Meditation—TheInwardJourney

andInnerThoughtsAndOutwardResults

Twoessays

by

JohnAndrewStorey

BuddhistPublicationSociety

Kandy•SriLanka

BodhiLeavesNo.51

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Copyright © Kandy, Buddhist Publication Society(1970;1982)

BPSOnlineEdition©(2009)

Digital Transcription Source: Buddhist PublicationSociety

For free distribution. Thisworkmay be republished,reformatted, reprinted and redistributed in anymedium. However, any such republication andredistributionistobemadeavailabletothepublicona free and unrestricted basis and translations andother derivative works are to be clearly marked assuch.

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M

Meditation—TheInwardJourney

Introduction

an has always been an explorer. Inearliertimeshetooktotheseainboatstosearchforfardistantshores.Inmorerecent times with his advanced

technologyhehasturnedhiseyestotheheavens,andwith rockets of unbelievable power has pierced theskies in his search for more distant worlds. Alreadyman has set foot on theMoon, and it is confidentlypredicted that soon he will visit Mars and otherplanets. Where all this will end, who can tell? Onethingseemscertain,thatunlessmancanfindsufficientwisdom to match his increasing knowledge it couldwellendindisaster.Withsuchunthinkablehorrorsasthenuclearbombathisdisposalhecould ina singleholocaust destroy himself and all other life on thisplanet. The acquisition of knowledge leads tocleverness—which is not necessarily a virtue. Thepractice of meditation leads to wisdom; hence theimportanceofmeditationintheworldtoday.

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AsIhavesaid,manisbynatureanexplorer,butasa widely travelled man once wisely remarked “onlythe inward journey is real.” That inward journey iswhat meditation is all about. It would be folly toimagine that the elementary advice given in thissimpleprimerwilltakeyoumorethanafewstepsonthat journey, for it is indeed a long and arduousjourney that does not end this side of Nibbāna. Buteven the longest journey must begin with a singlestep,andIshallbecontentifthissimpleprimerhelpsa few people to take those initial steps.Help can betheirs for the more advanced stages, when bymastering these early steps they have provedthemselvesreadyandworthytoreceiveit.

The reader should take note of a final word ofwarning and advice. Do not be discouraged if yourprogressintheartofmeditationseemspainfullyslow.This is no easy task you are on, and quick resultsshouldnotbelookedfor.Mostworthwhilethingstaketimes to achieve, and it is always the hardest wonvictory that gives the greatest satisfaction.Perseveranceisthekey-word,andoneshouldalwaysbear inmind theChinese proverb, that “One shouldnot be afraid of travelling slowly, but only afraid ofstandingstill.”

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TheArtofMeditation

Irrigators lead the water where they will,fletchers shape the arrow; carpenters bendwoodtotheirwill;wisemenshapethemselves.

Dhammapada

Therearemanyfacetstothereligiouslife,andthefullreligious life is the one that takes them all intoaccount. There is a danger in over-emphasising oneaspect, though we are all prone to do this onoccasions.ThoseofuswholiveintheWesternWorldtendtolaygreatstressonwhatwecaretobelievearethepracticalaspectsofreligion.Religionisthoughttobe of little value unless it is seen to be doingsomething.Onedoesnotdespise this.Thedictatesofcompassion cannot be ignored. But there is a dangerthat in all this busy over-organised activity we maylose sight of the most fundamental thing of all, thedevelopment, cultivation, and perfection of oneself.Nor is this a selfish aim, for only as we becomemastersofourselvescanwetrulybecometheservantsofothers.Themostimportantthinginallreligionlifethen—in the sense of being the thingwe need to dofirst—is to obtain complete self-mastery, to purifyourselves,todevelopthemindandtoraiseone’slevel

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of consciousness. But how is this to be done?Meditation provides the answer. But how does onemake a start in mastering the difficult art ofmeditation?

Firstofallonemustrecognisethat inmeditation—as in all worthwhile things—little is accomplished ifonehasno realdesire todo itand thework isbadlydone.One’sfirsttaskthenistotrytoovercomeone’sreluctance and to encourage in oneself the desire tomeditate. One must also carefully examine one’smotives forwanting tomaster the art ofmeditation.Theincreasedmentalpowerswhichmeditationbringsare not good or bad in themselves—it all dependsupontheusetowhichtheyareput.Dowewishtouseanynew-foundpowerswemayacquire for thegoodof mankind? It must be remembered too thatmeditation should not become an excuse for us toneglectourotherduties.Thetimefoundforitmustbetakenfromourleisurehours.

