This document is an introduction to a guide on centering the mind through breath meditation. It discusses the benefits of centering the mind, such as gaining inner stillness and protecting virtuous qualities. It emphasizes that centering the mind through focusing on the breath is the shortest and most effective path, and explains how both concentration and discernment require a centered mind as their foundation. The introduction stresses the importance of internal practice and development of the mind over searching for knowledge through the senses.