To be a good Buddhist, first of all, a man must
be ethical and regulate his life according to the
moral precepts, which were laid down by Buddha
and are universally appHcable. Next, he mu st
be philosophical, that is, he must train his mind
so as to be capable of .practising^ introspection.
The mechanical observance of the moral laws is
not becoming to the dignity of a rational, con-
scious being. Man must be master of himself,
intellectually, morally, and spiritually. To be
so, he must be able to examine his own states
of consciousness and direct his thoughts and
desires to the end where lies the rationale of
existence. This habit of self-examination is
attainable only through the practice of dhyana,
contemplation. Lastly^ he_mu^jt^ be religious,
by which is meant that he should have an insight
going deep into the indwellings reason, of _ things,
and this insight, according to Buddhism, is the

r4^



PRACTICE OF DHYANA 1 47

outcome of the mental training acquired by self-
introspection. Prajna, which is the most funda-
mental of all the psychic faculties possessed by
man, lies inactive and altogether unrecognized
when the mind is busily engaged in receiving
impressions and elaborating on them through the
ordinary process of understanding. It has no
time to withdraw within itself and watch how
impulses are awakened, stimuli felt, thoughts
matured, in short, how the inner working goes
on. It never knows what a precious stone it
harbors within its being, which, when discov-
ered, will illuminate the inmost significance of
life and put an end to all vanities and vexations
of spirit. The practice of dhyana, however,
brings this latent faculty of consciousness to the
surface and makes a new man out of old, worn-
out, and apparently unpromising stuff.
