This long autobiographical article is not an indictment against Buddhism or meditation (I've been practicing both since my childhood) All the problems described in the article arise from one root. It is the commodification of meditation. It is the act of making Buddhism and Meditation Modern and Western. When there is a great potential to evolve consciousness, it also comes with a great potential to ruin everything. Nuclear Energy is the greatest source of power humans have tapped onto. But it is also the energy source that must be handled with utmost care. Little mistake and you have a Chernobyl incident and that is what this protagonist and many others experienced.
Meditation is sold as a cure for all metal troubles and some physical ones. The sale is right. the sales pitch is a glorified hype train with selective reporting. Meditation is more like a self-surgery for your soul/ghost/consciousness. There are so many ways to screw up a self surgery. That is why meditation should be handled with utmost care. You should be far more careful wit meditation than actual nukes.This isn't an exaggeration.
Few Teachings From Dhammapada
Verse 160. One Is One’s Best Saviour
Oneself is refuge of oneself,who else indeed could refuge be?By good training of oneself one gains a refuge hard to gain.
Verse 161. The Unwise Person Comes To Grief On His Own
By oneself is evil done,it’s born of self and self-produced.Evil grinds the unwise one as diamond does the hardest gem.
Verse 165. Purity, Impurity Self-Created
By oneself is evil done,by oneself defiled,by oneself it’s left undone,by self alone one purified.Purity, impurity on oneself depend,no one can purify another.
Click on the title link for the full post. I must also mention that I don't agree with the author's quote "I firmly believe our brains aren’t big enough to understand the firmament we’re in." You should not trust such claims from someone who messed up his meditation sessions. The mind can be understood. It can be figured out. It's only going to be extremely difficult. Greatness is always difficult. It doesn't mean greatness doesn't exist. Greatness is just rare
