Opening Talk

The talk I am presenting now is based on my Chinese article bearing the same title. That article was the result of several months of study and many revisions. My intention was to offer a practical manual on Buddhist meditation.

You may wonder why I wanted to write a manual on Buddhist meditation when there are so many books available on this topic? In many books on Buddhist meditation one encounters abstract theoretical terms describing highly advanced meditative states. Although such theories are valuable knowledge, beginners would be at a loss about how to apply them in the practice of meditation. Besides, too much theoretical knowledge may sometimes even become a hindrance to adopting a practice. It is analogous to learning how to swim by reading books about it rather than going into the water. The accumulation of such knowledge is no guarantee that one will learn to swim with ease. What is essential is a daily practice in water.

An ideal manual for beginners should avoid complicated descriptions of advanced stages; instead, it should provide a general outline of the essentials and a detailed account of the practical steps. This is precisely what I am trying to accomplish in this article.

Nowadays, meditation is often introduced or taught as merely a relaxation technique. However, Buddhist meditation involves our whole being—our way of life, our outlook of the world. Meditation should not be an independent activity; it should connect with every aspect of our lives.

If we study Buddhist teachings on meditation carefully, we learn that Buddha does not encourage people to jump into meditation. The Eightfold Noble Path puts Right Meditation as a final step, preceded by Right View, Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Livelihood, etc. Therefore, beginners should first learn of the preliminary stages for meditation and make proper preparatory adjustments of their lives.

In this connection I have pointed out in my manual the essential principles of Buddhist meditation. Once the beginner has learned these essentials, it will become easy for him to integrate all aspects into a unified activity during his actual practice of meditation. For example, a book on swimming tells us how to move our hands, legs and head and how to regulate breathing; still we need to integrate all these into a coherent act of swimming, and that is the difficult part. The same is true in meditation. The essential principles guide us in making meditation a coherent activity; therefore, it is very important.

I am now going to orally translate my Chinese article for you and elaborate on it to help you get a clearer understanding. Since we will have three meetings, there will be plenty of time for you to raise questions whenever you have one.