คำสอน · พระอาจารย์สุรพงค์Teaching · Pra Ajarn Suraphong
นำนั่งสมาธิ: หลอมรวมใจเป็นหนึ่งกับองค์พระ แผ่เมตตาสู่จักรวาลGuided Meditation: Becoming One with the Buddha Image, Radiating Loving-Kindness to the Cosmos
พระอาจารย์นำนั่งสมาธิในโครงการธรรมรส เขาใหญ่ #16 ชี้ให้เห็นสองหนทางแห่งความหลุดพ้น คือเจโตวิมุตติและปัญญาวิมุตติ พาวางฐานที่ตั้งของใจ บริกรรม “สัมมาอะระหัง” หลอมรวมกายใจเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกับองค์พระ หยุดนิ่งมุ่งสู่หนทางพระนิพพาน แผ่เมตตาธรรมสู่สรรพสัตว์ทั่วจักรวาล แล้วปิดท้ายด้วยการอุทิศส่วนบุญและตั้งจิตอธิษฐานAt Dhammaros Kao Yai Retreat #16, Phra Ajahn guides a sit that opens by naming the two paths of liberation — cetovimutti and paññāvimutti — then leads practitioners to settle the base of the mind, recite “Sammā Arahaṃ”, merge body and mind as one with the crystal Buddha image, still the mind toward the path of Nibbāna, radiate loving-kindness to all beings throughout the cosmos, and close with merit dedication and aspiration.
Two Paths of Liberation: Cetovimutti and Paññāvimutti
There are two essential things in life: ( of the heart) and (liberation through wisdom). Let us be mindful of these two things. Being born into this life, we necessarily depend on both.
In its most basic sense, liberation has two facets: and vimuttiñāṇadassana. Vimutti is release from what is not good; vimuttiñāṇadassana is the arriving at a better life.
So within vimutti itself there are two kinds of release: release through the power of the mind, and release through the power of wisdom.
Release through the power of the mind relies on — simply maintaining awareness, staying continuously aware without lapsing, nothing more. This differs from paññāvimutti, which is awareness that brings clear understanding to each problem, each matter that is essential to life.
As we have discussed the together, but when we come to practice, we are only concerned with the state of knowing — the sphere of knowing, which is the sphere of . We may be aware of the breath, or aware of , using a mantra of recitation or a meditation image (nimitta), whichever we choose.
Settling the Base of the Mind, Relaxing Body and Mind
Since we are concerned with the feeling of awareness, we need to stay with one single, good feeling — coming to know a feeling of ease.
First, let us establish a base for the mind — choosing where that base will be, perhaps at the breath. Once we have our base, we no longer need to keep deciding “I've chosen here” — it becomes automatic, and from there we simply maintain awareness.
Having a base for the mind means the mind is placed there, and we go on to perceive at that point. The sphere of knowing — mindfulness, a wholesome — arises right there.
Once mindfulness has arisen, what should it be aware of? It can rest with a feeling of ease, or with the recitation, or with the meditation image — whatever it is, let it know with ease, and be at ease. Let there be nothing but ease.
With a relaxed mind — Thai is a language of the heart — “phon” (relax) means the breath relaxes: the breath is gradually easing, becoming finer and finer. Every muscle relaxes, no tension, no tightness, gradually loosening. The breath eases, light, comfortable.
Every muscle relaxes, grows more comfortable, the mind grows more comfortable, the mind gradually clears, becomes light and at ease. Because we hold this ease, ease, ease, it gradually becomes clearer, clear. Stay continuously aware without lapsing — and if you do lapse, it's fine, simply begin again. Just know with ease.
When Mindfulness Arises, the System of Wholesomeness Arises With It
When the sphere of knowing — mindfulness — arises, we know that we are aware: aware of ease, or aware of the breath with ease, or aware of our with ease, or aware of the Buddha image with ease.
As the sphere of knowing and mindfulness — a wholesome mental factor — arises, a wholesome state of mind arises with it. That means the system of wholesomeness turns on. The Triple Gem, which governs this system of wholesomeness, appears radiant at the center of our being. We appear radiant within the center of the Triple Gem, and both we and the Triple Gem appear radiant within the center of Nibbāna — the center of the One Who Knows, of boundless power, beyond counting, beyond number of Buddhas.
The stream of from the most refined depths of Nibbāna flows continuously into the center of our body and mind. As merit flows in, it drives the system of wholesomeness, refining and purifying the elements within us, making them clear, clean, pure.
As this pure energy drives the system of wholesomeness, it refines away the defilements that cloud the mind, so they grow lighter. Problems and obstacles grow lighter; our difficulties grow lighter too. And when the defilement particular to a given dimension is exhausted, whatever binds and holds us in that coarser dimension falls away, and we are released into a subtler dimension.
