Buddhism Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for people practicing or interested in Buddhist philosophy, teaching, and practice. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I know that as long as someone isn't enlightened, thoughts will continue to arise in one's mind, including bad thoughts. And the only way to prevent bad thoughts from arising is through meditation. So does "not wanting to meditate" counted as bad karma? Because there's an intention to not want to meditate (meanwhile meditation is the only way to prevent bad thoughts from arising). So not wanting to meditate = letting bad thoughts to arise = bad karma(?)
Can someone clear this for me? Thank you.
The Pali suttas say bad thoughts arise from the three wrong actions rather than from not meditating. Therefore, it is probably best to work on right view about morality.
And what is the nutriment for the five hindrances? It should be said: the three kinds of misconduct.
what would be acting to prevent one from meditating are things like habits, naivety, laziness, misperception of low things being meaningful things, etcetc
these are the things that actually perform functions to prevent intending to meditate, as opposed to the simple fact of the absence of someone meditating which isnt an action therefore not producing karma
thoughts will continue to arise in one's mind, including bad thoughts. And the only way to prevent bad thoughts from arising is through meditation
These thoughts coming into play is one end, the result that these thoughts produce is another end and that which produces is in the middle.
When you recognize that there are thoughts and that these are bad, these are two different occasions on which the mind is not obsessed by these thoughts and on this occasion there is "meditation" whether this meditation is going to produce fruition depends on whether or not you take note of theme of the thoughts and make adjustments.
Adjustment will generally be giving of attention to the danger of unwholesome thoughts or redirecting the mind to a wholesome theme so that it becomes the inclination of the mind due to frequent giving of attention.
Buddhism is about causes and effects (hethu pala). So, find out the cause for not wanting to meditate. Then you can get an idea about the effects which can be caused by it.
Note: Buddhism is the explanation of nature. It's not a man invented-thing, it's a man who discovered how this nature works is called the Buddha. So don't think meditation is a rule.
Further below quote from your question is not exactly true (partially ok)
And the only way to prevent bad thoughts from arising is through meditation.
The above quote is equivalent to, the only way to prevent from drowning (in water) is learning to swim, Yes you can survive in the waters by learning how to swim (That's the partially ok part). But can you guarantee the behaviour of the water? (Can you guarantee the behaviour of your mind).
Instead of learning how to swim, how about uprooting the need of going into the waters? Initially learning to swim would help, but that's not the goal.
Real Buddhism is about uprooting the need by understanding the reality of the needs/desires, and how useless/worthless the needs/desires are. When you realise it you understand not going to the waters is the one and only path to enlightenment.
So come back to the shore from the waters (because we are already in it), of course, you need to learn how to swim (meditate). But the goal is to understand the reason why we need to go to the shore (enlightenment), what's the problem with the sea (life, desires, needs etc.). Otherwise, we'll keep swimming in the sea but not to the shore.
You may attain nibbana