As inall thingsonemustgivedueattention to thepractical little details. Experience has shown that thebestresultsareobtainedwhenonestickstoasettimeand place. A fewminutes a daywill probably bringbetter results than half an hour twice a week. Thebody should be poised and alert, yet relaxed andcomfortable. The lotus position—the cross-leggedposition on the floor—is advised for those who can

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learn to use it without discomfort, but this is not amatter of fundamental importance. Having taken acomfortable position onemust then completely relaxoneself,andthisisbestdonebybreathingslowlyanddeeplyfromthestomach.Thisrelaxesthebodywhileatthesametimeithelpstostimulatethemind.

Evennowoneisnotreadyformeditation,forbeforeone can do that one must develop the necessarypowers.Awould-besportsmanknowsthathewilldono good on the field of play until he has first of alltuneduphisbodyanddevelopedhismuscles.Tothisend he will dedicate himself to hours of physicalexercise.Inthesamewayitisfutiletotrytomeditateuntil you have first developed yourmentalmuscles.This is done by learning to concentrate, and allmanuals on meditation give lists of exercises inconcentration which help to this end. The object ofthese exercises is to learn how to focus one’s entiremindonagiventhingandtoholditthereforaperiodoftime.Inshortonemustlearntouseone’smindlikeasearchlightandtoconcentrateitsfullpoweronanygivenpoint.

One exercise frequentlymentioned in text-books isthat of concentrating one’s full attention on a smallphysical object. A matchbox or an orange will do.Placethechosenobjectbeforeyouafewfeetawayandthen, when you are completely relaxed, focus the

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searchlightofyourmindupon it.Exclude fromyourmind all but the object you have chosen for yourexercise. See ifyoucanhold this alone inyourmindforawholeminute.Ifyoucannotthenatleastyouwillhave been taught a valuable lesson in humility, foryouwillhavebeenforcedtorecognisethegulfwhichlies between you and even elementary thoughtcontrol.Whenyoucanreallycarryoutthisexerciseforthreewholeminutes continuously therewill be timeenoughtomoveontothenext.Thereareindeedmanyexerciseswhichonecanuse.Onecanelaborateonthefirst exercise by concentrating on a matchbox, thenafterawhileclosingone’seyesinanefforttopictureitinthemind’seye.Whilelookingatitinthemind’seyeone should view it from all its different angles, thenmostdifficultof all, try to lookat it fromall sidesatonce.

Moredifficultstillonecancloseone’seyeandtrytovisualise a colour. Take for example the colour blue.Witheyesclosed,visualiseblue,notablueobjectbutjustblue.Thenslowly infuse thebluewithyellowsothatitbeginstoshowasamoregreenishblue,notinpatches,but simultaneouslyeverywhere.Continue tomake it greener and greener until you have awholeworld of vivid green. Then just as gradually makeyour green yellow until your world is a pure andbrilliantyellow.Thenifyouwish,reversetheprocess

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back through green to blue. There are, of course,dozensofotherexercisesIcouldmention,butIdonotwishtoduplicatewhatcanbefoundinanytextbookonconcentration,andwithalittleimaginationonecaneasily invent one’s own. And, of course, it goeswithoutsayingthatweshouldmakeconcentrationanintegralpartofourdaily lifebygivingour completeandundividedattentiontoeverythingwedo.

How easy it is to let the mind wander instead ofkeeping it fixedon the job inhand,but instriving tocurb this tendency we go a long way towardspreparing our minds for the practice of meditation.Theexercises Ihaveoutlinedmayseemrather trivialandsilly,butthensowouldthe‘physicaljerks’oftheathlete if we did not understand the aim they aremeant to serve. Either you can do these exercises oryoucannot.Ifyoucannotthenyouareinnopositionto despise them. If you can, then by all means passfrom them without delay. When some measure ofefficiencyinconcentrationhasbeenacquiredthenonemay turn to the practice of meditation, the doublepurpose of which is to increase one’s ownenlightenment and to share it with the sufferingmillionsofmankind.

