problems with samatha

Elliott

Recently I have been having real trouble settling my mind. I try to bring my concentration back to the breath, but even when im doing the counting i can mentally do it whilst think a thousand other things at the same time.

I never used to have this issue, is it because I have gotten used to the method and I need to try a different approach.

Any tips would be appreciated.

fivebells

It's typical, and not a serious problem. Just return attention to the breath and rest each time. If a busy mind is bothering you, put an emphasis on the resting when you return to the breath.

Elliott

By resting do you mean mental rests between periods of conentration?

kicktothehead

Here's what I do and it actually helps me when my mind won't settle...

I envision the thought as a piece of paper being ripped out of notebook, crumpled, and thrown away.

As each thought passes in my mind I envision the above and somehow it actually works for me.

fivebells

Elliott wrote: »

By resting do you mean mental rests between periods of conentration?

I'm glad you asked this question. No. "Concentration is what you do to oranges." This is not about concentration. Just rest with the attention on the breath. Don't try to do anything. The attention will shift from the breath. Just bring it back.

sukhita

You may already know this ... but let me mention it, just in case it does help someone.

When you breathe in, be mindful of the in-breath for the whole duration; and when you breathe out, be mindful of the out-breath for the whole duration. This seems to leave very little gap between breaths for automatic thoughts to arise.

jinzang

Wandering mind is a part of the practice, it's not a defect. The defect is in not following the the instruction, to bring the mind back to the breath when you notice the wandering.

Marmalade

I really don't know much about meditation at all, but I think it's okay to 'think of a thousand other things".

Don't try to stop thoughts, because the more you try to look away from something, the more you'll be drawn in.

Instead, try to merely accept/acknowledge any thoughts that might come to you. Recognize them, acknowledge them, then let them be on their way. I find that when you observe your thoughts (instead of trying to fight them) they tend to suddenly quiet down.

Floating_Abu

Elliott wrote: »

Recently I have been having real trouble settling my mind. I try to bring my concentration back to the breath, but even when im doing the counting i can mentally do it whilst think a thousand other things at the same time.

I never used to have this issue, is it because I have gotten used to the method and I need to try a different approach.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Dear Elliot

What you say is very normal, don't fret, and in fact good for you. Good for you.

Here is a teaching, which speaks to your inquiry. Perhaps it will help you further in your explorations.

At first the mind wanders off. Once we are aware that we have wandered off the breath, then we very gently return to it. We use the attitude of being very, very patient and always willing to begin again. Our minds are not used to being held down, they have been taught to associate one thing with another and form opinions about everything. Being accustomed to using our intelligence and ability to think in clever ways, we tend to become very tense and restless when we can’t do that, and when we practise anapanasati we feel resistance, a resentment to it. It is like a wild horse when it is first harnessed, getting angry with the things that bind it.

When the mind wanders we get upset and discouraged, negative and averse to the whole thing. If out of frustration, we try to force the mind to be tranquil with sheer will, we can only keep it up for a short while and then the mind is off somewhere else. So the right attitude to anapanasati is being very patient, having all the time in the world, letting go or discarding all worldly, personal or financial problems. During this time there is nothing we have to do except watch our breath.

- Venerable Luang Por Sumedho
Anapanasati

Elliot, perseverence is very important in meditation. Suzuki Roshi said it is like the rain, the dew, you are outside getting saturated but you can't necessarily tell. This type of faith and experience can become evident and a part of you through your own life tale and experience. In addition, I find meditation a bit like learning a bike, or an art, keep at it, and one day, even before you know it, it will become much more natural.

Best wishes, and sincere blessings,

Abu

Deshy

Just let it go. Don't fight it too much thinking you are not doing it right, you are wasting time etc. This is not a battle against your mind so that you can achieve something. This is about inner peace and quiet. Be very very patient.

I am telling you because I was in your state just a few days back and I was utterly frustrated. So I read my meditation handbook looking for some advice; I always do that when I need to get back on track. There was some great piece of advice there in the book. That is “let go”. We are always wanting something as in “I need jhanas, I need peace, I need concentration, I need mindfulness”. Meditation is not about gaining; it is about abandoning. That advice is superb.

The next day I didn’t expect anything from my meditation. I just sat there and became aware of the present moment and then slowly drifted my awareness to the breath. My mind naturally settled down and I had a better session than before. When the mind flew away I patiently brought it back. It’s no big deal. It runs off because that’s what it is used to do. Just let go of the desire to control it by sheer willpower. The more you abandon it the more peaceful you will feel.

Palzang

There is a technique you may find useful when you find your mind racing all over the place. Normally you sit with the eyes looking a few feet ahead on the floor, yeah? That's the usual way we are taught to practice. If you're meditating with your eyes closed, that presents a problem as you're much more likely to day-dream or even fall asleep. Anyway, assuming you are meditating with your eyes open, you can actually use them to fine tune your consciousness. If you are experiencing, as you say, a lot of mental activity, try lowering your gaze some. Don't try to focus on anything, just have your eyes open. Also, if you feel drowsy, raise your eyes a bit. I have found this to be a very effective technique.

And as others have said, don't make a big deal of it when your mind wanders. Just bring the mind back to the breath. Don't try to suppress your thinking - doesn't work! Just let it go. You could put a mental sticky note on it that says "Thinking" and just let it go. Then return to the breath. Always return to the breath. It doesn't really matter whether you have to do this a thousand times a minute or never. It's all good practice.

Palzang