At the Path of Preparation, we begin serious meditation to try to see the way things really are. Our culture is new to the art of meditation; there are hundreds of different kinds, and some of them are just a temporary escape.

Meditation is a serious tool. We need to use it to fix ourselves and the world, forever. Using meditation only to feel good for a while is like a surgeon taking the anesthesia himself, leaving the patient to die on the operating table.

There are four types of meditation that can lead us, after we die, to a useless place called the Realm of Form. Some of these same meditations, if practiced without a conscious mental state that is infected by the Great Mistake, can save your life. You need to learn the difference, from a qualified teacher.

Moving up through these four types of meditation is similar to listening to your favorite song. At first you only note that the song is being played. Then you begin to examine the beauty of the words and melody. A feeling of deep pleasure washes over you, and finally you go beyond even the pleasure, losing yourself in the song completely.