Overcome obstacles in meditation the concept that will be discussed below is used in practice very often because we encounter the corresponding phenomenon at every step. In the Pali language, this is called “nirvana”, which roughly translates as” obstacle, hindrance”.
The beauty of meditation is that it can give us so much. In turn, we are required to understand the practice, regular diligence, and correct motivation. It would seem that everything is very simple. But this is not quite true. If you have already tried to practice meditation, you will most likely have seen that:
- first, it may not be easy to sit down and start practicing, since there are many other important and not so important things to do;
- second, even if you manage to start a class, calming the mind is not an easy task, which involves various obstacles.
Overcome the obstacles in meditation, in any case, do not give up. In the event that you cannot immediately overcome these obstacles, you do not need to declare that contemplation is not your thing. Just in case you quickly give up what you didn’t achieve in your life with a few efforts, you probably won’t understand how to walk around and do a ton of different things.
In this article, we will see how to discover the solidarity to adapt to the main trouble: when you can’t plunk down and begin rehearsing.
Why are there difficulties in meditation
First of all, you need to think about your motivation to practice, since success will depend on it in many ways. If the classes are just a fashion statement, then the difficulties that arise can easily scare you away.
On the off chance that you answer the inquiries: for what reason are you going to spend valuable minutes of your life on contemplation; what can give you and everyone around you the improvement of mindfulness, inward harmony, and congruity — this will without a doubt assist you with discovering time for progressively steady and normal exercises.
The higher your inspiration, the simpler it will be to rehearse. For instance, the inspiration to “figure out how to control your feelings and brain so you can enable your friends and family” to will be more benevolent and elevating than the longing to “demonstrate to your companions that you are a profound individual.”
Inspiration is the foundation of training, which will permit you to keep moving along the picked way.
Attempt to set aside the effort to decide your inspiration. It can change and improve after some time. On the off chance that you are as yet going to rehearse reflection for internal harmony, so that there are fewer wrinkles, at that point so be it. In any case, make certain to recall this intention practically speaking to assist yourself with understanding your arrangements, and recollect it before every meeting. This will assist you with tuning in.
Setting priorities for meditation
On the off chance that we make an arrangement for the afternoon and express “practice contemplation from 9:30-10:00” in our everyday journal, we can without much of a stretch defer it for later in the event that one of the huge number of things occurs. All things considered, this is simply contemplation. In any case, in the event that you write in your journal that you have a meeting with the Buddha from 9:30-10:00, it won’t be exceptionally right to defer it.
A few things are pressing, a few things are significant, and some are simply little assignments that frequently expend the main part within recent memory. As interior heads, we should step by step figure out how to set needs accurately.
In the wake of building up the expertise of focus, we will be better ready to adapt to different things, commit fewer errors, which will spare us a great deal of time and exertion, since we won’t need to address them. Things being what they are, the act of contemplation is a truly beneficial commitment that will give a decent rate.
Just 10 minutes
This is a generally excellent approach to deceive your psyche. For instance, rather than thinking, you abruptly need to eat a bit of pie. So as to fortify your determination and restraint, which are bit by bit siphoned like any muscle, and still satisfy the first arrangement, attempt to disclose to your brain that you will plunk down to ponder for just 10 minutes, and after this time you will appreciate eating a delectable pie.
No doubt 10 minutes isn’t a great deal. However, frequently this can be sufficient to engage in a need case, recollect your inspiration and objectives, and your perspective will have the opportunity to change. Perhaps 10 minutes will transform into 20. In the event that you don’t capitulate to the allurement existing apart from everything else, you will get more grounded and more shrewd.
The future self will be pleased with you. It is critical to make reference to that even short ways to deal with contemplation trigger a procedure of inward change. Normal, even transient meetings make new neural associations, assist you with getting increasingly mindful, and draw nearer to the objective that you set for yourself. So if the brain attempts to outsmart you by griping that there isn’t sufficient opportunity to begin, at that point realize that it isn’t.
