The Real Values of True Buddhist Meditation
(Sayagyi U Ba Khin, 1961)
IV. The Fruits of Meditation
The Fruits of Meditation are innumerable. They are embodied in the discourse on the advantages of a Samana's life, the Samanna-phala Sutta[3]. The very object of becoming a Samana or monk is to follow strictly and diligently the Noble Eightfold Path and not only to enjoy the Fruition (Phala) of Sotapatti and Sakadagami and Anagami and Arahatta, but also to develop many kinds of faculties. A layman who takes to meditation to gain insight into the Ultimate Truth also has to work in the same way, and if his potentials are good, he may also enjoy a share of those fruits and faculties.
Only those who take to meditation with good intentions can be assured of success. With the development of the purity and power of the mind, backed by insight into the Ultimate Truth of nature, one might be able to do a lot of things in the right direction for the benefit of mankind.
The Buddha said, "O monks, develop the power of concentration. He who is developed in the power of concentration sees things in their true perspective."
This is true of a person who is developed in Samadhi. It must be all the more so in the case of a person who is developed not only in Samadhi but also in Panna (Wisdom).
It is a common belief that a man whose power of concentration is good and who can secure a perfect balance of mind at will can achieve better results than a person who is not so developed. There are, therefore, definitely many advantages that accrue to a person who undergoes a successful course of training in meditation, whether he be a religious man, an administrator, a politician, a businessman or a student.
My own case may be cited as an example. If I have to say something here about myself, it is with a sincere desire to illustrate just what practical benefits can accrue to a person practising Buddhist meditation, and with no other motive whatsoever. The events are factual and, of course, one cannot deny the facts.
I took up Buddhist meditation seriously in January 1937. My life sketch in "Who is Who" of the Guardian Magazine, December 1961, gives an account of the duties and responsibilities of government which I have been discharging from time to time. I retired from the service of the government on March 26, 1953, on attaining the age of 55, but was re-employed from that date till now in various capacities, most of the time holding two or more separate posts equivalent to those of Head of Department. At one time I was holding three separate sanctioned appointments of the status of Head of Department for nearly three years, and on another occasion, four such sanctioned posts simultaneously for about a year.
In addition, there were also a good number of special assignments either as a member of Standing Committees in the Departments of the Prime Minister and National Planning or as a chairman or member of ad hoc committees. (as published in pamphlet Dhamma Texts Series 1 as appendix to this article)
Dr. Elizabeth K. Nottingham, in her paper "Buddhist Meditation in Burma," asked:
- May it (meditation) not possibly help to create a reservoir
of calm and balanced energy to be used for the building of
a "welfare state" and as a bulwark against corruption in
public life?
To this question, in view of statement A placed before you, my answer would definitely be Yes. I can say this with conviction because the achievements in all spheres of work happened to be most outstanding in spite of the fact that each of the posts (Director of Commercial Audit, Chairman of the State Agricultural Marketing Board, and Principal of the Government Institute for Accounts and Audit) is a challenge to any senior officer of government.
I was appointed Director of Commercial Audit, that is, I was Head of the Directorate of Commercial Audit, starting on June 11, 1956, with the responsibility of reorganizing the Directorate, which was formed on October 4, 1955 with a staff of just fifty men, including only three qualified accountants. The problem was to reorganize the Directorate and raise the standard of its efficiency to cope with the work of auditing the transactions of the developing Boards and Corporations of Burma, the annual receipts and payments of which were roughly fifteen and eighteen hundred million kyats respectively in 1955 and 1956.
Next, I was appointed as Chairman of the State Agricultural Marketing Board on June 21, 1956 (just 10 days after the appointment as Director of Commercial Audit) to take charge of the affairs of the Board, which were found to be deteriorating; the accounts being in arrears for five years, the surplus stock at the end of the preceeding year was 1.7 million tons, and the market price of rice (S.M.S.) having fallen from 5/860 per ton in 1953 to 5/834 per ton in 1956. There was also the problem of disunity between the officers and members of subordinate rank.
In 1958, acting upon the recommendation of the Board's Enquiry Commission (headed by the Prime Minister) of which I was a member, the establishment of a Government Institute for Accounts and Audit was brought up. Burma was extremely short of accountants and account clerks. The result was that, with the exception of two organizations of pre-war origin, the accounts of the Boards and Corporations were badly in arrears (for 2 to 4 years), and in addition many irregularities came to light. I was accordingly charged, in addition to my own existing duties, with the responsibility of establishing a State Institute of Government Accounts and Audit which was to give training to the officers and staff of all Boards and Corporations in Burma. I assumed charge of the post of Principal of the Government Institute for Accounts and Audit on 1/4/58, to do spade work, and the Institute itself was formally opened by the Prime Minister on July 11, 1958.
The results of these undertakings will surely illustrate what "a reservoir of calm and energy" one can create with Buddhist meditation to be used for the building of a "welfare state".
FOOTNOTES:
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