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I Don't Like to Meditate

MindGateMindGate United States Veteran
edited September 2011 in Meditation
When I say "Hey, I should meditate," I start to think, "Nah, I rather go to sleep." I don't like to meditate. I much rather sleep than meditate. And this is at anytime of the day - not just night. I want to pursue the Buddhist path, but I just don't have the enthusiasm to meditate. Comments? Please be kind..

Comments

  • YoungBuddhistYoungBuddhist
    Start slow, maybe 5 minutes at a time. Meditation is important as it trains your mind to focus. Just try to do it whenever you have some free time
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    I don't like to go to the gym either, but I do it because I know it's crucial for my health. Same with meditation :)
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited September 2011
    @MindGate
    If you don't want to meditate, maybe you should try Anapanasati... mindfulness of breathing. Whatever you're doing in your daily life, just remain mindful of the breath as it courses through your body, in and out naturally (don't force it). This will calm and concentrate the mind, and insight can arise right there without any special sitting meditation. It gets easier with practice.
  • GuyCGuyC Veteran
    edited September 2011
    Hi Mindgate,

    It could be that you are sleep-deprived; maybe you need to rest first, then meditate?

    Metta,

    Guy
  • MindGateMindGate United States Veteran
    I would like to point out that I sleep quite a lot and also have a lot of free time on my hands. So, I'm assuming I'm just lazy...
  • jupitermadcatjupitermadcat
    edited September 2011
    Or you could chant I guess.
  • GuyCGuyC Veteran
    Hi MindGate,
    I would like to point out that I sleep quite a lot and also have a lot of free time on my hands. So, I'm assuming I'm just lazy...
    Don't feel bad about being "lazy", it's pretty common. Perhaps your "laziness" is just the symptom of a lack of inspiration. If a lack of inspiration is the underlying problem, then the solution might be one of (or, better yet, a combintion of) the following:

    1) Remind yourself, regularly, of why you want to practice Buddhism.

    2) Focus on other people a bit more and less on yourself.

    3) Make some (...lots of!...) good kamma.

    Then, just before you meditate...

    4) Recollect the good qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha.

    5) Recollect the good kamma that you have made.

    Give these a try and let me know what works.

    Metta,

    Guy
  • taiyakitaiyaki Veteran
    Do it anyways.
  • ddrishiddrishi
    edited September 2011
    In my humble view, eligious concepts stand between you and meditation. Lot of avoidable damage has been done by those who associated meditation with religion. It is true that Buddhism as well as other religions, particularly Hindu and Sikh relgions, lay heavy emphasis on meditation, but it does not mean that meditation itself has something great to do with religion or God. Just as physical exercise keeps you physically fit, meditation will keep you mentally fit, free of stress and at peace with yourself. The reason as to why religions did not lay equal stress on physical exercise could be that the lifestyle in earlier times was such that no specific physical exercise was necessary.

    2. Whether it is physical exercise or meditation, you have to force yourself to do it for first 90 days. After that, your system will come on auto-pilot and it will not be possible for you to skip either physical exercise or meditation even if you wish to.

    3. 90 days, that is what my teachers told me. It works. It worked for me too after I had struggled for three years to get going with meditation.
  • jlljll Veteran
    yes, you are lazy.
    so, what are you going to do about it?
    I would like to point out that I sleep quite a lot and also have a lot of free time on my hands. So, I'm assuming I'm just lazy...
  • MindGateMindGate United States Veteran
    yes, you are lazy.
    so, what are you going to do about it?
    I would like to point out that I sleep quite a lot and also have a lot of free time on my hands. So, I'm assuming I'm just lazy...
    Coming on NewBuddhist and asking for advice.
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited September 2011
    Trust me, do the mindfulness of breathing. It's not meditation as most people know it, but it does have the same qualities as meditation and is spanned out over a longer period of time (for as long as you can manage it... but even 15 minutes of mindfulness helps).
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    edited September 2011
    Hey mindgate, I am the same. I KNOW that the dharma is the correct path for me, that developing ones mind is important, but for the last 3 years the longest I have meditated was probably 15 minutes.

