Conclusion

We have seen that there are many ways to bring about meditation in the Buddhist tradition and that they can bestow upon a practitioner all-around emotional, mental and physical health, enabling him to gain Enlightenment and, thereby, benefiting both himself and others. There is the proviso, however, that even though sitting practice can promote good health, health is beneficial only temporarily; because, no matter how long you live, you must finally die. In The Sutra of Complete Enlightenment, it says that since time without beginning, all sentient beings have been mired in ignorance. In their confusion they have mistaken the four elements (earth, water, fire, air) for their bodies and the shadows of the data of their six conditioned senses for their minds. The aim, then, is to be free of those delusions, going from confusion to Enlightenment. To keep that aim alive, it is important to use sutras and anything else that helps to clarify Buddhadharma and to continue to practice discipline and concentration in order to develop expert meditation so that Prajna can arise.