I really sympathize with anyone who has looked into Buddhism and found it puzzling or even annoying. I felt the same way for many years -- if the Buddha had realized something really important, I'm listening, why not tell me what he realized in a straightforward way?<p>Well, he would have, if that would work, but it doesn't. Concepts fly easily between our minds but concepts don't seem to really change how our minds work. What <i>does</i> change how our minds work is direct experience. We lead ourselves to the life-changing realizations by meditation.<p>Slowly, steadily, you train yourself to be calm, to be indistractable, to make your mind very still, much stiller than it ever is even in sleep. Focusing on the nature of experience itself, your mind directly experiences new information about its own workings. And when it does, it has no choice but to change itself, because it does not want to suffer. It causes itself to suffer only because it does not see how its actions lead to suffering. When it does see, it stops. It's freedom and peace by insight.<p>It starts making perfect sense to help others, to plant trees the shade of which you will never enjoy yourself, etc. You see that it doesn't make sense to fear death. It doesn't make sense to be angry at anyone. It's good stuff.