Kevin Johnston

Huma 2300

Meditation and Buddhism: A Path to Enlightenment

Its a chilly October Saturday morning in downtown Salt Lake City when I pull in next to
an old brick building with a blank banner hanging over the front doors. Ive come to the Urgyen
Samten Ling Gonpa, or Tibetan Buddhist Temple in the heart of Utahs capital to learn a little
more about their practice of meditation and its correlation to the eightfold path. In the Buddhist
faith, there is no belief in a supreme deity, or a God as other religions believe but they do have a
path towards the ultimate enlightenment, or Nirvana. Websters dictionary defines Nirvana as
the state of perfect happiness and peace in Buddhism where there is release from all forms of
suffering (Websters, Internet Website). In Buddhism, there is a way to reach this ultimate
enlightenment, and its by following the Noble Eighfold Path and The Middle Path.
Buddhist beliefs start with the Four Noble Truths, which start with the belief that life
inevitably involves suffering, dissatisfaction, disharmony and distress, also known as Dukkha
(Living Religions, pg 144). Second, that suffering is caused by cravings or attachments or Tanha
(Living Religions, pg 144). Next, suffering will cease when cravings cease. And finally, there is
a way to realize this state of mind, by following the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Noble Eightfold Path consists of various beliefs that influence ones state of mind,
ethics, morals and guidance for the right life. These various beliefs include the right view or
understanding, the right intentions, the right action and the right speech. Also, it includes the
right livelihood, the right effort, the right mindfulness and the right concentration or meditation.

My focus when I went to the Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Salt Lake was to learn more about
right mindfulness and right meditation.
Right mindfulness, is a distintive feature of the Buddhist path. The way to liberation
requires discipline and the cultivation of awareness, moment to moment. (Living Religions, pg
146). Right meditation, applies mental discipline to quiet the mind and develop single-pointed
concentration. (Living Religions, pg 146).
As I arrived at the Buddhist Temple, I realized that I was about 20 minutes early and I
also noticed that my stomach was uneasy and I felt a bit of anxiety. So I decided to drive around
the nearby area to waste some time before I returned to the temple. The area where the temple
was in was a collection of rusty warehouses, abandoned commercial buildings with overgrown
weeds and dilapidated, old homes. It seemed out of place to find a Buddhist temple in the heart
of all this gloom.
Then, as the hour approached I decided to get past my hesitation and just go for it. I
parked my truck outside, got out and walked for the front doors of the Buddhist temple. Before I
actually went inside, I noticed there were lines of prayer flags hanging from the building to
nearby trees. The prayer flags appeared worn and faded, but I could still clearly see that they had
once been colorful though the writing on them was barely readable now. After taking a second to
stare at this, I walked through the doors to the temple.
The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the influx of colors and fabrics that
seemed to surround the inside of the temple. I also noticed a set of small shelves next to the
door, just inside the entrance with a few pairs of shoes sitting on the shelves. I felt that proper
customs indicated I leave my shoes behind when I entered the temple, so I took them off and

placed them next to the others on the shelf. I then climbed the short set of stairs to the main part
of the temple, which was a large open room surrounded by colorful walls, paintings, portraits and
benches.
The walls were a mixture of orange, red, yellow and green. Large tapestries and colorful
fabrics hung from the ceiling. Portraits of Buddhist monks in bright orange sat on ledges and
tables throughout the room. In the center, short tables and benches were sitting on front of blue
cushions that were on the floor. Up in the front, a separate area sat with a floor raised slightly
above the rest of the room. This area had various bowls of rice, burning incense, books and a
more elaborate cushion and bench.
Something else I heard, was the silence. The world outside was drowning in a mixture of
car engines, honking horns, people talking and the gray noise of the inner city. Yet, as I entered
the temple there was an odd silence, a lack of any noise. It was as though I walked through that
doorway into a completely different world, not just inside a building in the heart of Salt Lake
City. I also noticed the smell, which seemed to be coming from the burning incense. The best
way I can describe it would be the smell of a blossoming flower in fall. The smell wasnt
overpowering, it didnt burn my eyes or nose but it gave a sense to the atmosphere in the temple.
As I stood there looking out over the temple, a noticed a man walking around in orange
robes, typical of the Buddhist photos I had seen in the past. What I did think was unusual, was
that this man appeared to be a 28 year old white guy with tattoos up and down the length of both
arms, completely covering them. I guess he noticed my deer in the headlights look and
approached me. He asked me if I needed anything, to which I replied that I was here to attend
the meditation session. He introduced himself as Casey and told me to take a seat on any of
the cushions and the session would start soon.