Overcome obstacles in meditation
Obstacles in meditation are anything that distracts us from the practice and, more broadly, darkened states in principle. There are five main types of obstacles. Each of them can manifest itself both directly during meditation, and in life in general. In the first case, if we succumb to an obstacle, we interrupt this session of meditation, in the second-we stop practicing at all.
Sensual desire
It is an aspiration for what “I like”, for pleasure.
- During meditation. Here we are, and suddenly the idea of something pleasant came to mind: to go eat something delicious, watch a TV series or meet a girl/guy. If we do everything correctly, then we apply 6R to this thought – let it go, relax the tension that has arisen, smile, return to the object of meditation. If we do everything wrong, we start fidgeting and eventually get up and run to satisfy our desires.
- In life. If every time we give in to sensual desires, then a habit is formed and we gradually forget about meditation. As well as about other types of practice. All this can also take radical forms, when we are seized by a single strong desire to possess something-money, power, a person, a particular thing, prestige, etc.
Rejection
It can take a variety of forms. This is hatred, anger, and rejection-from mild dislike to strong disgust, fear, etc. In other words, it is a state of “I don’t like it”.
- During meditation. When we sit, there is a certain feeling that we do not like or the thought of something that we do not like. If we give in and allow the multiplication of thoughts about it instead of letting go and relaxing, then as a result, again, we start fidgeting and interrupt the practice. We are engaged in mental battles with an unpleasant person, or, say, we begin to think something like “ ” When will this pain in the knee go away?”* and so on.
- In life. We are addicted to the battles of this world – with anyone. It can be a holiday or just a quarrel, obsessive anxiety about anything, irritability, or something else in this spirit. Involved in an unhealthy state, we gradually forget about the practice.
Laziness, dullness, drowsiness, lethargy
This is a very difficult obstacle, because its power is soft, insinuating. Our mind becomes floating, unstable, lazy, sluggish, and falls into slumber.
- During meditation. First, the mind begins to flow from one association to another. We catch ourselves on some thoughts, to which it is not clear how we came. Suddenly we think about some lost shoe in kindergarten, and why suddenly about it-it is not clear. Or they were thinking about something, and the next moment they lost the thread. And in any case, completely distracted from the subject of meditation. A clear sign of this condition is that we want to sit back, lean back on the pillows, and put our heads down. The body becomes sluggish, we begin to nod off. In particularly neglected cases, we give up meditation and curl up.
- In life. We become characterized by thoughts like: “It would be nice to start a new life, to do meditation… but what is laziness…” We just lie on the couch, sleep more than necessary, and so on.
Stimulating the mind obstacles in meditation
This is the opposite of laziness and dullness. Our mind is in constant motion in this state. We are overcome by certain projects, fantasies.
- During meditation. We can’t sit still. We are constantly thinking about something. These are not necessarily thoughts of something accentuated pleasant or unpleasant, although the first two obstacles (desire and rejection) can provoke agitation of the mind. A clear sign of this obstacle is that we cannot sit still. As a result, we forget about meditation, get up, ruffle our hair, stretch nervously, start pacing the room, writing something down, running somewhere, and so on.
- In life. Chronic agitation of the mind is expressed in the fact that we can not distract from any obsessive thoughts (about anything – about work, family, relationships, politics), we can not calm down. It is clear that this state of mind is incompatible with practice.
Doubt during meditation
We start to doubt when we just need to do it. This is a doubt about the correctness of the instructions, that you have understood them correctly, in the competence of the teacher, etc. Instead of practicing, we only multiply thoughts and become preoccupied, unsure and confused
- During meditation. We have instructions, but we do not follow them, and we begin to analyze: “Is it right to do so-and-so? Maybe it’s better this way? Did I understand the instructions correctly? Now, now, I’ll think about it carefully, decide how to act correctly, and then I’ll start practicing.” As a result, we never start practicing.
- In life. Most often it is expressed in the fact that we doubt the teacher, the method and the school. We certainly want to get proof that the teacher is real, the school leads to the Truth, the method is the most suitable for us. We are looking for the criteria of “authenticity”. This can be a certain experience (“I don’t feel the divine spark in him”), some ideas about how everything should be, the habit of trusting our psychological mechanism of “drawing” (when we think that we know what drives this person and what he “really ” is), etc. In addition, this includes various kinds of anxiety states.
