of someone we resent, and irritation appears at once. Conversely, think of the Buddha-image, and he appears, continuously purifying and liberating us without our even realizing it — like a child eating and growing every day without anyone noticing, until enough time passes that the difference becomes visible. It must be proven through repeated practice until it becomes familiar — just as university takes four years to complete.