I chose a seat on the third row, while a few more people wandered in and sat down as
well. Casey continued to walk around, placing small bowls of rice in front of each person with a
stick of unburnt incense also.
As Casey sat down up front, he pulled out a large binder which he referenced for the next
hour while he guided us through the different meditations. In the beginning, Casey instructed us
be aware of out mindfulness, our emotions, our body, our thoughts and anything around us.
Casey instructed us to be aware of any aches, pains or tensions in our body. He told us how to
properly sit as we started the meditation, with our legs properly crossed, our backs straight, hips
rotated down towards the floor, chin downwards, teeth separated, lips closed and tongue on the
roof of our mouth. Casey also mentioned that we needed to stay awake during the meditation, as
falling asleep was considered the lazy mans meditation. Over the next hour, Casey instructed
us and guided our little group through various mental exercises.
During one of the sessions, Casey instructed us to clear our minds of all thoughts and to
think of nothing. I actually found this impossible, because my mind kept trying to think of
something, even with nothing to focus on. Right after that, Casey had us think about everything
we had going on or needed to do today. My mind raced through my To Do List and my
schedule and my family but then my mind ran out of things to think about. After those two
sessions, Casey explained that an untrained person is unable to completely clear their mind and
trying to think of nothing will actually cause one to think more than intentionally thinking about
things.
During another episode, Casey first went around and lit the incense sticks in front of each
person. He explained that the purpose was to use the smoke from the incense as a point of focus
during the meditation, initially to completely focus on the smoke. During a following lesson,

Casey told us that if our minds wandered, then we could focus back on the smoke to bring our
minds back. During this incense meditation, Casey mentioned to us to find the middle path.
This struck me as enlightening, since I had studied about the middle path during my study
about Buddhism.
Based on my research into the beginnings of Buddhism, the chapter on Buddhism in the
Living Religions textbook by Mary Pat Fish further explains the middle path and its relation to
Buddhism. It is believed that the Buddha was born to a life of luxury as Siddhartha Guatama, he
gave it up to follow a simple life to attain enlightenment. After studying with various teachers,
Siddhartha remain unsatisfied and underwent six years of extreme self-denial techniques:
nakedness, exposure to great heat and cold, breath retention, a bed of brambles, severe fasting.
(Living Religions, pg 140). It was believed at that point that Siddhartha realized that extremes in
either direction, whether luxury or self-imposed misery were not the answer. Thus, Siddhartha
found the path between the extremes which became known as The Middle Path which helped
lead him to the ultimate enlightenment.
Following the meditation, I had the opportunity to meet with Casey and ask him more
about Buddhism. First, I asked Casey how he came to follow the Buddhist path. He told me that
he became a heroin addict for many years and eventually ended up at a narcotics anonymous,
who taught him to seek a higher power. Casey explained that he grew up as LDS, but he had
trouble believing in an ultimate being, so he studied Buddhism and felt himself drawn to it.
Casey explained that he has been practicing Buddhism for the past 7 years and it is always a
lesson and a struggle to follow the path to enlightenment.
I asked Casey why he kept mentioned to us during the meditation to be mindful of our
surroundings and our bodies. He told me that Buddhism tries to teach that everyone should be

aware of everything around them at all time, not just their environment, but their own minds,
their own thoughts, their own bodies and also those around them. Casey explained that it was
important in his opinion for someone to be constantly aware of everything around them, every
moment. Casey also told me that he was not the most knowledgeable, nor most versed in the
Buddhist philosophies and he was only trying to live his life in a better way than he had before.
Casey said that Buddhism was a way for him to live a more peaceful, harmonious life with
everything and everyone around him.
I also asked Casey if he practices meditation on his own and he told me that he does. He
explained that meditation is very difficult because it involves clearing ones mind of all thoughts
and distractions which is an extremely hard concept. Casey explain that the purpose of
meditation was to calm the mind and focus. After Casey explained this, I understood more fully
about the meditation exercise earlier involving trying to think of nothing and then thinking of
everything. I understood that the mind could be restless, even when you try to control it.
I learned throughout this meditation that Buddhism is a way of life and not just
something one practices once a week in a single meditation session or on a Sunday service. As
my mind would struggle to focus, I would direct my attention to the smoke to bring my thoughts
back to a clear state much like the right mindfulness brings one back to the Eightfold Path. The
act of meditation is the ability to clear ones mind and my experience is that it is more difficult
than one might think. Buddhism is a way of life, it is everywhere, all the time with all those
around you as well as yourself. It is through practicing this meditation and the Eightfold Path
that one can find balance.

Works Cited
"Buddhist Meditation." Personal interview. 11 Oct. 2014.
Fisher, Mary Pat. "Chapter 5 Buddhism." Living Religions. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education,
2014. 137-87. Print
"Nirvana." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/nirvana>.