Hindrances of a good meditation

October 1st, 2003 at 12:00am

Day 15. Boredom has kicked in big time on Day 15. Finding it very difficult to concentrate on the practice. Today I started to read a new book, telling myself I’d read 20 pages/day to help me fall asleep at night. Well I stuffed up and read the whole bloody thing. So much for that. At 6:30pm I finally finished the book and went out to the library to redeem myself and practiced for a few hours.

Today the girl next door to me quit after 7 days (I think) and I must admit that I am so glad to see her go because I will never have to hear her bangle bracelets clinking-clinking-clinking ever again! Every time she moved in her room I would here a clink and she always seemed to move excessively when I was doing a sitting meditation. Good riddance Clinker Girl! With my luck, I’ll get a new neighbor with an even more annoying disturbance.

Anyway I know I’m getting bored because I am starting to crave food in the evenings. And I don’t feel overly hungry, just, well, bored. Tonight after leaving the library, a Thai woman offered me some ‘juice’ and I thought oh man what a treat! Well the ‘juice’ tasted like warm potato broth. Yuck! Hey, anything to fend off the hunger pains I guess.

According to Phra Ajun Suphan, the head monk whom each foreigner meets with every day to discuss their experience, my feelings of boredom are normal and are in fact one of the five hindrances or mind objects – anger, craving, sloth (lazy), worry/restlessness, and doubt/uncertainty. Basically you are meant to acknowledge the feeling (positive or negative) and move on.

Tomorrow I swear I’ll get back into it again. 11 more days and it’s back to the real world where I can do all the thinking I want for the rest of my life!

Thai woman lighting incense by the Chedi

Entry Filed under: Chiang Mai,North,Thailand