Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

majority of the population, so it is natural that they fall
into the greatest number of errors.
A. MISTAKES IN MEDITATION
Now we must turn to examine the mistakes committed
by the three groups of persons described. These are
presented in order:
1. The first mistake is not having a foundation of
renunciation as a firm base for their practice of
meditation (see Appendix II, A). Quite often I receive
correspondence from America, and my friends of the
third type there say that to renounce is easy for people
in the East but very hard for Westerners. They complain
that in the West there are so many things to give up so
that it is made more difficult. To them I reply that the
right thing to do is to lay even more stress on
renunciation. If a boy finds mathematics difficult to
study, the only way in which he can learn and progress
in this subject, is to make even greater efforts. So it is
with renunciation. If we find it difficult, we should
struggle and put forth great effort in order to overcome
our attachments and enable us to give them up
completely.
The second type mentioned above is not generally
concerned with meditation, but renunciation is
important for them, too. They have scholarly eminence,
a profession, name, and renown, all of which they
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