Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

matter of patience and practice before the full lotus
becomes possible.
I could not sit in the lotus position until I was
twenty-seven, so for any Westerner under thirty years
old it should be easy to learn.
G. HOMAGE
After dealing with the special problems of the Occident,
I should like to say a few words on our dedication. In
the West there are many things to desire and so much
evil springs up. (See Ch. I, D). Western countries are
like hells of materialism. Of course, some Oriental
countries are more or less the same.
The miserable sufferers in these hells cannot be saved
by us but rather by the Three Gems and by you who are
Bodhisattvas. Just as Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha has the
great resolve and courage to go to hell to save all the
tormented beings there, so you (Khantipalo) are writing
this book, which can save so many from the great hell of
materialism.
The second great Wisdom-being has the power to
subdue demons and remove all obstacles. He will
prepare the way for those who practice.
Both resolve and removal of obstacles are important in
the steps preliminary to samadhi attainment—hence our
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