TRUE MEDITATION. A full explanation has not yet been given of meditation as one of the Six Perfections. Indeed, this word has such a profound meaning that we cannot generalize concerning it.

From the standpoint of its result, "meditation" means to maintain a cool and unagitated mind under all circumstances. But it also means the practice necessary in order to attain this result. In other words, it indicates the idea of contemplation, or concentration of the mind on a single object while sitting quietly alone.

On what should we concentrate? That is the important question. And this indeed is the point at which religion differs from philosophy and morality.

However hard we may concentrate on something, we cannot become absolutely free from our sufferings as long as we are absorbed only in immediate phenomena with a self-centered attitude. For example, if we devote ourselves to thinking of such a selfish matter as wishing to be rid of uneasiness and irritation concerning the management of our business, or wishing to recover from illness, it is obvious that we cannot be freed from such trouble for a moment, because our mind is swayed by our business or our illness. This kind of mental absorption is not meditation but a mere struggling with illusion.

To reflect on our past conduct, criticizing ourselves for what we think to be wrong and determining to correct it, is a kind of meditation. It can be said to be meditation from a moral point of view. This is a very fine practice that is useful for improving our character.

To think still more deeply than this about a subject is meditation without a self-centered idea. To probe deeply into such matters as the formation of the world, the way of human life, and the ideal society--this is meditation from the philosophical point of view. This kind of meditation is also a fine practice that enhances our character, adding depth to our ideas and in turn benefiting society.

However, regrettably, we cannot obtain a true state of mental peace (nirvana) through the forms of meditation mentioned above. This is because we can go only as far as the range of human knowledge permits, however sternly we may reflect on ourselves and however deeply we may probe philosophically into the ideal way of the world and human life. If we say that people cannot lead themselves to nirvana even though they reflect on their conduct, repent of wrong conduct, and determine to practice good conduct, the following question will naturally arise: "That must be so when reflecting on morality and society and making resolutions on the basis of that reflection. But is it not the way to nirvana to reflect on oneself in the light of the Buddha's teachings and to determine one's actions according to them?" Indeed, this is one process by which we progress toward nirvana, but the way to attain nirvana is not as easy as that. If it were only a matter of understanding and controlling one's superficial, conscious mind, the problem would be relatively simple. Most people can control their conscious mind by means of the Buddha's teachings through practice of religious disciplines. But people also have a mind of which they are not aware. They cannot grasp it because they are unconscious of it. They cannot control it because of being unable to grasp it. This kind of mind is called alaya or manas in Sanskrit and corresponds to the subconscious mind in scientific terminology.

All that one has experienced, thought, and felt in the past remains in the depths of one's subconscious mind. Psychologists recognize that the subconscious mind not only exerts a great influence on human character and mental functions but even causes various disorders. Because it is normally beyond our reach, we cannot control the subconscious mind by mere reflection and meditation.

Here let us recall the problem of karma (go), mentioned in "All in a Moment's Thought." The karma that we have now is very deep-rooted and complex, and includes the "former karma" (shuku-go) that human beings have accumulated since their beginning. We also possess the "former karma" that we have produced ourselves in previous existences and to some extent the "former karma" that our ancestors have produced. And of course we possess the "present karma" (gen-go) that we have produced ourselves in this life. Is it possible for an ordinary person to become free from these karmas and enter the mental state of perfect freedom (escape from the world of illusions) by means of one's own wisdom? This is clearly out of the question. What then, if anything, can we do about it?

Here let us recall the doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind, also discussed in "All in a Moment's Thought." This doctrine teaches us that the three thousand realms with all their relationships are included in a single random thought, and that the mental states leading us to the realms both of hell and of the buddha are included in that one thought. Practically speaking, how can we control such random thoughts? This is not a question that can be answered by human knowledge. One random thought arising out of innumerable thoughts--no scholar, however learned, can teach us to cope with each thought that we hit upon. How should we cope with each one of these thoughts that occur?

This kind of problem is beyond the sphere of philosophy and cannot be answered in terms of morality, either. What can solve this kind of problem? Only religion can do so. There is nothing else that can do this. Confronting a problem of this scope and profundity, we can grasp clearly the true value of religion. We realize that our true salvation must be brought about ultimately by religion.

A religion, especially an advanced religion like Buddhism, includes philosophy, morality, and ethics. Indeed, Buddhism can be said to consist almost entirely of the teaching of philosophy and morality. However, when we make a profound study of the teaching, we find there is something beyond this that touches our hearts directly. It is like a light that envelops us warmly and shines brightly, illuminating our way. It is something that enlivens us and allows us to develop fully according to our true potential. This "something" is nothing other than faith. Christmas Humphreys points this out plainly in the preface of his book Buddhism: "But it lives, it lives tremendously. . . ."

WHAT RELIGION SHOULD BE. What in fact is religion? We must consider religion from its very origin. In all periods people have felt fear of things more powerful than they. In the course of time, their fears changed to feelings of worship and awe.

