Climbing the mountain of meditation
Finding picnic spots and lesser peaks along the way
Checking out the major meditation techniques
Knowing what you’ll see when you get to the top
Developing concentration, receptive awareness, contemplation, and cultivation
The great thing about meditation is that it’s actually quite simple. Just sit
down, be quiet, turn your attention inward, and focus your mind. That’s
all there is to it, really (see the sidebar “Meditation: It’s easier than you
think�?. Then why, you may be wondering, do people write so many books
and articles about meditation �?including detailed books like this one? Why
not just offer a few brief instructions and forget about all the verbiage?
Say that you’re planning to take a long trip by car to some picturesque location.
You could just jot down the directions and follow them one by one. After
a few days, you’d probably get where you want to go. But you’ll enjoy the trip
more if you have a travel guide to point out the sights along the way �?and
you may feel more secure if you carry a troubleshooting manual to tell you
what to do when you have problems with your car. Perhaps you’d like to take
some side trips to scenic spots or even change your itinerary entirely and get
there by a different route �?or a different vehicle!
In the same way, you can consider the practice of meditation to be a journey
of sorts �?and the book you hold in your hands to be a travel guide. This
chapter provides an overview of your trip, offers some alternative routes to
your destination, explains the basic skills you need to know to get you there �?BR>and points to some detours that may advertise the same benefits but that don’t
really deliver. |
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