An Introduction to Meditation
Bhikkhu Pesala
Practising meditation is like pouring cold water on the fire. Gradually the heat of craving will be reduced and the mind will become more serene. However, practice must be persistent; if you stop pouring water onto the fire, and resume heaping on
fuel as before, craving will soon reassert itself. Continuity is the secret of success in meditation. First learn the technique, then work hard to improve it. Once you are on the right track, practise repeatedly until practice makes perfect.
“The mind is difficult to control; swift and fickle, it flits wherever it likes. To tame the mind is good, for a well-tamed mind brings happiness.”
“Not by a shower of gold coins can sensual pleasures be satiated; sensual pleasures give little satisfaction and are fraught with evil consequences. Knowing this, the wise man, the disciple of the Buddha, does not delight even in heavenly pleasures, but rejoices in the destruction of craving (nibbæna).”
(Dhammapada verses 35, 186-187)
An Introduction to Meditation
