douglas wayne pennington:
Hello people, Im new to meditation and I just read some post info on this site about the dark night and it got me alittle scared I must say. I know this is the path I need to follow but can any one help me calm my nerves. By the was I just started reading Jack Kornfield book-A PATH WITH HEART which I heard mentioned on buddhist geeks I think.
You don't really say in what way you are disturbed, or which post made you so - but just in general, no path is completely easy. Besides, each person is different, and how 'dark' your night is/will be is impossible to know in advance. There are two things that are clear to me, though:
1. The goal of a good path is far better than what will happen if you don't take such a path - no matter what you have to go through; this is kind of a backwards way of saying that the result is worth however much darkness there is.
2. Wise guidance of some sort is really important, because it's easy to create trouble for yourself. So use all the assistance you can get. From this point of view, asking your question was a really good idea.
One good place to start is Daniel Ingram's book, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha - which is
available online for free. This book is really clear and straightforward - and you can interact here with the author and others very familiar with it, and with the material underlying it, if you have questions or comments.
Susan