Are you looking to learn to meditate or realise the path out of suffering?  Your welfare in the here and now is dependent on the accumulation of merit in the past.  If you are practicing to enhance your welfare for now and in the future, this is realised through virtue and how you conduct yourself.  The Buddha taught the path of the causal cessation of suffering which might not be everyone’s aspirations.  Whatever your aspirations, it is clear that we need to change significantly the way we live our lives and take full accountability for our choices.