พระอาจารย์สุรพงค์อธิบายว่าเหตุใดเราจึงต้องอาศัยศรัทธาเป็นเครื่องรองรับกระแสบุญในบุญญเขต และชี้ให้เห็นบุญกิริยาวัตถุหลายข้อ ตั้งแต่ทาน ศีล ภาวนา ไปจนถึงการทำความเห็นให้ถูกต้องตรงตามความเป็นจริง ซึ่งเป็นรากฐานของสัมมาทิฏฐิPhra Ajarn Suraphong explains why faith is what lets us receive the flow of merit within a field of merit, and walks through several of the ten bases of meritorious action — from giving, virtue, and meditation to holding a view that matches reality, the foundation of right view.
When we come to be within a "field of merit" (บุญญเขต), it is because this ground is watched over by Nibbana. When a meritorious activity takes place, a stream of merit flows through this field, and we need faith to receive it. Faith arises in the heart — a heart endowed with faith. However much faith someone has, that is how much merit they can receive.
In the time of the Buddha, a brahmin once asked the Fully Enlightened One to whom one should give alms. The Buddha answered: wherever there is faith, give there. To receive merit at all, the of faith must arise in the mind. Then one can receive the stream of giving and merit that flows in. The more faith someone has, the greater their capacity to receive that stream — depending on how well the "vessel" within us has been shaped, managed, and developed to hold it.
Cultivating Faith Together With Virtue, Concentration, and Wisdom
Faith is one quality we must cultivate. Just as someone becomes a believer in Christianity or Islam through being raised into that faith, faith in Buddhism must likewise be cultivated — though here it has several levels. We need to cultivate faith in (), in concentration (), and in wisdom (paññā) together. Otherwise, some people keep only and neither meditate nor study to understand; some take virtue and concentration but not wisdom; some take concentration alone, without virtue or wisdom; and some take only wisdom without practice, without virtue. We must bring everything to completeness — every wholesome quality needs to be brought to fullness, because each one yields a different benefit.
The Benefit of Giving — Five Qualities Within the Sphere of Merit
Giving — offering food, offering for someone's meal — gives rise to a "sphere of merit." At its center appear subtle qualities: the five things of long life, complexion, , strength, and quick wit (āyu, vaṇṇa, , bala, paṭibhāna). These appear at the center of the sphere of merit as benefits we will receive wherever we are reborn. When this merit ripens, it prevents want and hunger and brings abundant food; it also brings long life, a radiant complexion, physical and mental happiness, and strong body and mind for doing good deeds, along with the quick wit to solve various problems. Each kind of wholesome deed gives a different benefit, so we need to bring every wholesome act to completeness.
Other Bases of Merit — Humility and Helping Others
Beyond giving and keeping precepts, we must also cultivate a humble, deferential heart, and be diligent in helping others. If someone is in trouble and we have the strength of body and mind to help, we should help. The resulting merit returns to us — whatever we do, there will be people ready to help us in turn; as we sow, so we reap. This also includes dedicating merit to others, rejoicing in others' merit, listening to the , teaching the Dhamma, and discussing the Dhamma — all bases of merit that should be practiced in full.
Right Straightening of View — Holding an Opinion True to Reality
The final base of merit is straightening one's view to match reality, which improves our right view (sammā-diṭṭhi). When our view matches reality, side can teach us, because we accept the truth. But if a view does not match reality, it means side has distorted it. Once we accept something distorted, we get led astray. We reject whatever we don't like and accept whatever we do like, regardless of whether it is true or false — this is the unwholesome mind directing us from behind the scenes.
The Danger of Bias — Isolation From Refusing to Accept the Truth
When we talk with someone and don't see eye to eye, if we hold a bias against them, we gradually find we can't get along with anyone. Once we can't get along with people, we end up isolated — and this isolation can develop life after life, carrying forward into future lives, unable to fit into society, simply because we refuse to accept the truth. But if we accept the truth, then when we speak, we can recognize when someone is biased and when they are not, without being distorted by anything ourselves. This is the importance of straightening our view to match reality.