Many years ago, when meditation was increasingly becoming popular in Western countries, a professor from Sweden was commissioned by his government to find out about meditation from all the famous meditation masters in Asia.
The professor visited several Theravadan forest Monasteries, seeking answers to a few questions regarding meditation.
One of the forest Monastery he visited was Ajahn Chah's Wat Pah Pong.
To the Venerable Ajahn Chah, the professor put forth his 4 questions :
1) What is meditation?
2) How do you meditate?
3) Why do you meditate?
4) What do you get out from meditation?
To the 4 questions, Ajahn Chah skillfully replied :
1) What is eating?
2) How do you eat?
3) Why do you eat?
4) What do you get out from eating?
That was most brilliant of the Venerable Master.
In fact, so brilliant were his answers that it inspired me to come out with something of my own :
Q : What is meditation?
A : What is poo-poo?
Q : How do you meditate?
A : How do you poo-poo?
Q : Why do you meditate?
A : Why do you poo-poo?
Q : What do you get out from meditation?
A : What do you get out from poo-poo!
"Clear the mind of all its defilements and you heal and free the body of all its ailments."
-The Buddha
"You know the telescope that scientists used to look at outer space?
Now turn the telescope around.
That's what meditation is about -
Looking into space ... Inner space ... YOUR space."
