The document summarizes the key steps and concepts in the book "The Art of Living" about meditation and finding peace of mind. It discusses 10 steps for understanding problems in life, knowing oneself better, identifying the causes of suffering, comprehending the root causes, eliminating suffering through the Eightfold Path of moral conduct, mental development, and wisdom. It emphasizes observing sensations without reaction to achieve awareness, equanimity and liberation from suffering. Regular meditation practice over a long period is required to fully realize and benefit from these insights.

1. Reflection on Book Titled
"THE ART OFLIVING"
After I have read this useful book "The Art of Living" that was written by author William
Hart, I came to realize that meditation is a very helpful for me to get to know what my main
problem of daily life really are, how my routine thoughts are really generated from, to
understand the techniques of how to control over the mind and live in a happy life. Meditation
needs a very long period of time to practice. As the author structured his writing, there are ten
correlative steps that are involved in order to find the peace of mind and master our own
thoughts. These passages below will briefly illustrate the ten steps in separated paragraph.
The very first step is to know what exactly is the problem in our everyday life. Basically,
the problem of life is its unsatisfactory nature ("The passion"). People can really judge the others
but we hardly judge ourselves and it is the hardest thing to do so. Buddha has taught that the only
way to experience the truth directly is to look within, to observe ourselves. By observing
ourselves, we become more aware for the first time of the conditioned reactions, prejudices that
hide reality from us and produce suffering later on. Gradually we learn how to allow them to
dissolve, and our minds become pure, peaceful and happy. So to follow the path, we must live
the life of Dharma, of the truth and purity. This is a way to practice the teaching and the Dharma,
implemented correctly, is the art of living.
However the thing is we do not know ourselves clear enough both physical and
psychological. In physical appearance, all the internal organs function beyond our control, we
have no idea how they really work. Beside the physical appearance, we also merely know about
our mind even though it seems even more closely connected to us but we are not able to control
it. The second step is to know ourselves better. Basically, according to Buddha experiment, our
mind consisted of 4 processes, Consciousness: is the receiving part of mind of any input
(physical or mental), Perception: identifies whatever has been noted by consciousness, then

2. Sensation: becomes pleasant/unpleasant once a value is attached to the incoming data, and last,
Reaction: the mind like/dislike. If we can experience it directly and properly, then we shall find
key to unlock liberation.
The third step is to figure out what the causes of suffering are. Suffering is not happened
by chance or accident, there are certainly the causes behind it. There are 3 types of actions:
physical, vocal and mental. In reality, we are mainly focus on the physical actions. According to
Dharma; however, mental action is the most important of all. For example, a surgeon and a
murderer both kill people at some point of life. Surgeon is trying to help the patience and
unintentionally kill them, whereas, a man who wants to murder the other person had an intention
doing so. Thus, this means we cannot judge by actions because they are just only the external
products and not come from internal. Therefore, mental is the real cause which will give result in
the future (by external actions or vocal). In order to solve it is to accept the reality of it, by
learning to realize directly our own nature.
In the forth step is to comprehend the root cause of suffering. It is developed when
mental reactions of liking and disliking and it occurs because of sensation when we sense the
feeling of like or dislike. Then sensation is actually come from the existence of 6 sensory bases:
the contact of 6 senses with its function which are the important aspects of the flow of mind and
matter. And those are caused of reaction. Finally, the reaction is caused of ignorance; when we
ignore the reality of our own nature. After all, they generate suffering, and unhappiness.
Next, how can we eliminate suffer? The only way is to eliminate its causes: ignorance,
craving and aversion. To achieve it Buddha discovered, followed and taught the Eightfold Path
which is divided into 3 stages of training: Sila, Samadhi and Panna. Sila is moral practice to
avoid all bad actions of body and speech. Samadhi is the practice of concentration and control
our own mental process. Panna is wisdom, the development of purifying insight into one's own
nature. Training of moral code of conduct is the training of Sila which is a contribution of 3 parts
which are: right speech, right action and right livelihood. Right speech must be pure and
wholesome which means we have to remove all impure speech such as, telling lies, speaking
harsh words, backbiting and slander, idle gossip and meaningless chatter. Right action must also
be pure. Like the speech, we also must know what the impure actions are. They include: killing a
living creature, stealing, sexual misconduct (rape or adultery) and intoxication. There are two

3. criteria for right livelihood. First, it is important to practice the 5 Precepts because, by doing so
will definitely not harming the others. One more thing is one should not do anything that
encourage the others to break the precepts neither directly or indirectly. For example, buying
meats encourage seller to kill animals.
Our words and deeds are still not enough to get out of suffering if the mind continues to
boil in craving. Because the problem originates in the mind, we must confront it at the mental
level. The sixth step we must undertake the practice of mental development. It contributes of 3
parts of the path: Right effort, Right awareness and right concentration. We must learn to focus
on the mind, to fix and maintain it on a single object of attention and free from the distract
objects from the outside world. Right awareness is when we are aware of our present actions;
we could avoid the repeating mistakes of the past and can achieve our dreams for the future.
Right concentration is maintaining the awareness of the present moment, which we get from
the practice of focusing on our respiration, for as long as possible. At this stage, we continue to
give attention only to respiration. As the mind become more concentrate, the breath becomes
finer therefore requiring still greater efforts to remain attentive. As concentration strengthens,
we begin to feel relaxed, happy and full of energy. Gradually, period of forgetfulness become
shorter and periods of sustained awareness become longer.
We need wisdoms beside sila and samadhi. Right thought and right understanding are the
real wisdom. Then, we must develop awareness of sensation by observing the physical
sensations and also the mind. That is the way we could get out of the unpleasant things that lead
our mind to peace.
Awareness and equanimity have to go together in order to meditate. They need to be
balanced, no more or less. Mediators seek to be conscious in everything that happen within and
at the same time not to react to it. Remaining aware and balanced is the way to stop producing
new reactions, new sources of misery and gives no fresh stimulation to the mind.
Whenever a sensation occurs they do not react, but allow it to raise and to pass away.
When conditioning cease and attachment ceases, suffering ceases and we experience the ultimate
truth of liberation. There are 3 stages to penetrate the ultimate truth: learning about the
technique, put into practice and finally, penetrate.

4. Vipassana meditation is a way to gain this insight. As long as one has not personally
experience the nature of body and mind, one is always remain trapped in egoism and therefore,
bound to suffer. The only real solution is to learn to observe and change ourselves. "Observing
our senses teaches us that whenever we are forced by negativity, we suffer. Therefore, whenever
we see others we see others reacting negatively, we understand that they are suffering. With this
understanding we can feel compassion for them and can act to help them free themselves of
misery, not make them more miserable." (page 137)
In conclusion, Vipassana meditation is an efficient way to get out of suffering. However,
the practices of meditation may take a very long time, and it starts by a single step. If we want
happiness, devote our efforts. It may take time like this but it is going to be worth it. A person
who is in a meditative level may have a higher knowledge because they come to realize many
things that the other people could not think of since they have a focus mind. It is great if many
people willing to practice to do it, because if people doing so, the world would have no war and
live in harmony and prosperity.