Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

with existence in this world, then meditation will not be
pursued as the way towards its extinction. Westerners
often just meditate for worldly purposes, as a tonic or
for relaxation, without knowing why they should
practice. Without recognizing and deeply investigating
the first two Truths, there is no adequate preparation for
meditation.
4. Next come the well-known Thirty-seven Wings of
Enlightenment (bodhipaksadharmas), each of which can
be examined from three positions which have been
described in the last Chapter (See Ch. III, B). Here we
are only concerned with the causal position of
theoretical knowledge and reflection upon it, which
must precede the meditation process as preparation for
it.
a. The first group of the thirty-seven are the Four Kinds
of Mindfulness (smrtyupasthana, satipatthana). (See
Chapter IX). These stand at the beginning and are in the
causal position for the later practice of meditation; they
are its preparation. (Note: This is a different
interpretation of satipatthana than that found in
Theravada works.)
Without these four, no great differentiation can be made
between Buddhism and non-Buddhist systems. If a
neophyte does not learn these thoroughly at the
beginning, then he will surely stray away from the true
Teachings of the Buddhas.
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