Some important points
You need to understand this:
- Obstacles arise because our mind is strained. They are, in fact, indicators of the intensity of the mind, indicators of the presence of passionate desire in it.
- We can’t sit for a long time – an hour, two, three-just because our mind is tense (unless, of course, the pose is particularly fanatical).
- In the practice of meditation, we face mainly two obstacles – drowsiness/dullness and agitation. All other types of obstacles can be reduced to these two. Gradually, we learn to clearly distinguish which of these two states the mind is in, and either “cheer up” it or calm it down. With practice, the mind deviates into these states less deeply, gradually coming to a perfect balance.
- You need to remember: no matter what state you are in – if you do not support it, it will pass.
- All obstacles arise from the fact that we once violated moral precepts. This left a mark on our minds, and as a result, it manifested itself as an obstacle.
The peculiarity of the attitude to obstacles in the Suttavada
The peculiarity of the attitude towards obstacles in the Suttavada school is as follows. Obstacles are not seen as something to be overcome. Obstacles, according to Bhanta Vi – are bells that indicate the presence of clinging. That is, the obstacles themselves are a secondary phenomenon and, in general, rather useful.
We do not struggle with obstacles, but when we notice them, we turn our attention to the tension that accompanies them, relax it, smile, and gently return to the object of meditation. In general, we use the 6P method. And the more often we use 6P, the better: it is 6P that trains our awareness, it is the main tool for calming the mind, which will accompany us all our way.
In other words, the appearance of obstacles is a blessing, it is an opportunity to apply the 6P and further sharpen our awareness, once again experience the Four Noble Truths on our own experience, become a little wiser. Therefore, if you have often used 6P in your meditation, this is great. If not, then questions immediately arise.
- There are two types of pain: meditative and real. Meditation – the one that takes place immediately after the end of the practice. This is a trick of the mind, and 6R should be applied to it. The real one doesn’t go away right away. This is a real negative impact on the body, and it is better, in this case, to change the position so that the pain does not occur. Otherwise, you may have health problems.
- Sometimes, however, we are just physically tired and the body requires sleep. In this case, it is better to take a little nap to refresh your mind.
Regarding the obstacle of Doubt Bhante said in one of the conversations this is what:
You will not see the first link of Dependent Arising until you reach a state where your mind is very quiet. And you will reach this stage if you follow the instructions exactly. Do not fall into the trap of thinking like: “I do not know, I need to consult with someone, discuss.” No, you don’t have to. You need to practice. You need to apply 6P. No “BUT”..! This word is forbidden. Don’t use it with me. I’ll grumble if you do. Every time you say “but”, you say that your opinion is more important than what I tell you. And what I am telling you is the Dhamma. That’s how it works.
What are these doubts? These are internal objections. Internal objections are the result of internal resistance. Internal resistance is the mind in a state of ” I don’t like it”. And the “I don’t like it” mentality is a form of Craving. The Tanha is the root of suffering. The obstacle of Doubt arises in a situation where a critical mind is only a tool for rationalizing its own unreflected emotions, Longing.
How to understand that you are meditating correctly
There are several skills that will help you realize that you are on the right track and doing everything right:
- the breath gets a clear rhythm, becomes calm and deep;
- the pauses between entering and exhaling are longer than in the normal state;
- thoughts do not “jump”, but as if “float” in the head, creating a sense of inner peace and comfort;
- during meditation, you will be relieved of your anxiety and confusion, and after you leave the state, you will become more determined and collected;
- the body learns to relax. Soon you will be able to meditate in any position, but even if you do not master the lotus position, you will acquire the skill of spiritual practices, being in any place and position;
- there is a lightness in the body, it becomes “weightless”, you almost do not feel it. Sometimes at first people notice the opposite effect: they have a feeling of heaviness in the body, which gradually passes, and the whole body is filled with a feeling of happiness and peace.
Using simple techniques, you will be able to get closer to the true essence of meditation and understand it in practice. Of course, any beginner faces difficulties, but do not be disappointed: if you train regularly, you will certainly succeed.