Broadly speaking meditation may be divided intotwo: lower meditation and higher meditation—or toput it another way, meditation “with the seed” and

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meditation “without the seed,” the “seed” being thesubject for meditation. Only those who haveconsiderableexperience intheformershouldattemptthelatter,forifitistriedtooearly,itisapttoproducea negative attitude of mind with a resulting loss ofconcentration,discouragementandwasteoftime.Letusthen—asthisisbutasimpleprimerforbeginners—concentrateonlowermeditation,i.e.,meditation“withtheseed.”

The choices for the “seed-thought”—the object formeditation—areinfinite.Onemaychoosetomeditateupon some particular doctrine of religion, or uponsome passage of scripture. One’s subject may be averseorasaying,orsomethingthatonehasheardinasermon. You may choose to meditate upon certainfacts of life, the immensity of the universe, thecomplexity of life in all its forms, that everything inexistence—oneself included—is in a constant state offluxundergoingceaselesschange.

Oragain,thesubjectmaybeoneofthegreatvirtues.Mettā —loving kindness—provides an excellentsubjectformeditation.Firsttrytowashfromthemindall impurities, lust, hatred and ignorance, andendeavour to suffuse your own being withunboundedlove.Thenturnyourthoughtstoafriendanddirect thesame thoughtsof love towardshimorher. Then concentrate your feeling upon someone to

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whom you are indifferent. Next, and most difficult,visualiseanenemyorsomeoneyoudislike,andeventhoughatfirstitisdifficulttodosowithoutafeelingofhypocrisy,pervadehimorherwiththewarmthofgenerous and pure affection. Finally, radiate lovingkindnesstoallmankind,thentoallformsoflife,andso through all of the universe. Nārada Thera’sexcellent book, Buddhism in a Nutshell (WheelPublication, Special Issue) has a beautifulmeditationon the Perfections which for your convenience Iinclude here. It is a meditation I can heartilyrecommend.

MeditationonthePerfections(pāramī)

1. May I be generous and helpful (dāna—generosity).

2. MayIbewelldisciplinedandrefinedinmanners.MayIbepureandcleaninallmydealings.Maymy thoughts, words and deeds be pure (sīla—morality).

3. May I not be selfish and self-possessive butselfless and disinterested. May I be able to

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sacrifice my pleasure for the sake of others(nekkhamma—renunciation).

4. May I bewise and be able to see things as theytruly are.May I see the light of Truth and leadothers from darkness to light. May I beenlightenedandbeabletoenlightenothers.MayIbe able to give the benefit of my knowledge toothers(paññā—wisdom).

5. May I be energetic, vigorous and persevering.May I strive diligently until I achieve my goal.May I be fearless in facing dangers andcourageously surmount all obstacles. May I beabletoserveotherstothebestofmyability(viriya—energy).

6. MayIeverbepatient.MayIbeable tobearandforbear the wrongs of others. May I ever betolerant and see the good and beautiful in all(khanti—patience).

7. MayIeverbetruthfulandhonest.MayInothidethe truth to be polite.May I never swerve fromthepathofTruth(sacca—truthfulness).

8. MayIbefirmandresoluteandhaveanironwill.MayIbesoftasaflowerandfirmasarock.MayIever be high-principled (adhiṭṭhāna —determination).

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9. May I everbekind, friendlyand compassionate.May I be able to regard all as my brothers andsisters and be one with all (mettā—lovingkindness).

10. May I be calm, seaceful. May I gain a balancedmind.May I have perfect equanimity (upekkhā—equanimity).

MayIservetobeperfect,MayIbeperfecttoserve.

Idonot thinkIneedtogiveanyfurtherexamplesofmeditations. Others will suggest themselves to yourownmind,andinpracticeyouwillfindmanymore.

At the beginning I stated that there are differentaspects to the religious life and that many people—particularly in the West—have a great fondness forwhat they regard as the practical side of religion.Perhaps this is why so many of us have tended toneglect meditation, for to those who have noknowledge or experience of it, it does seem to havelittletodowiththehardworldofreality.Yetintruth,the practice of meditation is of the highest practicalvalueandisapre-requisiteforallrealservice,foronlyaswetrulybecomemastersofourselvescanwereallybecometheservantsofothers.Thegreatestservicewecanrenderisthatoftryingtoshedalittlelightinthisworldofdarkness,alittleknowledgeinthisworldof

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ignorance,alittlewisdominthisworldoffolly.

