Meditation is practiced to clarify awareness to the point of pure insight, direct experience of our essential nature. Techniques help focus attention and still the wave like activity of mental modifications—thoughts or emotions. There are several obstacles that can impede our progress with meditation and there are ways to overcome them. Three primary obstacles are: laziness (lack of true motivation), restlessness (dissipated attention) and distraction (which stems from a lack of focus).
Laziness, giving in to depression or various forms of inertia, can be overcome by wisdom guided will. We must use our discernment to consider what we really want in life and then commit ourselves to it. Once the will is roused through cultivating an uplifting desire, it will burn through the heavy dross of inertia by positive motivation. Clarity and commitment concerning the first step is what is needed. That one step in the direction of a worthy goal will naturally lead to another.
Another way to break through laziness is to think about the purpose of your life and how long you anticipate you will be here in this incarnation. Be aware of the passage of time and how important it is to live in the highest way. It is with this in mind that Buddhist monks and nuns contemplate the acerbic words of Master Guishan in an essay titled Encouraging Words: “Our bodies will not last forever…Days and months pass quickly, and old age and death are inevitable. How can you sit around and let your life trickle away meaninglessly?” Such keen awareness of time and mortality can have a clarifying, albeit shocking, influence when considering how we choose to spend the available time and energy we have. Whenever we are plagued by laziness, this crisp reminder can be a sharp wake up call to not let this precious lifetime be wasted in idleness.
Restlessness is overcome by the cultivation of stillness. A commitment to sit in meditation everyday, at a regular time, for a prescribed period of time, begins to curb the fire of restless activity. When the mind is overcome with restlessness, it is common to think that we do not have enough time to sit and meditate. From the perspective of the restless mind, this seems true. We can be aware of this thought as a sure sign that we have become too worldly, or too involved in outer activity. Turning this around in our life is like turning a big ship moving quickly through the ocean waves. Turning a large ship starts with the rudder, where a small adjustment makes a big difference. So it is with restlessness. The tendency with a restless mind is to make grand plans for changing everything—rearranging the meditation room, starting a meditation group, reading a new book—everything but stopping, when stopping is the simple remedy that is needed. Think of the rudder that turns the great ship and know that a small step, a seemingly small adjustment to your schedule, will begin the necessary quieting of your mind.
When our mental field begins to clear of restlessness, we may experience that our focus is still somewhat distracted. That is, we begin to concentrate and are able to bring the attention to a single point for a brief period of time but then find that we are relatively easily sidetracked. Once we have overcome laziness by making a commitment to meditate and curbed the restless tendency of the mind through regular practice, we may still encounter this obstacle of distraction.
Practicing nonattachment to specific outcomes curbs the outward flow of attention and supports a more inward orientation. Instead of searching externally for satisfaction or support, the practice of nonattachment has us discern the real source of our good as our relationship with the infinite. If we do not curb the wandering mind throughout the day and learn to focus our attention, we are at a distinct disadvantage when we sit to meditate because this mental tendency to wander can become a habit. Instead, we can develop the habit of concentration in the midst of activities. Not only will the useful habit of knowing how to stay focused improve our success in our mundane affairs, it will benefit our meditation practice as well.
Think About It: "I can't concentrate" is a common student complaint. Although the cure for this problem is not easy, the habit of concentration can be developed by self-discipline and practice in becoming involved.
–University of Wisconsin, Reading and Study Skills Center
Be Inspired: When TV newscaster Diane Sawyer was asked the secret to her success, she said, "I think the one lesson I've learned is there is no substitute for paying attention."
–quoted on About.com, Alternative Medicine
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