พระอาจารย์สุรพงค์นำนั่งสมาธิในช่วงบ่าย ชวนเปรียบใจที่ปลอดโปร่งโล่งว่างกับภาพการมองท้องฟ้าแจ่มใส สีเขียวชุ่มชื่นรอบตัว และการนั่งริมลำธารใสเย็น เพื่อนำใจเข้าสู่การภาวนา ก่อนสอนเรื่องความบริสุทธิ์และนำแผ่เมตตาอุทิศส่วนบุญIn this afternoon sit, Phra Ajarn Suraphong invites us to picture a spacious, unburdened mind the way we'd picture gazing up at a clear sky, surrounded by lush greenery, or sitting beside a clear, cool stream — bringing that openness into meditation, before teaching on purity and leading loving-kindness radiation and merit dedication.
Let's practice together. Make the body at ease, the mind calm — as if we've come simply to sit and relax. Life should be lived wisely. Why be so serious and tense about it, when we have a choice? Since we can choose, let's choose to dwell with what is good — making life simple, relaxed, at ease, open, spacious, light, full of ease upon ease. This is a life filled with sincere love and goodwill.
An Open Mind, Like Gazing at a Clear Sky
Make the body at ease, the mind calm, living simply, relaxed, light — the mind open, spacious, unburdened, the way it feels to sit and look up at the sky on a clear day: the sky itself open, spacious, at ease. Looking around, everything is lush, green, and refreshing — like sitting beside a clear, cool stream, at ease, full of ease upon ease.
Training a Good Attitude Into a Lasting Habit
We train ourselves in a correct, wholesome attitude, so that life is nothing but freshness, openness, and ease — at ease sitting, at ease walking, at ease eating and drinking, at ease speaking. Let life be full of ease. We practice, in this very life, dwelling at ease — relaxed, open, spacious, light. What we learn and practice in this life, staying with good feelings, becomes a habit that carries forward. In a future life, we will find ourselves surrounded by conditions that naturally give rise to these same feelings, becoming a center of good feeling ourselves — our parents and relatives at ease when we're born, and whatever society we're part of at that time also at ease, surrounded by conditions that support ease.
Settling at the Seventh Base, the Center of the Body
We settle still at , , the intersection point level with the navel, two finger-widths above it. We rely on the recitation and mental image at this point — "Samma-Arahang." If reciting feels heavy, we simply rest the mind lightly, relaxed and at ease. If it still feels heavy, there's no need to add anything more — just settle wherever feels light and comfortable. All we need is mindful awareness of whatever brings ease; if plain stillness is comfortable, stay with plain, comfortable stillness. All we need is to know what we're aware of — resting in a state of stillness, softness, lightness, and ease. Whichever way is easiest, do that, and let it bring ease.
The Wholesome System Arises Simply by Knowing
That's really all it takes for system to arise — the Triple Gem appears, radiant, at the center of our body; we appear radiant within them; both we and they appear radiant within Nibbāna, within the boundless power of the One Who Knows. The stream of merit from the depths of Nibbāna pours continuously through the center of our body and mind — both the flow of merit and treasure passing through us. This pure merit-element then drives the wholesome system, refining and correcting the elements within us to be clean and pure, and once pure, we are freed from one dimension into a subtler one, again and again.
Reciting Lightly and Comfortably
Try reciting "Samma-Arahang" again and check whether it still feels heavy. If it feels light and easy, stay with the recitation lightly, enjoying it pleasantly, at ease. We may count along — Samma-Arahang 1, 2, 3, and so on up to 20, then start again at 1. Keep it simple. Stay continuously aware, without lapsing — that's really all that's needed. Do it pleasantly, at ease. Stay aware of what we're aware of; wherever we focus, we know it; whatever we hold, we know it — knowing with a relaxed, open, spacious, light heart, the mind clear and cool, at ease.
Letting Purity Itself Appear
Rest with , with clarity. As we direct the mind toward purity, purity itself begins to appear — at first just a tiny clear point, sparkling like a star. Merit flows in through the brightness of that purity, and the purity gradually grows larger and larger. Stay continuously aware, without lapsing; once the sphere of knowing, , is established, it draws in pure energy — merit — filled with purity and , together with refined treasures and a successful pattern, arising continuously, sphere after clear, radiant sphere.
Merit Clears the Impurities That Cause Problems and Obstacles
As merit flows in, it drives the wholesome system, refining and correcting the elements within us to be clear, clean, and pure, clearing away the defiling impurities that cause problems or obstacles, easing whatever difficulty they bring. Once purity has cleared the impurities of the dimension we currently occupy, nothing binds us there any longer, and we are freed into a subtler dimension. The merit flowing continuously along our whole lineage of elements and supports every level of that lineage to become clean and pure together.
The Clear Crystal Buddha Image
"Samma-Arahang" is the name of the One who practices rightly, practicing so as to be free from every defilement, full of wisdom, purity, and great compassion, complete in higher , higher mind, and higher wisdom. As we say his name, his visual form appears — a crystal-clear, pure Buddha image, radiant like a lotus bud, full of life, able to smile, speak, and converse, seated on a plane of within the sphere of dhamma filling his lap. He appears together with boundless wisdom and great compassion, entirely for our benefit — taking the elements of seeing, remembering, thinking, and knowing, along with earth, water, wind, fire, air, and consciousness within us, and refining them to be clear, clean, and pure, correcting our karmic results, so that we may reap success and fulfillment with ease.
