​Polak/Nikaya Buddhism, 8. Beyond Method

Chapter 8 argues that in the paradigm present in Nikāya and early Chan texts there are crucial meditative factors which cannot be developed by directly practising them. Rather, they must naturally occur to an individual. It is claimed in the chapter that their occurrence is not a chance event, but follows its own specific but implicit logic and is dependent on a set of various conditions, including being in a particular existential situation. The chapter discusses the significance of various paradoxes connected with meditation, such as the fact that the search for spiritual achievement can be detrimental to meditative success. The final part of the chapter analyses some differences in approach between Nikāya and early Chan texts.