But a fact of life is that it has to have to undergo old age, sickness, death, parting with loved ones, physical illness, stress, crying lamentation etc. All things that it doesn't like. We live, work so hard, strive so hard for this and that, and ultimately it all ends one day…in death. An unfair situation. Why should we have to leave everything and everyone we have always cherished and enjoyed? An unsatisfactory situation.

Things which give us pleasure don't last. Yet we would like them to. We can only have so much of a good thing, then we become sick of it. We can't continue it for ever. This is the truth of our existence. The good things we enjoy, makes us want them over and over again. If we don't have them, we become frustrated. We try to make more money to get them, work harder. We put up with more unpleasantness than the pleasure we get out. We work 6 days a week for one day of enjoyment. We have to do this just to survive. Just to survive. Is there a balance? Is this satisfactory?

This is not a negative view of our existence, it is only a realistic one. One which we don't like to look at, for obvious reasons. We grit our teeth and move on. But we don't like it. We are too scared even to admit honestly that we don't like it, lest it disturbs our idea that everything is fine.

Hence the situation is Unsatisfactory. This is one of the truths about our existence.

What is the reason we want to experience only good things, you might ask? If our minds didn't have this need, we wouldn't find anything unpleasant or bad. In fact everything around us is just atoms and energy. It is only our minds which supply the ‘pleasant' and ‘unpleasant'. Which is in a way an aberration in our perception of nature.

Why can't we change our external circumstances so that everything is pleasant then? Unfortunately this is not possible. Science has yet to come up with way to put an end to sadness, aging, sickness and death. Lets assume that the external circumstances are excellent. Would that guarantee happiness? Unfortunately not. The man who has the most always wants more. It is the nature of our mind to crave. Then where lies the answer? It lies inside.

These were the questions which burned in the mind of young prince Siddhartha (later known as the Buddha) when he left his princely riches and went in search of the answer. To find a path which could change the internal. After six years of intense meditation, and trying different practices of different teachers, he found a path. In his own words as laid down in ancient books "It is just as if a man, travelling along a wilderness track, were to see an ancient path, travelled by people of former times. He would follow it and he would see an ancient city, inhabited by people of former times, complete with parks, groves, & ponds, walled, delightful. He would go to address the king, saying, 'Sire, you should know that while travelling along a wilderness track I saw an ancient path... I followed it... I saw an, an ancient capital... complete with parks, groves, & ponds, walled, delightful. Sire, rebuild that city!' The king would rebuild the city, so that at a later date the city would become powerful, rich, & well-populated, fully grown & prosperous.

"In the same way I saw an ancient path, an ancient road, travelled by the Buddhas (Rightly Self-awakened Ones) of former times. And what is that ancient path, travelled by the Buddhas of former times? Just this noble eightfold path: right view , right resolve , right speech , right action , right livelihood , right effort , right mindfulness , right concentration ... I followed that path.”

The Path mentioned above can be summarised in to 3 stages.

•  Virtue, or purity of mind (Sila)

•  Tranquillity and one-pointedness of mind (Samadhi)

•  Wisdom or Insight (Panna)

As you can see the path contains entirely a development of the mind.

This path aims to eliminate all mind states that bring unhappiness, and cultivate qualities which lead the way to happiness and peace. It is a path of meditation and a way of life as well.

Each of the 3 components act as a base for the one after it in the order given above. Having a virtuous mind means that it is tranquil and does not get distracted easily. This helps in types of meditations which bring about one pointedness of mind. The deep tranquility developed in these meditation techniques leads to deeper states of consciousness known as Jhanas or Absorptions. When a mind reaches this stage, it is quiet enough and calm enough to see it's own inner workings, which is very subtle. It begins to observe how it creates what we call Existence through the sensory organs. It also makes us realize misconceptions we have of this world. This dawning of truth is the third stage of the path, Insight.

Repeated insights, often over many years lead to ever deepening peace and quietness of the mind. More tranquility and happiness. Less sadness, anxiety and stress. Less Craving and less Aversion towards this world. This does not happen overnight. It is a gradual path, which slopes like the sands to the sea.

This is also beyond religion. There are no dogmas you have to believe in, because everything can be observed by yourself, within your own mind. The results are there for you to see as well. It is almost a science, based on observation, which can be tested repeatedly. Indeed, the Buddha himself proclaims that this path is for the Wise and not the foolish. He states that you should not believe anything just because it was handed down to you from the past, written in books, because a group came to a conclusion about it, or even if it is logically thought out (Ex: Bomb Hiroshima –logical decision). It has to be seen from within yourself, by the practitioner himself.

This then is the path of meditation.

What of rebirth and karma etc you might say, which are accepted parts of Buddhism. If you see no proof, there is no need to believe anything. Just know what you observe from within yourself. Rarely people develop special abilities to observe these things from within themselves. But it is not a necessity. If you don't believe something, just drop it in the ‘unknown' box rather than the ‘outright lie' box. This will help you as the practice matures. This is the right and clear thinking way forwards to reap the benefits. There is no place for foolish acceptance.

A practitioner needs to be energetic and be devoted to the cultivation of his or her own mind, with daily practice. He also needs to be patient. Results will start coming within weeks or months depending on the practitioner. He needs perseverance. It helps immensely if he is in the company of other meditators practicing the same technique, because they will spur each other on. It is also important to understand the reasons for the meditations being practiced as it is better done with good understanding.

Motivation is paramount in continued practice. For the same reasons this cannot be forced upon someone. It must be something the practitioner really wants. Those who know it can only make it available when requested. The meditator should stay in touch with a meditation instructor as he will be a guide in this path, especially initially when dealing with the unknown territory of the mind.

People with sever mental illnesses (with hallucinations, delusions etc) should not attempt this as experience shows worsening of the condition. Meditation is recommended for those with mild to moderate depression, anxiety and mood swings. There maybe some unusual experiences, all quite harmless, which might be initially frightening to the practitioner, because of the novelty. These can be safely avoided with explanations as to their harmless nature, and what to do in such situations. This again highlights the importance of a guide.

The benefits are many. Some include physical –lowering of blood pressure is a well researched benefit. Others are mental- more peace, happiness, tranquility. You will become a more principled and virtuous person. Less sadness, aversion, anger, hostility. You will find more satisfaction out of life. These lead to more confidence, better understanding of your own mind, change in priorities which lead to happiness and away from sadness. It can become a life changing experience as mentioned above, but only with good persistent practice. Ultimately it becomes steps in the path to final peace, what all Buddhists cherish –Nibbana or Enlightenment.

A few types of meditation are introduced to the beginner:

•  Loving-Kindness meditation (Metta bhavana)– This is a type of meditation which cultivates love and compassion towards all beings. It requires a moderate level of concentration. It lowers anger/aversion of the mind.

•  Contemplation of the Foulness of the body (Ashubha bhavana)- This meditation seeks to find the true nature of the bodies we all love so much. A moderate level of concentration is required. It lowers desire/craving of the mind.

•  Breath meditation (Anapanasathi bhavana)- This focuses the mind on to one point. The point where the breath hits the nostril. This is an intense concentration meditation. One which will take the practitioner to the deepest states of mind. 1) and 2) help this in stopping thoughts based on desire and aversion from arising, thereby helping the effort of keeping the mind in one place.

•  Walking meditation (Sakman bhavana) - A moderate concentration meditation which focuses on the sensations of the soles of the foot while walking. Good when starting meditation to help gain focus quickly. Also when sleepy.

May all beings find peace and happiness.

Matheesha Gunathilake