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How to get back to practice after failing ? i always try and fail try and fail

meditating for some years- had and have a teacher - did retreats - but i never manage to keep meditating for more than a few days - tried going all in - tried only meditating 5 minutes - or just being mindful ect ect

cause every time i fail i take a month or two break if not more

so how can i get back to practice each time ? the more i "fail" and take this breaks i feel that its for no use cause i never manage to persevere no matter what i try

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  • Are you sitting with a group?
    – user698
    Dec 18, 2016 at 23:02
  • no - thought if it - nothing close to me but even if there was i would not go probably more than once or twice
    – breath
    Dec 18, 2016 at 23:26

5 Answers 5

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Ask your teacher. But my advice would be to just continue trying. Failing is not the problem here, it is the expectation of achieving some results which is the problem, because it causes suffering. Do as much meditation as you can without thinking about the past or future. Also sometimes being frustrated can be useful, because it shows you what kind of approach to meditation works and what doesn't.

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What do you think it is that is making you fall? I could only speculate. I ask myself this question all the time. Your problem sounds similar to a problem I am having.

I practice continuously but intermittently and only a very tiny bit here and there throughout each day in whatever position I happen to be in. I can't seem to get myself to sit down and practice even though I have plenty of time to so. It appears that I am able to see more and more subtly even with such little practice. I usually try to meditate on my desires or vedana, aiming to resolve this tiny practice problem .

I have a feeling like all I have to do is remove a twig and this boulder of intense practice will run me over. That sounds scary but that is probably why the twig is there because I fear the boulder of intense practice for some reason.

I recently saw that I probably am not taking silla seriously enough and that is probably causing me a lack of concentration on some level. Also I ponder my effort and what it could be that I am taking for granted. Maybe something in here will help your situation. Good luck :)

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First of all, don't be too hard on yourself. Living in Samsara is not easy, hence why we practice to become free from the rounds of suffering.

You made it this far, i.e. being born as a human being. That in itself is a very rare thing.

A human life is short and can end at any moment. The Buddha recommended us to contemplate the 5 Daily Recollections each day. Combined with meditation on death this can be effective in creating samvega.

You might want to reflect upon your practice and why you are practicing. Are you practicing to keep being in lay life? Are you practicing to become free from suffering? Are you practicing to become a Buddha? Then align your effort with that.

Most importantly, are you practicing in order to understand reality? Only the understanding of reality (wisdom) will set us free.

Are you practicing according to the Noble Eight Fold Path? Check the different groupings and see where practice is needed. It tends to be people-specific, e.g. some people needs to put more practice into the concentration-group while others need to work more on the morality-group.

This will allow you to see where you need to practice and it will show you which of the 5 hindrances you need to work on. That in turn also shows which of the Ten Paramis you need to cultivate in a greater deal.

I have not mentioned meditation-practice (vipassana) in this answer as the text-body will become too large. You are more than welcome to sent me an email if you want to discuss that. My mail address is on the profile page.

May you have a fruitful practice.

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I think this question comes from a place of misunderstanding. There is ultimately no reason why you have to practice meditation. Somehow, in the West at least, we've concluded that real Buddhism involves a cushion and sore backside. Those who claim to be Buddhist and don't sit are looked down upon. This is rubbish and completely contradictory to how the Buddha actually taught. The dharma he preached was always tailored specifically for the audience he was addressing. Householders were given instruction on how to make the most of their situation, kings were advised accordingly, and monks received teachings geared towards them.

You aren't a bad person for not being able to sit. A deep meditation practice isn't and shouldn't be the immediate goal for everyone. We all have different strengths, different karma, and different life circumstances. Find the dharma you can practice first. Gradually grow into the rest later.

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If your practice fails review first step on 8 fold path. Perfect knowledge will bring you stream entry and practice flows naturally from that. In other words, a lack of momentum in practice means you have gotten the lesson wrong somewhere. You can't be blamed considering the layers of bs that have been heaped upon the teachings of the Buddha over the centuries. You will have to study hard. Read "Doctrine of the Buddha " by George Grimm. Will clear the nonsense from truth

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