The Vipassana Retreat

　　7. Difficulties Facing Meditators - and how to work with them

　　In a way it is a good thing that there is no such thing as a perfect meditator, as all the problems and difficulties that one comes across in meditation practice are ”grist for the mill”: that is, they are ”workable”. As in life, what we see as difficulties in meditation can be the cause of growth in the Dharma.

　　This is especially true of Vipassana meditation, where a lot of difficulties both physically and mentally can be encountered. It is not until the enlightenment factor of equanimity develops sufficiently that there will cease to be difficulties in the practice. That is why it is critical for the meditator to be monitoring feelings and emotions in his or her practice, as it is the ability to accept whatever feelings and subsequent emotions arise without reaction that eventually helps the practice to stabilise and mature.

　　There are common difficulties facing all meditators. They are called the Nirvaranas in Pali, which translates as the Five Hindrances or the obstacles that block the path of the practitioner.

　　• Sensuality: yearning after sense objects or preoccupation with the sensory world

　　• All forms of ill-will: from resentment to outright hostility

　　• Mental Inertia: lack of mental and/or physical energy

　　• Restlessness and Worry: agitation in the mind and body as well as tracing back to the past or remorse

　　• Skeptical Doubt: persistent uncertainty either about one”s own ability, the teacher or the technique.

　　Having mentioned the above negatives, we should then look at possible solutions. An antidote for sensuality is the reflection on the anatomical parts of the body (asubha). This is a powerful method in dealing with attachment to the body. Loving-kindness meditation will change the quality of mind from negative to positive and thereby overcoming all forms of ill-will. Arousing one”s energy and effort can help overcome mental inertia. As for restlessness and worry, calming and stabilising the mind with a concentration meditation is helpful. Skeptical doubt is more difficult to overcome until one develops sufficient confidence (saddha) in the Buddha Dharma to overcome the wavering in the mind. So, doing reflections on the qualities of the Buddha (Buddhanussati), one can inspire and arouse the necessary confidence.

　　Concentration meditation can be relied on to give some relief from the Five Hindrances by temporarily suppressing them. When threshold concentration (upacara samadhi) arises in Vipassana meditation it too will inhibit the hindrances to some extent as well. But ultimately the mind is purified and completely cleared of the Five Hindrances through the cleansing power of Vipassana meditation.

　　Handling Difficulties in the Practice

　　Mind Wanderings: Preoccupied with the content of the mind, being lost in thought or obsessive trains of thoughts requires skillful handling. It is not the object of the practice to repress the thinking. Rather one has to allow that, over the period of a retreat, the mind will naturally settle. There are two ways to work with the thinking - vigorously mentally noting the thinking as ”thinking”, ”thinking”, to cut it, as this helps to “break the circuit” or, when possible, allow the train of thoughts to run and find the gaps or pauses between thoughts, and if one is sharp enough, then try to catch the beginning of the next thought as it is about to form. In this way, at least the circuitous thinking pattern is broken and the mind will then tend to quieten.

　　Sleepiness: This is a common problem when people come to meditation retreats. Usually, it is just mental and physical exhaustion for a lot of people. We are so over-extended, stretched and stressed, that people are of…

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