Page 141 - The Buddha‘s Noble Eightfold Path

successive attainment of which constitutes progress in

meditation or the development of unarisen skilful mental states.

In case any of you are wondering why meditation and the states
of higher consciousness are being dealt with under the heading
of Perfect Effort, rather than under that of Perfect Samadhi, the

eighth stage of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, I should
explain that meditation is of two kinds. There is that which

depends upon conscious effort, and there is that which arises
spontaneously as the natural result of our higher spiritual life. It
is the first of these, i.e. meditation with effort, with which we

ourselves are concerned, and which is meditation for all practical
purposes. Indeed, it is because meditation requires so much

effort and because it is, in fact, the major manifestation of effort
within the context of the spiritual life, and of the Eightfold Path,
that it is included here as part of Perfect Effort.

(d) Maintaining Arisen Skillful Mental States

Having prevented and eradicated bad thoughts, and developed
good thoughts, we now have to maintain the good thoughts —
that is to say the higher states of consciousness — which we

have developed. It is very easy to slip back. If we stop our
practice for even so much as a day or two, we may well find

ourselves back where we started months before. Regularity is
therefore essential. Again, if we give up after reaching a certain
level, and make no further effort; the result will be that we slip

back even from that level. If, however, we do neither of these
things but continue to make an effort we shall eventually reach a

stage from which it is impossible to regress. For most of us

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