Meditation The Only Way - Softcover

NOBLE SILENCE

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9679920402 ISBN 13: 9789679920406

Publisher: Buddhist Missionary Society, 1996

Synopsis

Since earliest times men have recognized the vast benefits that can be gained through mind control. While meditation was practiced in Europe over the last two thousand years, it was in India and later in China that the techniques of mind control were fully recognized and developed. Over a period of more than four thousand years, religious and spiritual disciplines were centered around meditational practices, but it was the Buddha who gave meditation a central place for gaining Enlightenment, and final salvation. All other religious systems use meditation to direct the mind towards external powers, but the Buddha taught us to use meditation to look within ourselves, to gain INSIGHT and thus develop ourselves without depending on external powers.The primary purpose of meditation is to help the individual to control the mind and train it to bring inner peace to the individual who practises it. In this way a great deal of mental energy can be concentrated and thus make the mind capable of harnessing great power. Examples of the kind of power that mind control can give are the ‘ miracles ’ performed by saints and religious leaders, e.g. walking on water, being in two places at the same time, going through solid walls, light emanating from the body etc. However, the Buddha taught that such mental power was not the final goal of his teaching. Mind control through meditation brings calmness but the Buddha has taught that such control is merely superficial. The suppression of the mental defilements is temporary. They can come to the surface of the mind at any time and hinder the spiritual development. These defilements like anger, hatred, greed, pride, illusion, wrong views must be completely rooted out from the mind through the development of Metta (goodwill), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (sympathetic joy), Uppekkha (equanimity) before one begins to tread the path towards emancipation.

Edition details

• Publisher: Buddhist Missionary Society
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9679920402
• ISBN 13: 9789679920406
• Binding: Paperback