    Now I meditate maybe once every 2 weeks for 5 minutes, it is pure laziness IMO, or shall I say, lack of right effort. Try resorting back to the 8 fold path, but I can relate, my mind is so untamed, I sit get bored and open my eyes
  • GuyCGuyC Veteran
    edited September 2011
    Hi Tom,
    Hey mindgate, I am the same. I KNOW that the dharma is the correct path for me, that developing ones mind is important, but for the last 3 years the longest I have meditated was probably 15 minutes.

    Now I meditate maybe once every 2 weeks for 5 minutes, it is pure laziness IMO, or shall I say, lack of right effort. Try resorting back to the 8 fold path, but I can relate, my mind is so untamed, I sit get bored and open my eyes
    Maybe you could give my suggestions (posted above) a try and see if they work for you?

    A little bit of inspiration (e.g. recollecting the Buddha/Dhamma/Sangha/your own good kamma) at the beginning of your meditation session can go a long way. If you don't believe that you have made enough good kamma to "deserve" to be happy, then you can always make some more good kamma!

    Don't feel like meditation is something you "should be" or "have to be" doing, don't beat yourself up for being "lazy". Use the carrot, not the stick!

    Metta,

    Guy
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    yes, you are lazy.
    so, what are you going to do about it?
    I would like to point out that I sleep quite a lot and also have a lot of free time on my hands. So, I'm assuming I'm just lazy...
    Coming on NewBuddhist and asking for advice.
    But simply receiving advice won't help you to stop being lazy. It has to come from your own determination.

    There was a journalist once who interviewed an Olympic athlete, a marathon runner. They asked him: "where do you get the motivation to go out and practice running from?" He said, "I get the motivation to practice running by going out and running".

  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    You're not required to meditate. You can practice the precepts, and observe the 8-fold path, that's a discipline in itself. And cloud had a really good suggestion, as always. If you're doing chores around the house, observe the breath. If taking a walk, observe the breath. It's about training the mind to stay focussed on one thing for as long as you can.

    MG, if I may say so, you're not lazy. You're bored. You sleep because there's nothing else to do. You live in a small, Christian town, where there are few, if any, options for young people to enjoy pastimes and hobbies, and even if there were, the Christian kids would hassle you. Hopefully, when you get your driver's license in a few weeks, you can find interesting things to do outside your narrow little community: a Zen center, a bookstore with guest author lecture programs, a youth club or sports facility somewhere... a new world may open up. In the meantime, maybe you can come up with interesting research projects for yourself. You're smart, follow your interests, go to the library and internet and learn about something that interests you. Best wishes, always.
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    In the beginning, the hard stuff is hard and the easy stuff is easy.

    But later, you'll find that the hard stuff is pretty easy and the easy stuff is really hard.
  • RandomRandom
    I'm all for the "Ānāpānasati", if you have time to breathe you have time to meditate this way.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited September 2011
    Just be mindful when you go to sleep (or watch TV or whatever). Does that activity bring you satisfaction? Freshen up your experience and be mindful of what you are doing.

    There is no good in one side of you wanting to sleep and the other knocking you. If you are going to sleep do it full force with compassion and try to enjoy it. Investigate with that freshness.

    It is possible that sleeping is the right practice for you. Investigate your experience and see if sleep is rewarding in a lasting fashion; does it produce what it promises in your desires?
  • Ada_BAda_B
    You don't like to meditate because Self is keen on clinging to its place in the centre of your universe. On one level, you don't want to meditate because you don't want to let go of Self (Self lies to you that it is the way to happiness); on another level, part of you knows that you need to meditate if you are ever to escape suffering.

    (I'm not accusing you of being Selfish by the way - we all have exactly the same problem with Self trying to muscle in on our inner peace ;) )
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