And without knowing it, one may feel that they have meditated well. Even if one understands it, they still fall into the illusion of having reached a certain level. It is quite common for beginners to mistakenly believe that they have truly meditated, even though they know it is a trap. Therefore, without this knowledge, one may easily develop arrogance, thinking that they have achieved something wonderful. This is a very basic trap that appears in the early stages of meditation, and it is often just an image-created desire or illusion.

In the world, there are methods that claim to be the "best meditation." However, when you look at these methods carefully, they often use images, and there are cleverly hidden traps of this kind.

Although it may seem like a trap on the surface, logic and the mind can be deceived. By skillfully twisting the logic, one may mistakenly believe that they are doing well or have reached a sublime state. This illusion, this trap, is used to create what is called the "best meditation." Images can be helpful for meditation if used properly, but if one becomes trapped in the illusion of a trap, they will stagnate. Especially for those who are attracted to such phrases as "best meditation," the danger is even greater.

For example, in a certain school of thought, they "let go of distractions by imagining them flowing away in a river." I first heard about this about 30 years ago in a certain UFO-related community, but I later learned that it was not original and that the basic idea had existed in the meditation world for a long time. Recently, a certain meditation method that claims to be the "best meditation" is actually doing this, and I think that the methods themselves have not changed much, even if the slogans are different.

Now, the method of "letting go of distractions by imagining them flowing away in a river" can have a good effect if done well. However, in my observation, it tends to increase the ability to visualize distractions, turning it into the ability to create certain illusions. The mind that creates distractions creates wonderful images, leading to the illusion that one has reached a wonderful state. The mind deceiving the mind is a common trap that beginners in meditation fall into. This is a trap, and if the original intention of "letting go" is done well, this would not happen. However, by creating clear images, the image-based distractions are affirmed and remain, and one falls into a situation where they cannot escape from that state.

Even when one should truly abandon and let go of the very act of conceptualization, it often stops there. And the person themselves remains unaware, spending a long time in delusion (sometimes for many years).

This is how arrogance and conceit grow. It becomes a dangerous state.

The presence of a true guru who can appropriately point out and correct arrogance and conceit is essential for this very reason. While there are many who claim to be gurus, a genuine guru is aware of their disciple's such delusions.

(Although I don't know the internal workings of each school), it seems that Zen Buddhism, particularly the Caodong school, excels at pointing out such delusions. Other schools may have methods to directly correct these issues, but the act of pointing out often creates a hierarchy, leading to awkward relationships. It's difficult to achieve a good balance, and there are few truly good gurus, in my impression.

When there are many distracting thoughts, techniques like visualizing them flowing away in a river can be helpful. However, such "object-oriented" meditations are typically used in the very early stages. If one can only begin meditation by clinging to something, then it doesn't matter what that something is.

It is important to appropriately assess one's own stage of meditation. If meditation is difficult due to many distracting thoughts, visualizing a river and letting them flow away can be an effective method if one is good at visualization. Alternatively, if one is good at perceiving sounds, focusing on the inner sound, or "nada," can also aid in meditation.

Alternatively, repeatedly chanting a mantra and focusing on it can also be helpful.

Chanting the name of a deity one reveres, or visualizing its form, can sometimes be effective. Repeatedly visualizing and writing the characters associated with deities can also be helpful.

In the beginning, meditation is often aided by something like this.

And eventually, (gradually), meditation becomes possible without such aids. As a clear consciousness expands, a vast, full, and expansive consciousness emerges beneath (or deep within) the normal conscious mind. At that point, meditation becomes centered in that deeper consciousness. At that stage, (gradually), aids like visualization and mantras become increasingly unnecessary. One can enter a meditative state even without them. And daily life becomes an extension of meditation.

Daily life is an extension of meditation, so of course, at that time, one usually doesn't "let distracting thoughts flow away like images in a river." However, the clear consciousness expands, and that is a meditative state.

At that time of clear consciousness, there is no imagination. One is simply aware of what is.

On the other hand, people who are in a state of delusion see illusions even in their daily lives.

In a sense, many people living in this world are constantly being shown illusions through advertising and marketing.

Meditation is what removes those coverings.

Therefore, creating coverings with one's own images is somewhat better than the images created by others (such as marketing and advertising), but it is still a covering, and meditation is about removing that covering.