Primitive human beings feared the moon and stars, not to mention the sun. They had the same feeling toward the snow-capped mountains soaring above them, the great rivers that sometimes flow quietly and at other times overflow their banks and cause heavy floods that ravage the land, and the boundless ocean stretching to the horizon. They revered birds because of their wonderful ability to fly, and stood in awe of powerful beasts like elephants and lions. People's fear of natural things changed gradually to the feeling of awe and finally to that of worship of such forces and beings as gods. This kind of faith is called nature worship or animism.

Next, people came to believe that in the heavens and in the air there were spirits that had such supernatural power that human beings could not control them. These spirits were not characterized by love and compassion but only by the possession of power. Therefore people were afraid of being cursed by these forces unless they worshiped and propitiated them. They believed these spirits could both cause and prevent such calamities as diseases, bad harvests, storms, and rough seas. They trembled in fear of these spirits and worshiped them, praying to be spared misfortune and granted blessings. This kind of faith is called spirit worship.

Primitive people believed that such spirits dwelt within physical things either temporarily or permanently. This abode might be a nonliving thing, such as a stone, a feather, or an implement, or it might be a great tree, an animal or bird, or even a human being. They regarded these things as protecting them, their families, and their villages from harm, and they worshiped them earnestly. This kind of faith is called fetishism. Some primitive people considered a specific animal, plant, or nonliving thing as their ancestor. They worshiped it to be spared harm and to obtain happiness. Such a faith is called totemism.

A more advanced form of religion than the above is primitive pantheism, whose believers regard everything in the universe as a god. There is also a primitive monotheism, which proclaims that one and only one god exists in this world and presides over all things, including good and evil.

These religions remain yet at a low stage. This is because they establish something as an absolute, to be worshiped and prayed to, although the thing worshiped and prayed to is relative to human beings. This kind of faith with which people worship such an animal, plant, or nonliving thing and pray to it cannot be called a mature religion, for such a thing should not be worshiped and prayed to.

For example, the sun is an absolute necessity for human existence, but it is only a thing, not a god. When in the future human knowledge has advanced much further than at present, there is a fair chance of our being able to produce a substitute for the sun. The moon is a mere thing, too, although it was worshiped as a god in ancient times. But now manned spacecraft have landed several times on the moon. This lunar exploration will culminate in practical application of its findings to human life. Rivers, seas, and mountains are nothing but things whose power should be put to practical use by human knowledge to enrich human life. The same can be said of the various animals and plants. If the words "put to practical use" seem to be too anthropocentric, they can be replaced by the expression "be coexistent and coprosperous" by making the best use of the life of natural things.

These matters belong to the sphere of science in a broad sense. And religions have a role to play in giving science the right direction.

Problems that can be solved by human knowledge should be so solved to the last. This is not a new idea but is an unchangeable truth. From this viewpoint, it is no wonder that a religious organization should have a general hospital that uses the most highly advanced modern medical techniques and equipment to treat its patients.

Shakyamuni Buddha has taught this truth in various sutras. For instance, in the Shigalovada-sutras (Shikara-otsu-ropporai-kyo), the Buddha instructed a young man in Rajagriha as to how he should be filial to his parents, saying, "If your parents suffer from disease, you must soon place them under a doctor's care and must nurse them."

In chapter 17 of the Lotus Sutra, "Discrimination of Merits," the Buddha preaches as follows: "Ajita! If anyone, after my extinction, hears this sutra, and is able either to receive and keep, or himself copy or cause others to copy it, he has already erected monasteries and built red sandalwood temples of thirty-two shrines, tall as eight tala trees, lofty, spacious, splendid, in which abide hundreds, thousands of bhikshus; adorned also with gardens, groves, and bathing pools, promenades and meditation cells; with clothing, victuals, bedding, medicaments, and all aids to pleasure provided to the full therein." From the use of the word "medicaments" in the sutra we can judge that it was natural even for monks to take medicine, not to rely on prayers, when they fell ill.

This attitude is not confined to illness and medicine. In the case of economics, for example, the Buddha never teaches us to worship something in order to escape from poverty. In the Samyuktagama-sutra (Zo-agon-gyo) he spoke to the following effect: "First study hard at a technical skill and then earn an income by using it as a right means. Having gained an income, without wasting it, you divide it into four parts, of which one-fourth is allowed for living expenses, two-fourths for business expenses, and the remaining one-fourth for savings as a safeguard against loss of income. . . . If you work rightly and seek money with right wisdom, money will accumulate about you day by day. However, from such money, you must give some to public welfare and must accommodate your friends and relatives in need."

What a pragmatic and moral teaching this is! Thus Shakyamuni teaches us to try to solve our problems by human knowledge whenever this is possible.

Plants, animals, and stones are not objects of worship to which one prays to be healed of illness. They are natural things to be used appropriately for their medical properties through human knowledge and endeavor. Nearly all physical suffering can be eliminated not by the force of the spirit of such an animal as a fox or a snake but by human knowledge, technology, and endeavor.