The Way of Meditation < 26 dec 06 tue>

Is truth something final, absolute, fixed? We would like it to be absolute becausethen we could take shelter in it. We would like it to be permanent because then wecould hold on to it, find happiness in it. But is truth absolute, continuous, to beexperienced over and over again? The repetition of experience is the merecultivation of memory, is it not? In moments of quietness, I may experience acertain truth, but if I cling to that experience through memory and make itabsolute, fixed - is that truth? Is truth the continuation, the cultivation ofmemory? Or, is truth to be found only when the mind is utterly still? When the mindis not caught in memories, not cultivating memory as the center of recognition, butis aware of everything I am saying, everything I am doing in my relationships, in myactivities, seeing the truth of everything as it is from moment to moment - surely,that is the way of meditation, is it not?

There is comprehension only when the mindis still, an d the mind cannot be still as long as it is ignorant of itself. That ignorance isnot dispelled through any form of discipline, through pursuing any authority,ancient or modern. Belief only creates resistance, isolation, and where there isisolation, there is no possibility of tranquillity. Tranquillity comes only when Iunderstand the whole process of myself - the various entities in conflict with eachother which compose the 'me'. As that is an arduous task, we turn to others tolearn various tricks, which we call meditation. The tricks of the mind are notmeditation. Meditation is the beginning of self-knowledge, and without meditation,there is no self-knowledge