Even while we remain dim, hazy, whether we are aware of it or not, this wholesome system continues refining us, releasing us dimension by dimension. Every dimension carries some defilement, as long as we have not attained arahantship — but in each subtler dimension the defilement is lighter, and we are released into an even subtler dimension still.
A lighter defilement means the proportion of unwholesome nature is also lighter. Each time we are released, the proportion of diminishes. As it diminishes, the difficulties it would otherwise steer us toward diminish too. And as the proportion of () diminishes, the substance-less parts of our life diminish as well; their power to compel us to act as before weakens. But as the proportion of increases, our life grows lighter, more comfortable, more vibrant — and access to happiness, success, and fulfillment increases too.
All we need do is maintain awareness continuously, without lapsing. Wherever we place our attention, the mind goes there; whatever we focus on appears in the mind. If we focus on good things, we draw in pure energy continuously, along with , happiness, good imprints, and refined treasures.
Having settled our awareness, we simply sit and receive this continuous stream of merit and treasure flowing into the center of our body and mind — sitting to receive it at ease, at ease, with nothing but ease, deeply content in abiding within this system of wholesomeness, because so much goodness arises each time we abide there.
One could say that a life abiding within the system of wholesomeness is a life of purity and release in every moment. The Triple Gem and Nibbāna appear radiant at our center; the stream of merit from the most refined depths of Nibbāna flows continuously, driving the wholesome system and refining the elements within us toward purity and release. We do nothing at all except maintain this awareness — sitting at ease, simply staying continuously aware without lapsing, resting in this ease, sitting content, and bringing this ease to rest with the One Who Knows, of boundless power.
Reciting “Sammā Arahaṃ”, Merging Body and Mind as One with the Buddha Image
We utter His name: Sammā Arahaṃ, Sammā Arahaṃ, Sammā Arahaṃ. This is a name given according to His qualities — the qualities of Sammā Arahaṃ being the One who practices rightly and well, whose practice leads far from all defilements, endowed with the of purity, the virtue of wisdom, and — perfectly complete in higher virtue, higher mind, and higher wisdom, in both vimutti and vimuttiñāṇadassana, fully complete within the of the Arahant that is truly ourselves — our own Triple Gem.
As we utter His name — Sammā Arahaṃ, Sammā Arahaṃ, Sammā Arahaṃ — He appears at the center of our body and mind. And He does not appear for nothing: His appearance takes the form of a crystal-clear, pure Buddha image, seated upon a plane of within a perfect sphere of Dhamma across His lap, appearing at the center of our being.
Once He appears, He appears together with boundless great compassion. His arising is entirely for our benefit: He takes the elements of seeing, remembering, thinking, knowing — the earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness elements within us — and refines them to be clear, clean, pure, bringing about our release, clearing away the results of past kamma and every obstructing force, and even refining our path ahead so that we may easily reap the fruits of success and fulfillment.
Once He appears at our center, benefiting us in countless ways, He does more still: He expands and merges into one with us. His lap overlaps with our lap; His body overlaps with our body; His head overlaps with our head. His wish is that He and we become a single unity — so let us merge with Him into that single unity, so that He may benefit us with full effectiveness and the greatest influence, because He is our true self.
Given this, let us merge ourselves with Him into one unity by adopting the feeling that we are the Buddha image, and the Buddha image is us — we are the Buddha image, the Buddha image is us — letting our entire body, from the crown of the head, the face, the cheeks, the shoulders, the arms, the torso, down to the tips of the feet, become the crystal Dhamma — clear, radiant, sparkling, exquisitely soft, smooth, clear, cool.
Let our head become the crystal Dhammakāya, with a lotus-bud crown, clear and radiant. Let our face become the countenance of the crystal Dhammakāya, eyes gently closed, a soft, radiant smile. Let both our arms be the crystal Dhammakāya, clear, clean, pure, radiant. Let the chest, the belly, the lower belly, the back, down to the feet, all become the crystal Dhammakāya — clear, radiant, sparkling, exquisitely soft, smooth, clear, cool. We are the Buddha image, the Buddha image is us — and we take this in, part by part, part by part.
Our revered Luang Phor once said that reaching the inner Dhammakāya can be as easy as it is difficult — easy because “the mind stilled is itself the accomplishment; however you envision it, so it becomes.” Furthermore, the Dhammakāya already exists within us, and reaching it can range anywhere from 1% to 100% clarity. However much we perceive, we can take that much for now — at the very least it is a foundation for reaching it. Even if we don't see it, simply feeling that it is there is enough to work with.
