Publisher's Synopsis
I am not an expert on Buddhist meditation. If one does not himself know how to sing, how can he teach another? However, let us attempt to come to some understanding of the subject. Let us begin by considering two basic questions: What is meditation? Why do we meditate? A sensible man takes on an assignment only after proper consideration of the means and the likely outcome. To start something without this does not seem to be wise. It is true that people are intelligent enough without meditation. Science has developed beyond our expectations without meditation; the computer operates much more rapidly without meditation than the human brain that built it. Why then should we concern ourselves with it? Our innumerable births have already heavily conditioned our minds; surely they do not need further conditioning even through meditation! Why are so many people nowadays eager to meditate? And what is the result of meditation? People have meditated for years and yet they seem to be as human and miserable as those who have not. It is not my purpose to discourage you from meditation, but I mention this in order to draw your attention to this fact so that you may think about it yourself. For if you find meditation a useless exercise, it is better to do something else.
