Why are Buddhists working with their minds?
The word ‘meditation’ is a translation of the Pali word bhavana, which means ‘mental culture’ or ‘mental development’. It aims at cleansing the mind of impurities and disturbances, such as lustful desires, hatred, jealousy, pride, worries and restlessness, whilst cultivating such qualities as love, compassion, concentration, awareness, joy, and tranquillity. There is, however, a more fundamental aim. This is to reach the Truth – wisdom or penetrative knowledge – which Buddhists call Enlightenment. Ordinarily, our minds are clouded by defilements, so we are unable to see things in their proper nature; it is like looking through a veil or a piece of tinted glass. We do not see reality, but we see things as we would like them to be. Buddhists are working with their minds in order, eventually, to see things as they really are, shorn of our preconceived ideas, our projections, our likes and dislikes. This clarity of seeing, through insight wisdom leads to the attainment of enlightenment.