Stilling the Mind at the Center of the Buddha Image, Heading Straight for the Path to Nibbāna
Having merged ourselves with Him into one unity, we now bring our mind into that same unity. Having merged the body, we merge the mind — and in merging the mind, we need to know what the Dhammakāya, at the center of Him, at the center of us, is doing.
The Dhammakāya — the Triple Gem — at our center is dwelling in nirodhasamāpatti (the attainment of ceson), by gathering the mind to stop, gathering the mind to be still. As He does, so do we: He gathers His mind to stop, to be still; we gather our mind, stop, still, merging into one with His mind.
Still, soft, light, at ease. Gather the mind to stop, gather the mind to be still — soft, light, at ease — into the center of the Buddha image, the center of us, the center of our mind. Stop within stopping, still within stillness, soft, light, at ease, into the center of the center, the center of the Buddha image at our own center. Stop within stopping, still within stillness, soft, light, at ease.
Then we send our mind and heart straight toward the path of Nibbāna, along the inner middle way. “The mind stilled is itself the accomplishment; however you envision it, so it becomes.” We shall appear radiant at the center of Nibbāna, the center of every Fully Enlightened Buddha, every Paccekabuddha, and every Arahant.
Only these three kinds of beings are released from the round of rebirth. But having gone, they have not gone to sleep — they abide in the sphere of Nibbāna, still caring for and helping all beings, holding them within their center. Any being who abides in universal goodness — whether or not they follow Buddhism, whether or not they hold any religion at all, so long as they abide in universal goodness — receives this same stream of merit from Nibbāna flowing continuously into their center, just as it flows into us now.
And Nibbāna takes this flowing merit-element and applies it through , purifying and releasing, benefiting us, laying down good imprints for our lives, so that our lives may easily attain happiness, success, and fulfillment.
Radiating Loving-Kindness to All Beings Throughout the Cosmos
While Nibbāna is thus helping and correcting us, let us in turn benefit the world by cultivating - (). Simply by becoming aware of mettā-dhamma — of love and sincere, pure goodwill — mettā-dhamma appears radiant continuously at the center of our body and mind, and the stream of merit continues to flow, drawn into and radiating within the center of this loving-kindness.
As we sustain this state of mettā-dhamma — this love and sincere goodwill — we become one who holds this Dhamma, and the Dhamma itself will manifest its own qualities. The special quality of mettā-dhamma is its ability to dissolve resentment and irritation from the hearts of people and all beings, and to purify the surrounding atmosphere.
As mettā-dhamma arises at the center of our body and mind, its light shines through our entire body, dissolving resentment and irritation, and we extend this mind, full of sincere love and goodwill, outward, encompassing this entire retreat ground, and the whole mountain range around it.
Mettā-dhamma, which arises from and depends on the mind, shines wherever the mind extends. It reaches every particle of the atmosphere — people, all beings, all things, trees and grasses, buildings, homes, belongings — making the environment fit for the dwelling of people and all beings.
We then extend this mind full of mettā-dhamma outward to the subdistrict, the district, the province, the country, to every country, until it encompasses the entire world, so that this world becomes a world of crystal, radiant, clear, cool, clean, and pure. May the people of the world and all beings be free from suffering and find happiness everywhere — the earth-bound devas, the tree devas, the sky devas, the heavenly beings of every realm, the brahmas and formless brahmas, as well as beings in hell, hungry ghosts, and animals — may all beings be free from suffering and find happiness everywhere.
Having made this aspiration, we extend this mind full of mettā-dhamma further, out into the atmosphere of the cosmos, encompassing countless stars — tens, hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of stars — extending continuously to ten thousand world-systems, a hundred thousand koṭi of galaxies, endless galaxies. Our mettā-dhamma shines, refining every particle of every being and every thing to be radiant, clear, cool, clean, pure. Our mind expands, joyful, spacious, open, light, and at ease.
Dedicating Merit and Making an Aspiration
The stream of merit continues to flow within the radiance of this loving-kindness, and we now dedicate the merit that has arisen to all people and beings — may all beings be free from suffering and find happiness, and may they share in the merit that we have wholeheartedly done well.
To our ancestors, our parents, our siblings, our grandparents, our teachers, all those who have shown us kindness, as well as the devas who help and support us, and the guardians who watch over all beings — and to any we may have wronged — may we forgive one another, and may they all share equally in this merit.
Having dedicated this merit to all beings and to our departed relations, we now merge ourselves with the Triple Gem and with our great, revered teachers into a single unity. We must never grow distant from Them, for both the Triple Gem and our great teachers have shown us kindness beyond measure, beyond counting, every moment, every fraction of a second — never once ceasing to refine and help us, whether we are sitting, lying, standing, walking, or moving about anywhere. They use every fraction of a second, day and night, to refine and help us.