As the Bhikkhu Buddhadāsa reminds us:“Practising meditation is like sharpening a knife forcutting cleanly, or like polishing a glass so as to seeclearly.”[1]Iwouldaddthatitisalsolikecleaningthewindows so that the light that is within you mayilluminethepatharoundyouthatothersmayseethelightandtreadmoresafelytheroadoflife.Thelightiswithin thee. Let the light shine. Nor should weoverlookthefactthateventheactofmeditationitself—quiteapartfromthebenefititbringstoourselves—is an act of service, for like radio stations constantlysending out radio waves we are constantly sendingout “thought waves” which in ways unseen andundreamed of raise or lower the moral climate ofsociety around us. A fanciful notion? Perhaps. Butwhohasnotatsometimeorotherenteredaroomandimmediatelysensedtheatmosphereofthatroomevenbeforeawordhasbeenspoken—andeveninextremecases if everyone has already left the room.Sometimes, speaking of such an experience, we say:“The atmospherewas so thick you could have cut itwithaknife.”Coulditnotbethatinmeditationthereis an element of “mental telepathy?” If so, themeditation is inpart at least a formof “concentratedtelepathy” which, when purposefully directed, canconveygreatbenefits toothers. Inmeditationwecan

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join that unseen Brotherhood whose spiritualendeavours help to form a guardian wall abouthumanity.

I cannot stress too strongly that in this simpleprimer we have barely scratched the surface of thisdeep and complex subject. Yet little though it is thatwehave learned, it is sufficient tomakeabeginning,and a start upon the road towards enlightenment.Even the acquisition of a little wisdom can workwonders,foraswelearnintheSuttaofWeiLang(HuiNeng):

Even as the light of a lamp can break updarknesswhichhas been there for a thousandyears,socanasparkofwisdomdoawaywithignorancewhichhaslastedforages.

Thelightistheretobefound,butsooftenwearelikethe man who turns his back to the light and thencomplains about the shadow in front. To those whodoubttheirabilitytosucceedthereisbutoneword—TRY.Andinmeditation,asinallthings,thereareonlytwobasicrules:BEGINandCONTINUE.

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InnerThoughts—AndOutwardResults

All that we are is the result of what we havethought: it is founded on our thoughts, it ismadeupofourthoughts.Ifmanspeaksoractswith an evil thought, pain followshim, as thewheelfollowsthefootoftheoxthatdrawsthecarriage. If a man speaks or acts with a purethought,happinessfollowshim, likeashadowthatneverleaveshim.

Dhammapada

Itisnowgenerallyagreedthatmanisamemberoftheanimal kingdom, and that like the other animals—towhom he is related—his existence has been broughtabout by the long processes of evolution. Like otheranimalsmanisbornasaresultofthematingprocess,he needs food, drink and rest in order to grow andremain healthy, he experiences pain, sickness, andultimatelydeath.Yetinoneimportantrespectmanisdifferent fromthe lower formsof life, forhealoneofall thecreaturesof thisplanethasthepowertothinkimaginatively, creatively and constructively. A mancanthink,andhisthoughtsmakehimwhatheis.

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Theabilitytothink,thepowerofthought, isman’sgreatest gift. It is thought which moulds civilisationand which created many of the things we take forgranted.Asatinyseedcanproduceabeautifulflower,as a small seed can produce a mighty tree, so canthought produce the most wonderful things. Everybook ever written, every symphony ever composed,everytempleeverbuilt,everyscientificdiscoveryevermade,everyreligiousorpoliticalsystemevercreatedbegan in the mind of a man as a thought. Religion,philosophy,art,science,politics,andallthethingswemeanbycivilisationbeginasathought.AnditwasbyhispowerofthoughtthatSiddhatthaGotamabecameBuddhaandgavehisDhammatotheworld.

