To the Dalai Lama,
I hope this finds you doing well. I have an idea that might be interesting to you. It concerns the results of meditation. I’m not a Buddhist so I don’t know if the idea has been addressed already within your organization.
I enjoy meditating and once went a year without missing a single day. That’s not a normal year for me though, I fall somewhere between a non-meditator and a monk who’s devoted to it. It helps calm my mind and bring my focus to the present moment.
I’m not enlightened. That’s OK, but it leads into my question. Roughly, how many people are enlightened? I know it’s a tough question and that it’s probably not tracked. Plus there’re non-Buddhists who also attain enlightenment.
As the head of an organization strongly associated with the practice and having a long history with meditation, it would be interesting to me to know how effective it is. Many of the intermediate benefits of meditation are tough or impossible to assess but the ultimate result, enlightenment, would be easier to identify and quantify.
I know the journey is as important as the goal and striving for the goal is antithetical to the practice. But some folks do attain enlightenment. It seems more and more people are meditating and that there are also more people on earth than ever before. So are there more people who are enlightened now?
While this question can’t be answered with accuracy, getting a handle on a number would be useful and illuminating in general and in particular it could shed some light on the most effective practices. And, the answer might generate more interest in meditation.
You have a history of being interested in modern science and it’s advances. Looking at the most tangible result of meditation, enlightenment, would be well, enlightening. You’re in the unique position to attempt to answer this question and I hope you try.
Thank you, Stocker Cary