Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

It is important to emphasize Right Livelihood. Many
beginners do not care about this and go on doing bad
deeds. They may want to meditate, but do not want to
give up these unwholesome habits. It is very dangerous
for them not to give them up—they will have trouble in
their meditation. Demons and bad ghosts always
congregate where there are rotten things, and such evil
beings will continually trouble people like this. Without
perfecting one's livelihood (which should not be
harmful either to others or to oneself), it is impossible to
practice meditation properly. One whose livelihood is
pure, however, is always protected in his practice by the
beneficent deities.
Another factor of importance is Right View, which
stands first in the list. Without learning what is Right
View (what Buddha really taught), and what are False
Views, one has no secure foundation for Right
Concentration. People without Right View may
sometimes believe Hinduism and sometimes have faith
in Christianity, thus wandering among all sorts of
beliefs, but this vague kind of faith is not a good
condition for meditation. One should have a proper
understanding of the Buddha's Teachings (from which a
balanced faith will arise) and not go here and there to
different systems, the result of which can only be a
confusion of teachings and a bewildered state of mind.
The preparations as given in the Hinayana are now
finished and we come next to the Mahayana instructions.
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