AmongthereligionsoftheworlditisinBuddhismthat the power of thought is given the strongestemphasis. TheDhammapada reminds us that “all thatwe are is the result of what we have thought,” andfurther reminds us that “the wise man shapeshimself.” It is of the character-building power ofthoughtinourownlivesthatIwouldhaveusgiveourmainattention.

Thecreativeordestructivepowerofthought—foritcanindeedworkbothways—isagreattruththathasbeenknownintheEastformanycenturies.ItwastheTeachingoftheLordBuddha.IntheWestwecametotheknowledgeratherlate,butourpsychologistsnow

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corroboratetheancienttruthandtellusthatmanyofour physical and mental ailments are due to ourthoughts. Soworry, for example, is one of themajorcauses of ulcers, while fear anger, hatred, and theconstantdwellingonlewdthoughts,alltaketheirtoll.The same is true in the moral realm. Evil thoughts,constantly entertained, weaken the character andmake one more susceptible to temptation. All evilwords anddeeds areprecededby evil thoughts, andevil thoughtsallowed to remainunchangedwill leadeventuallytoevilwordsanddeeds.

Thoughts then can be either good or bad and cangiverisetoresultsthatareeitherharmfulorpleasant.Itisclaimedthatsomehavegainedsuchcontroloverthementalprocessesthattheycansuspendthoughtalltogether, and for a long period keep their mind aperfectblank.Fewofusarelikelytoachievethis.Formostofusthoughtsofonesortoranotherwillalwaysbe milling around in our heads, and if they are notgoodthoughtstheywillinevitablybebad.Sincenobleandbase thoughts cannot co-exist in themindat thesametime,onewillalwaysexpeltheother.

We are not to blame if evil thoughts occasionallyenterourminds,butweareatfaultifwegivethemawelcomeandallowthemto remain thereunchecked.As the Eastern proverb has it: “We cannot preventthemfromalightingonourheads,butwecanprevent

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them from building their nests there.” A keengardenerwillrootoutaweedassoonasitappearsinhis garden lest it should take hold and eventuallydestroyhisgoodplants.Weshouldactwiththesameurgencywith evil thoughts, for they toowill quicklytake root and destroy the noblest flowerings of ourminds.Thesurestwayofkeepingevilthoughtsatbayis to discipline ourminds to think constantly of thatwhichisbeautifulandtrueandgood.Whenthemindis fullof thatwhich isgood, theevilwill seek foranentryinvain.

TheDhammapadawarns thewiseman toguardhisthoughts, for they are, it says, “difficult to perceive,very artful, and they rush wherever they list.Thoughts well guarded bring happiness.” TheDhammapadafurthersays:

Let noman think lightly of evil, saying in hisheart:‘Itwillnotcomenighuntome.’Evenbythefallingofwaterdrops,awater-potisfilled;thefoolbecomesfullofevil,evenifhegathersitlittlebylittle.

Letnomanthinklightlyofgood,sayinginhisheart:‘Itwillnotcomenighuntome.’Evenbythefallingofwaterdrops,awater-potisfilled;thewisemanbecomes fullofgood, even ifhegathersitlittlebylittle.

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Slowly, like a jar beneath a dripping cave, weaccumulate vice or virtue. The choice is ours. Thechoiceisimportant,for,“Ifamanspeaksoractswithanevilthought,painfollowshim,asthewheelfollowsthefootof theoxthatdrawsthecarriage…Ifamanspeaksoractswithapurethought,happinessfollowshim,likeashadowthatneverleaveshim.”

Wearethinkingbeings,andoutofourthoughtswecancreatewondrousthings.Butmoreimportantthanany work of art, more important than any majesticbuilding,moreimportantthananyfeatofengineeringisthatofshapingourselves.Andwecandojustthatas we direct our thoughts towards pure and nobleends, knowing that by our thoughts—which in turngovern our words and deeds—we are preparing forourselvesaharvestofjoyorsorrow.

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Notes

1. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, Extinction WithoutRemainder & The Fruit of Meditation, BuddhistPublicationSociety,BodhiLeavesNo.33[Back]

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TableofContents

Titlepage 2Meditation—TheInwardJourney 4Introduction 4TheArtofMeditation 6MeditationonthePerfections(pāramī) 12

InnerThoughts—AndOutwardResults 17Notes 22

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