I started to read this book, upon being successfully convinced to do so by a close friend of mine- a friend, whom I have known for more than three fourths of my life. A deeply religious type ( unlike me ) , he managed to convince me to read this book, not because he was my friend, nor due to his religious zeal ( I am wont to regard with circumspect mixed with caution, all those with religious zeal ), but rather due to his outlook at life, and the essence of happiness he tends to carry with his person or his countenance. I felt that maybe he was trying to pass a massage to me, which he mayn't be able to pass on to me by his own words. I have many - probably around fifty or sixty books on Buddhist philosophy written by reputed Buddhist scholars in particular, which always gets postponed in winning a reading slot ( I have read a few chapters in most of these, more than half in many others etc. ).
Most of those written by University based intellectuals, explore "The Philosophy of the Buddha", weighed, measured and based with modern standards of knowledge as a scale. They are a criticism on another body of knowledge as they are wont to treat Buddhist Philosophy. Upon completion of many of these, no doubt I will become more knowledgeable about Buddhism. I would know more facts, and possibly possess more points of views to nurture a dialogue etc. But does it assist me in following the path recommended by the Buddha, towards liberation ? No. They are at best, well written books on Buddhist Philosophy. They are most excellent treatises if one's hunger is to become knowledgeable about "Buddhist Philosophy" as categorized by schools of philosophy. I am afraid that this includes the Abhidhamma as we learn it from books today. Then there are the other types of books, which hold every word present in the Buddhist commentaries, as the absolute truth. While it is still possible to disregard these references and glean out the real Dhamma in them, they are to some degree an exercise of scholasticism , which add work more , and which is not my intention in reading a book on Dhamma. ( This in no way is a criticism on others who read the two types of books referred above. It is only my account, upon long years of reading these two types of books. )
What is different about this book ? The most attractive thing about this book is the simplicity that it is written in. It is written in a style that makes the reader convince that maybe meditation wouldn't be too difficult a thing to venture upon. That it is must be a rewarding experience, if a Cambridge graduate of theoretical physics, a scholarship winner, gave all that up, to don the robes. Then in these eleven concise essays he dwells on how to begin meditation, how to look out for distractions, how to avoid pit falls and how to make progress with meditation.
I make the following extracts as demonstrations to build my case on the usefulness of this book:
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-------------------------"When you disengage from the outside, meditation just happens. It’s important to realize that you don’t make it happen. I don’t like it when people teach others to use willpower to watch the breath. It’s better to use wisdom power. Through wisdom you see that the world is suffering, and then you disengage, you get nibbidā. you can’t do anything else; it’s an automatic reaction. So understanding suffering and disengaging are the base that you always come back to. And the more you disengage the easier it is to meditate. When I say easier, it’s just that meditation happens, that’s all."
"Once you start to taste the stillness in the mind, it’s terribly addictive. It’s meant to be. It’s a good thing because the addiction of the mind to stillness is what’s going to drive you deeper toward nibbāna. The Buddha actually said that attachment to deep meditation can lead only to the stages of enlightenment (DN29). you don’t have to be concerned or worried about the addiction to letting go. This is the pleasure, joy, and path of monastics. It’s their freedom. It’s an addiction that leads to more and more fading away and letting go. Nibbidā increases and it pushes you away from the world."
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"To make this sort of practice truly effective, use caring attention. Caring attention is not just being mindful but also looking upon those feelings with gentleness and compassion. you’re not just aware of the sensations, but you’re kind and gentle with them. Kindness and gentleness, along with mindfulness, make it easier both to engage with the object and to calm and tranquilize it. For example, if you have aches in the knees or some sort of tension in the body, you’ll find that using mindfulness, plus a little bit of compassion for yourself,makes it easy to maintain your attention on the body."
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"Don't go looking for insights at this stage. Don't get into thinking and trying to understand things. Understand stillness - just one thing. The great thinkers in this world can think, but they don't necessarily have a deep understanding. There are very few people who can get their minds still and peaceful, so become one of those few. See how much stillness you can create, or rather, allow to occur, in your mind. The truly calm mind is so still that hardly anything happens in it. Don't be afraid of the dullness that initially may be a result of the stillness. The dullness soon disappears, and the stillness becomes a vibrant, powerful, and full of energy. The still energy - that's the one to go for. In deep meditation there's absolutely no motion, and you've got more energy than a nuclear reactor.It's a great practice. As the mind does less, it has more energy, and in time the mindfulness becomes incredibly powerful. With the power comes great brightness - a naturally caring and energetic brightness. When you have happiness and the compassion that comes with it, its easy to go deep into the beautiful breath meditation."
At the time of writing this , I haven't started practicing any meditation. But if ever I am to give meditation a try, this book did the trick of convincing me (I may still never do it, given my inclination towards more material things in life). It also convinced me that maybe I don't need to wait till I meet this perfect guru to start up on meditation. This itself is a change in my attitude towards meditation, it being something I've hitherto postponed for years later, given that my love for family life and desire for books on various subjects and music is such. As for my friend, I may never thank him, just as I never say sorry to him - or he to me - we be beyond those terms. Yet, I may share this with him - and I am almost sure the fellow will not read it.
( Note that this is no way a so called "criticism" of this book. This is just a tale about what convinced me to read this book, and my feelings upon completing this, a couple of weeks back - delayed in putting into writing by various other factors. )
