We talk about practicing meditation, practicing these principles in all our affairs. Why do we do this practice? A Buddhist might say that we are working with "resolve" -- that is, we are not imposing our will on ourselves in order to improve ourselves in some way, but have developed faith that this way of life is preferable and have therefore resolved to follow it.

There is at least one other reason to practice, and that is hinted at in Psalm 16:6. If you have several versions of the Bible handy, you may care to review all of them, for this verse has been translated in a variety of ways. Here is the King James version: "The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage"; and the NIV version: "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."

What the Psalmist seems to be reminding us of is that our present lot in life is merely the result of luck. The "boundary lines" that define our lifestyle may be pleasant and God-given, but the point is that they can be taken away at any time. The only permanent thing in our lives is change.

The Christian and the Buddhist might well agree on the appropriate course of action to take -- and that is to cultivate a way of life based on the last three Steps: a way of life which will be a refuge for us if our lot in life should change.

The Old Testament Book of Job has numerous parallels in ancient Near Eastern literature. In one of the oldest, of Egyptian origin, the hero (unlike Job) does not experience restoration of his goods and family at the end of the book. We may like to ask ourselves if our present approach to life will sustain us in the event we experience what Job experienced -- and, more importantly, what his ancient Egyptian counterpart experienced.