Merging With the Dhammakāya
With every recitation of his name, the Buddha image arises continuously at the center of our body and heart, from a tiny clear point, expanding into a bright, clear sphere containing the Buddha image within. He grows larger until he matches the size of our own body, merging as one — our knees, thighs, hips, torso, shoulders, arms, head, and face all becoming the crystal , radiant, delicate, soft, gentle, clear, cool, clean, and pure. We are the Buddha image; the Buddha image is us.
Radiating Loving-Kindness: A Love That Isn't Self-Serving
Having done good for ourselves, we now do good for people and all beings by cultivating . All beings are our companions in birth, aging, sickness, and death — we all come from the same place and return to the same place. Throughout this long cycle of rebirth, we and all beings have, at some point, been loving and harmonious relatives — parents, siblings — caring for and supporting one another.
There are two kinds of love in this world: a selfish love that only takes, and a love filled with purity and sincerity, ready to sacrifice — like a mother's love for her own young child. Let us cultivate this correct, good love and keep it alive in our hearts. May the people and beings of the world be free from suffering and find happiness; may we never harm one another, never hold enmity toward one another; may all beings be freed from suffering of body and mind.
Loving-Kindness Dissolves Resentment, Spreading Across World and Cosmos
As we direct the mind toward loving-kindness, it arises as a bright sphere at the center of our heart, and the stream of merit pours continuously through its radiance. This loving-kindness has the special quality of dissolving resentment and irritation in the hearts of people, beings, and the surrounding atmosphere, until it vanishes entirely. We expand this love and goodwill to cover this place of practice, the village, subdistrict, district, province, country, neighboring countries, and the whole world — until the world becomes a crystal world, radiant with loving-kindness. May the people and beings of the world be free from suffering and find happiness — including earthbound devas, sky devas, heavenly beings of every realm, brahma and form-brahma beings, hell-beings, hungry ghosts, and animals.
May those who suffer greatly suffer less; those with little suffering be entirely free and find happiness; those with little happiness find more; and those already happy find still greater happiness. Then we expand further into the vastness of the cosmos, covering countless stars and myriad world-systems. Our hearts become joyful, spacious, light, clear, cool, clean, pure, and radiant.
Dedicating Merit and Forgiving Karmic Counterparties
We then dedicate this merit to the people and beings of the world — may all beings share in the merit we have sincerely accumulated, and be free from suffering and find happiness. This includes our ancestors, parents, siblings, grandparents, and elders, teachers who have shown us kindness, the devas who help and support us, those who tend and protect all beings, and our karmic counterparties whom we may have wronged — may we forgive one another, and may all receive a share of this merit.
Resting Still in the Triple Gem and the Great Teachers
We bring our hearts to rest, still, in the center of the ever-flowing stream of merit, resting in the midst of happiness, radiance, and the purity of loving-kindness. We then rest still in the center of the Triple Gem — Buddha, , Sangha — and in the center of our great teachers, resting still in the most refined dhamma body of our revered Grand Master, Master, and Teacher. The mind is a servant that fulfills whatever it's set to; we merge ourselves with the Triple Gem and our great teachers as one. We are the Buddha image; the Buddha image is us.
Nibbāna Is the Ultimate Freedom
As we direct the mind toward them, we appear radiant within them, and they appear radiant within us; both we and they appear radiant within Nibbāna, within the boundless power of the One Who Knows, beyond counting. Nibbāna is every Fully Enlightened Buddha, every Silent Buddha, and every Arahant — those who are freed from the cycle of rebirth, perfectly pure and complete. Even though they have passed into final Nibbāna, they still abide with their virtues in the Nibbāna-realm, continuing to help, protect, and watch over beings who stand in universal goodness, letting the stream of merit from the depths of Nibbāna flow through the center of those beings.
Setting the Wish and the Prayer
Using this auspicious time, we pay respect and ask for Nibbāna's blessing, setting a lasting, successful pattern deep within our sphere of merit, so our path of perfections may be filled with , happiness, and purity, and every righteous wish fulfilled. We ask for the merit and power of Nibbāna and our teachers to combine with the merit we've built up since our first life, refining body, speech, mind, and every element to be radiant, clear, cool, clean, and pure, free from misfortune, bad kamma, and every obstacle; may greed, hatred, delusion, lust, , wrong view, craving, and clinging be uprooted; may we gain and penetrate the knowledge of the Dhammakāya, achieving the three knowledges, eight higher knowledges, six superknowledges, four analytical s, eight liberations, and fifteen conducts, in full.
Closing Chants
The sit closes with the traditional chant (Sabbe Buddhā...) and paying homage to the Buddha — Arahaṃ Sammā-Sambuddho Bhagavā — recollecting the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha as our refuge, then asking for the boundless power of Nibbāna and the merit of our teachers to protect and care for us all, free us from suffering, sorrow, and danger, grant us the Dhamma Eye, and bring wondrous fortune following us through every life until the very end of the path.