The civilised person

The man stepped hesitantly into the quiet room and looked around. Mr Hải came over, greeted him and invited him to sit.

• Have you come to learn meditation?
• Yes. My name is Cảnh. I am Catholic, and for a long time I have liked practising meditation to calm the mind, because I feel that in a civilised age people need to calm their minds more. But the trouble is that whenever one speaks of calming the mind through meditation, people assume it is Buddhism. An invisible fence stands in the way, and I have been too wary to seek out a teacher. Now I heard that you have opened this meditation hall without any religious character, so I took courage to come and find out, so that I can practise.
• You are right. That invisible fence between religions keeps people from meditative calm. Every civilised person should have the chance to practise calming the mind through meditation regardless of religion. Meditation is the common property of humankind and goes beyond every religious boundary.
• Thank you very much. May I ask, what method of calming the mind do you teach here?
• Ah, the method of calming the mind here rests on six principles. If you wish to learn, note them down carefully, go home and think them over thoroughly, and then practise. Or you can also come and sit here in the hall.

* The first principle is that Mind and Breath are interrelated: when one moves, the other moves; when one is still, the other is still. Since we cannot directly keep the mind still, we begin by keeping the breath still first, and the mind will become still afterwards. Keeping the breath still means breathing lightly and gently, without trying to breathe a lot: a short in-breath and a long out-breath.

* The second principle is that Mind and Body are interrelated: when one moves, the other moves; when one is still, the other is still. Since we cannot directly keep the mind still, we begin by keeping the body motionless, not fidgeting and also not stiffening, just soft and relaxed, yet still upright and dignified. Later, once the mind is very still and quiet, you can go about your work as normal and still keep the mind calm.

* The third principle is that Mind, Body and Attention are interrelated. When the mind is still, Attention returns to the Body; when the mind is moving, Attention wanders away from the Body. Since we cannot directly control the mind to make it still, we begin by keeping attention within the body and not letting it dart outward. We take notice throughout the body, monitor the whole body, rest throughout the body and feel the whole body, close to the skin and flesh.

* The fourth principle is that calming the mind is related to Wrongdoing and Merit. When we do wrong, the mind is uneasy and agitated. When we create merit, the mind is quiet and joyful. So a person practising calming the mind must work diligently at meritorious and good deeds all their life, and must avoid wrongdoing, even the smallest.

* The fifth principle is that calming the mind is related to Right and Wrong Thoughts. When we think wrongful, improper things, the mind seethes and is agitated. When we think right and proper things, the mind settles more easily. So a person practising calming the mind will try to keep right thoughts within, even if no one knows.

* The sixth principle is that a person practising calming the mind must open their heart wide, must not be confined by their own faith, and must know how to respect any sage who shows that they have reached a deep level of calm.

Those are the six basic principles. Go home and think about whether they suit you, and then practise.
The visitor nodded and said:

• It already sounds reasonable. May I ask where you received this method?
• Ah, in the past I was in real estate, and I was so stressed that I left for the countryside, where by chance I met a recluse who practised meditation and he taught me. Later my business stabilised, I handed it over to my nephews and nieces to keep running, and I opened this place to help anyone who wants to practise meditation, free of charge.
  You are right, a civilised person must know how to practise meditation to calm the mind. And a calm mind is very happy.
• And is the person who taught you still living in seclusion?
• For the first few years I often went back to visit him. On the ninth visit I couldn't find him anywhere, and the thatched hut had vanished too. I asked people nearby and they knew nothing. They had never seen that man, and had never seen any hut on that hill. I don't understand it either, so I just came back. 🧘‍♂️

When the world becomes civilised, people have to know how to make the mind quiet in order to protect the brain.
There are many schools of meditation in many places and religions, with many shades, but most rely mainly on faith. Whatever the teacher teaches, the student practises, and there is as yet no common scientific standard worldwide. But in this civilised age everything must be guided by reasoning and have scientific proof. Every way of practising must have a reason why.
Because scientific reasoning leads the way, meditation everywhere will have a common path. There will no longer be the situation where everyone teaches meditation as they see fit. Meditation will be like mathematics, with no boundaries, and taught identically wherever it is learned.

Many subjects are easy to learn if started early in childhood, such as music, languages and flexibility, but meditation requires enough understanding before it can be learned. People can perhaps begin practising meditation from the end of primary school onwards. For people with limited understanding, they may have to reach adulthood before they can study and practise meditation.

Now, any nation that teaches meditation to its school and university students early will be a nation that sees much progress in many fields. A calmed mind makes a person smarter, more ethical, more civilised in how they live, and happier.