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Well, I Keep hearing this dialogue by a few Buddhist meditation teachers, "It's very common for everyone to get distracted by thoughts when you start the meditation practise initially".
I am curious to know whether Buddha, himself, faced any issues while meditating, initially, (lack of concentration, etc)?
You can read this sutta about how the Buddha-To-Be overcome obstacles: https://suttacentral.net/mn19/en/bodhi
The buddha says he had plenty of worries with ''breathless absorption'' https://suttacentral.net/mn100/en/sujato
Probably a few minor ones. But remember we're talking about someone who attained the 1st jhana back when He was a kid, and then quickly mastered all form jhanas and formless attainments when studying under his two meditation masters. He was so good that those masters even asked him to become co-leader to help them teach their students! So it's like asking a math prodigy whether s/he faces any issues doing math. Sure, there'd be some, but they'd be just a tiny fraction compared to what a regular average student has to face.
Siddharth Gautama , a prince had issues with the misery of this world. Even in stories we hear & read that," In childhood days , Gautama used to meditate under a tree by closing eyes & sitting calmly & focusing on in-out breath .
Buddha ,an enlightened version of Gautama ( with no self) can never be with any type of issue. Buddha used to teach others without any issue.
Siddharth Gautama had issues with misery & path to end the misery. In a way , it can be said that Gautama might had issues with meditation but Buddha .
"I thought: 'Not only does Alara Kalama have conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration, & discernment. I, too, have conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration, & discernment. What if I were to endeavor to realize for myself the Dhamma that Alara Kalama declares he has entered & dwells in, having realized it for himself through direct knowledge.' So it was not long before I quickly entered & dwelled in that Dhamma, having realized it for myself through direct knowledge
Alara Kalama was the Buddha-To-Be's first ascetic teacher, and he taught the sphere of nothingness, the 7the Jhana. I'm not sure his learning of this absorption has a date, but the Buddha was an ascetic for about six years, and must have already mastered the earlier concentrations.
There is no sign of him struggling with it, and this sutta is more about his difficulty in giving up the pursuit of wealth and a happy family live -- upon learning of sickness, old age, and death.
another sutta where the buddha talks about wrong concentration, ie concentration which have lots of defilements. then he says he bases his samdhi on the jhanas, ie the jhanas are good samadhi, contrary to whatever he was doing before.