So let us gather our mind, stop, and grow still into the center of the Buddha Gem, still into the center of the Dhamma Gem, and still into the center of the Sangha Gem, and still also into the center of our great teachers — into the very center, the center of the subtlest Dhamma body of our revered Luang Pu, still into the center of the subtlest Dhamma body of our revered Luang Phor, gathering the mind, stopping, growing still into the center of the subtlest Dhamma body of Khun Yai Ajahn.
“The mind stilled is itself the accomplishment; however you envision it, so it becomes.” As we envision merging ourselves with Them into a single unity, we appear radiant at Their center, and They appear radiant at our center — at the center of the body, the center of , the center of the refined human body, at the center within the coarse human body; radiant at the center of the refined human body that is us, radiant at the center of the celestial body, the refined celestial body, the form-brahma body, the refined form-brahma body, the formless-brahma body, the refined formless-brahma body — along the entire lineage of our Dhamma body, layer upon layer, refining, helping, merging into a single unity. Both we and They appear radiant at the center of Nibbāna, the center of the One Who Knows, of boundless power, beyond counting, beyond number.
We take this most auspicious moment to pay respect and ask for blessings, so that we may set our aspiration and lay down a good imprint fixed within this radiant sphere of merit — so that throughout our entire path of building perfections, we may be accompanied by together with happiness and purity, and success in every rightful and good aspiration.
We, Your disciples, bow and ask for blessings — for the merit, glory, power, might, and absolute authority of Nibbāna throughout all elements and all Dhamma, and for the blessing power of our revered Luang Pu, Luang Phor, and Khun Yai Ajahn. May all this merit and these perfections combine with the merit and perfections that we ourselves have wholeheartedly accumulated since our very first existence, through countless lifetimes, up to this very present moment. May all this merit combine into sacred merit, of great power, might, and boundless influence.
May it refine our body, speech, and mind — the elements of seeing, remembering, thinking, knowing, the earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness elements within us all — to be radiant, clear, cool, clean, pure. May we be released from all misfortune and sin, from the results of past kamma, and from every kind of obstacle and hindrance in life, may they vanish entirely. May , hatred, delusion, lust, , wrong view, craving, and clinging be extinguished without a trace. May we gain the Dhamma-eye, reaching and penetrating fully into Vijjā Dhammakāya, attaining the three vijjā, the eight vijjā, the six abhiññā, the four paṭisambhidā, the eight vimokkha, and the fifteen caraṇa, complete in every respect.
May we also have strong, complete health and a long life span, able to build merit and perfections throughout our entire life, with unwavering, elevated resolve in building perfections, heading straight toward the path of Nibbāna, to the very end of Dhamma. Wherever we travel, may we meet only good fortune and find only safety; may we be beloved by humans and devas alike; may we have radiant wisdom, clearly penetrating the Dhamma of the Fully Enlightened Buddha, and fully penetrating Vijjā Dhammakāya. In whatever business or duty we undertake, may it flourish and prosper, yielding results beyond all expectation, beyond all measure — may we gain great wealth, wealth fit for a universal monarch, that never runs dry however much is drawn upon, so that we may build great acts of giving and perfection endlessly, possessing without , giving fully with all our strength to build great perfections of generosity.
And when the time comes to close our eyes and leave this world, may we be born in the Tusita heaven, in the special sphere of merit reserved for future Buddhas and great bodhisattas. And when we return to build perfections again in the human world, may we be born into a family of right view, a crystal family, a Dhammakāya family, an exemplary family for the world, a warm family, complete and abundant with the finest of physical blessings, the finest of wealth, the finest of virtues, the finest of honor, praise, and happiness, and ultimately the fruit of the path and Nibbāna.
May we also have vast, sacred merit, able to recall our past lives from the moment of birth, and to be born together with a clear, radiant inner Dhammakāya, studying Vijjā Dhammakāya correctly and precisely, in accordance with truth, alongside Luang Pu, Luang Phor, and Khun Yai, from childhood until the end of our lifespan. May whatever unwholesome deeds we have done wrongly or carelessly in the past never catch up with us, never have the opportunity to bear fruit — may they be forgiven forever. May we never commit new wrongdoing in body, speech, or mind. May whatever merit we have wholeheartedly accumulated combine together to yield sacred results, of great power, might, and wondrous influence, bearing fruit continuously from this moment until the very end of Dhamma.
May all these good and beautiful aspirations come to fruition — come to fruition, come to fruition — for all of us, from this moment forward, in every existence, every lifetime, until the very end of Dhamma, by the boundless power of every Fully Enlightened Buddha. May all these wishes be fulfilled.
Closing Chant
(A closing Pāli verse, transcribed as recorded from the audio. It is a chant familiar to practitioners as a traditional protective and merit-dedication verse recited at the close of meditation.)