A Golden Ring

An Introduction to Buddhist Meditation

by Dr. Yutang Lin | 21,073 words

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Chapter 4 - The Wholeness Of Meditation

One"s achievement in meditation reflects, on the whole, the degree of clarity and tranquility of one"s mind. One"s inner peace and clarity depend on balanced maintenance and development of both body and mind. Therefore, meditation involves proper and regular diet, hygiene, exercise, and moral observance, as well as consistency of mind, speech, behavior, activities and livelihood. Through diligent practice of meditation in such a thorough manner for long periods of time, one"s ability to concentrate and visualize will improve naturally and solidly.

If we do not understand the wholeness of meditation as described above but adopt meditation as merely a sort of recreation or a training in concentration, then we may still obtain the temporary benefit of relaxation or build up an ability to concentrate but cannot achieve profound tranquility of mind. Besides, one"s inner conflicts, attachments and prejudices may be fueled by the mental force developed through meditation. Consequently, the more one practices meditation, the more likely one suffers from inner and outer conflicts.

Furthermore, adopting meditation as merely a technique or training without a thorough and complete adjustment of one"s way of life is like arranging cut flowers—sooner or later the beauty will fade away. In contrast, meditation integrated with a devout Buddhist way of life is like planting a tree in rich soil; as long as one keeps up the practice, the benefits will naturally grow, blossom and yield fruits. This is the right approach; it is stable and safe. If you advance in the right manner, even when your daily meditation session is short, over the years it will yield real results.

Nowadays more and more people are attracted to and engaging in meditation practice. Nevertheless, most of these people are not aware of the wholeness of meditation. Some of them even suffer as a result of lacking such knowledge; therefore, the importance of this topic cannot be overemphasized.

In fact, all the things that we have discussed so far apply equally to breathing practice. When our minds are entangled, the air passages in our bodies are also twisted. Consequently, stronger breathing may cause more severe damage. Therefore, breathing practice also requires wholeness of one"s way of life. Nowadays so many people are trying various kinds of breathing practice or yoga; therefore I mention this point in passing.

Are there any questions about things that I have talked about so far?

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