พระอาจารย์สุรพงค์สอนหลักการกำหนดรู้ในกาย เวทนา จิต และธรรม ตามพระพุทธพจน์ในสติปัฏฐาน เพื่อเข้าถึงเจโตวิมุตติผ่านดวงสติและกระแสบุญ ก่อนนำเข้าสู่การเจริญเมตตาธรรม โดยชี้ให้เห็นว่าความรักของอกุศลนั้นเห็นแก่ตัวเอาแต่ได้ ต่างจากความรักและความปรารถนาดีของกุศลซึ่งบริสุทธิ์ใจและจริงใจอย่างแท้จริง จบด้วยการแผ่เมตตาไปทั่วโลกธาตุและอุทิศส่วนบุญPhra Ajarn Suraphong teaches how to observe body, feeling, mind, and mental objects as taught in the Satipatthana Sutta, so that mindfulness can draw in the pure energy of merit and lead to liberation of the heart. He then distinguishes selfish, self-serving love from the sincere, selfless goodwill of wholesome loving-kindness, before guiding a full radiation of metta across the universe and dedication of merit.
Practicing the is essential to every life, because we all live under the control of the three natures of Dhamma, which use and to govern every being. Only nature can truly benefit us — giving right understanding, guiding us toward goodness, , success, and the fulfillment of our aspirations. Every other nature gives no benefit at all; if it is unwholesome, it only brings suffering and harm. This is why we must learn and train ourselves to abide within the wholesome nature.
The Buddha's Teaching on Right Mindfulness
The Buddha taught: "Monks, you should clearly discern the body, feelings, mind, and mental objects, in order to eliminate covetousness and grief in the world." This is a vital phrase capable of transforming an ordinary person into a noble one, and its meaning unfolds in three parts. The first part concerns cultivating so as to attain liberation of the heart ().
Attending the Mind and the Sphere of Knowing
To "discern clearly" means to fix, specify, and attend to a point — wherever we attend, the mind settles there; this is called "attending the mind." Once attended, the sphere of knowing — , a wholesome — arises, drawing in a continuous stream of pure energy, merit, into the brightness of that sphere. This pure energy drives the wholesome system, refining and purifying the elements and qualities within us, clearing away the defilements that create problems and obstacles in life. As defilements lighten, problems lighten too, and when they are exhausted the mind is freed from the coarser dimension into a subtler one. Our only task is to keep attending, staying aware without lapsing — everything else is the work of the wholesome system itself.
The Householder of the Mind: Body, Feeling, Mind, and Mental Objects of Three Natures
The second part of the teaching concerns discerning the body, feelings, mind, and mental objects, because whichever of the three natures wins the contest to become "householder of the mind" overlays its own body, feeling, mind, and mental objects onto ours to control the human body. Its feelings appear as our feelings; its thoughts and mental states appear as our thoughts. Whether our physical behavior is agitated or calm depends on how refined the overlaying body is. If nature is householder, the body suffers, restless and hard to bear. The remedy is simply to keep attending, staying aware, making the body and mind comfortable.
Settling the Mind and the Recitation "Samma-Araham"
We sit so that the mind becomes calm, quiet, and at ease. If we cannot relax the mind fully, simply letting it rest neutrally is enough — relax until it feels light and comfortable. Once the mind is at ease and aware, bring that ease to rest with the Triple Gem by reciting "Samma-Araham" gently and tenderly, counting on and on at leisure.
The Vision of the Crystal Buddha Image
As we utter his name, he appears — endowed with the s of great wisdom, , and boundless compassion — as a crystal Buddha image, clear and radiant, with a lotus-bud crown, seated on a meditation disc within a sphere of Dhamma filling the lap. His appearance is never empty; out of boundless compassion he refines our elements of seeing, remembering, thinking, and knowing — earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness — making them clear, clean, and pure, dissolving the results of kamma, misfortune, danger, and calamity. He merges as one with us, enfolding and protecting the human body, because his wish is for us to become a single unity with him.
Loving-Kindness: Wholesome Love Is Not the Same as Selfish Love
Once we have accomplished this good cause for ourselves, we go on to benefit the people of the world and all beings by cultivating (metta). Metta is a tool of the wholesome nature, meant for those with abundant merit to support those with less, because life in samsara is one of mutual dependence — no one can live in complete isolation. Love comes in different kinds. Unwholesome love is selfish, self-serving, never truly generous or sincerely well-wishing toward anyone. Only the love and goodwill of the wholesome nature is filled with sincere, pure-hearted care. When we resolve on sincere, pure-hearted love and goodwill, metta arises, radiant within us as a clear, bright sphere, brimming with love and goodwill. Its special quality is its power to dissolve resentment and ill will present in the mind, in the atmosphere, and among people and all beings.
Radiating Loving-Kindness Across the Universe
Once metta arises, a continuous stream of merit is drawn into its brightness. We extend this love and goodwill to cover our home, then our village, sub-district, district, province, the whole country, neighboring countries, and finally the entire world — turning it into a crystal world, bright, cool, clean, and pure. May the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and find happiness — including celestial beings of every heavenly realm, brahmas, formless brahmas, and even beings in hell, hungry ghosts, and animals. We then extend further into the universe, covering countless stars and the infinite cosmos, so that our metta shines to benefit beings without limit.
Dedicating the Merit
Having radiated metta, we dedicate this merit to all people and beings — to our parents, siblings, grandparents, and teachers who have shown us kindness, to devas who help and support us, to caretakers, and to all beings we may have wronged in the past — the karmic counterparties (khu-kam-khu-wen) — asking for mutual forgiveness so that all may share in this merit.
Merging with the Triple Gem and the Great Masters
We then bring the mind to rest, still, in the center of the Triple Gem — the Buddha Jewel, the Dhamma Jewel, the Sangha Jewel — and rest in the refined kaya body of the revered masters. The mind is a substance of accomplishment: however we resolve it, so it becomes. As we merge as one with the Triple Gem and the great masters, we appear radiant within them, they appear radiant within us, and together we appear radiant within Nirvana.
Closing Aspiration
Radiant within the Triple Gem and Nirvana, we pay respects and request blessings, setting our resolve deep within this bright sphere of merit — that our path of building perfections be filled with wisdom, happiness, and purity, and that all our good and rightful wishes be fulfilled. May all this accumulated merit and power dissolve misfortune, sin, the results of bad kamma, obstacles of every kind — greed, hatred, delusion, lust, , wrong views, craving, and clinging — leaving no trace. May we gain the eye of Dhamma, penetrate the of Dhammakaya, enjoy good health and long life to continue building merit throughout this life, and when we pass may we be born in the Dusit heaven, and when we return to the human world may we be born into a family of right view, a "crystal family," a Dhammakaya family. The teaching closes with the traditional Pali chant of homage.