Many people in the world today
are searching. They are searching, but they are not finding. Some do not even
know what they are searching for. On the other hand, some know they are
searching for some kind of inner peace and harmony. They have found worries.
They have found so much confusion and disturbances. The have found more
unsatisfactoriness. But they have not found the peace and harmony within. Most
people are adopting the wrong methods to find peace and harmony: they are
looking outside themselves into the external world as the source of their
troubles, worries and problems. They look to the solution of their problems in
their family, job, partner, friends, etc. They believe that if they can only
change the external conditions in their environment, they can become peaceful
and happy. The external conditions change, but they do not become peaceful and
happy. And now so many people are turning their attention to the real source of
their happiness and their troubles: the mind. To turn your attention to the
'inner man', the mind, is to come to meditation.
Today meditation is appealing to
so many people of all works of life amongst various races and religions. Why?
Because the mind works with or without any particular race or religion. The
task of meditation is to understand the nature of the mind and to make use of
the mind in daily life. The mind is the key to miseries. To understand and to
make use of the mind is a task that cuts through all religions. Thus,
meditation can be practised by anyone, regardless of his religious label.
BENEFITS OF MEDITATION
- There is so much for a man to do to gain pleasure in the rat-race world.
Then why meditation? Here are some of the benefits that can come to you if you
practice meditation:
- If you are a busy person, this meditation can help you to get rid of your
tension and to find some relaxation.
- If you are a worried person, this meditation can help you to calm down your
worries and to find either permanent or temporary peace.
- If you are a person who has endless problems, this meditation can help you
to develop the courage and strength to face and to overcome these problems.
- If you lack self-confidence, this meditation can help you to gain the
self-confidence that you need. This self-confidence is the secret of your
success.
- If you have fear in your heart, this meditation can help you to understand
the real nature of the objects that are making you afraid - then you can
overcome the fear in your mind.
- If you are always dissatisfied with everything - nothing in life seems to
satisfy - this meditation will give you the chance to develop and to maintain
some inner satisfaction.
- If you are sceptical and disinterested in religion, this meditation can
help you to go beyond your own scepticism and to see some practical value in
religious guidance.
- If you are frustrated, heart-broken person due to lack of understanding of
the nature of life and the world, this meditation will truly guide you and help
you to understand that you are disturbed for unnecessary things.
- If you are student, this meditation can help you to increase your memory
and to study more efficiently.
- If you are a rich man, this meditation can help you to realise the nature
of your wealth and how to make use of your wealth for your own happiness as
well as for the happiness of others.
- If you are a poor man, this meditation can help you to have some
contentment and not to harbour jealousy towards those who have more than you.
- If you are a young man at a cross-road in your life, and you do not know
which way you turn, this meditation will help you to understand which road is
the one for you to travel to reach your proper goal.
- If you are an elderly man who is fed-up with life, this meditation will
bring you to a deeper understanding of life; this understanding in turn will
relieve you from the pains of life and will increase the joy of living.
- If you are a hot-tempered type, you can develop the strength to overcome
this weakness of anger, hatred, and resentment.
- If you are a jealous type, you can understand the danger of your jealousy.
- If you are a slave to your five senses, you can learn how to become the
master of your sense-desires.
- If you are addicted to drinking or to drugs, you can realise how to
overcome your dangerous habit which has enslaved you.
- If you are an ignorant person, this meditation will give you a chance to
cultivate some knowledge that will be useful and beneficial to both you and
your friends and family.
- If you really practice this meditation, your emotion has no chance to make
you a fool any more.
- If you are a wise person, this meditation will take you to the supreme
enlightenment. Then you will see things as they are, and not as they appear to
be.
These are some of the practical
benefits that come from doing meditation. These benefits are not for sale in
any shop or department store. Money cannot buy them. They are yours for the
practice of meditation.
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This article is a portion of
the book "WHY MEDITATION" written by a Canadian Buddhist monk,
Bhikkhu Piyananda (John Peter Barazzuol). The book contains complete
instructions for Concentration Meditation (SAMATHA) and Insight Meditation
(VIPASSANA) in simple English. The book was published by Singapore Buddhist
Mission for free distribution.
This is re-produced with kind
permission of Ven Dr K Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thero, Chief High Priest of
Malaysia and Singapore, Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.
(<bmsm@po.jaring.my>)
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