Meditation Misfire 

Editor:

I have been a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for the past 10 years and so read Barry Evans' column on meditation with interest ("Meditation: Stress Reduction or Induction," Feb. 21). Buddhism is an extremely complex philosophy which teaches literally thousands of types of meditation. However, in very general terms, the purpose of Buddhist meditation is to clear one's mind of disturbing emotions, particularly attachment. While a sense of calm and well-being is often a byproduct of Buddhist meditation practice, it is never the goal. By definition, being free of attachment means that one has no goal.

Mr. Evans mistakenly asserts that destroying the mind's complacency is the opposite of healing it. He states that our choices are to (1) meditate on our path to serenity and good health or (2) meditate to realize there is no path. Dharma teaches us not to meditate "on" anything. Only when the mind is free of attachments can we experience clarity and insight.

Patti D. Thomas, Arcata