Edward Conze's Definition of Meditation
Edward Conze's Definition of Meditation
Lord Buddha taught that the path of salvation comprises of three things: Ethics, Contemplation, and Wisdom. The second term "Contemplation" is also translated as Effort or Meditation. I often see that practioners see Meditation as the act of sitting on the cushion alone. The actual goal is Contemplation which we need to engage in every moment of our lives though it is easier to do when sitting on the cushion. But we should not limit Contemplation to only when we are sitting on the cushion.
Following is the words by Edward Conze on Meditaion.
"Meditation is in Buddhism easily the chief means of salvation. The stress is throughout far less on "doing something" by overt action, than on contemplation and mental discipline. What one aims at is the control of mental processes by meditating on them."
-- Page 17, Buddhism: its essence and development by Edward Conze
