Why is meditation difficult?

When you try to be quiet, your thoughts increase

I don't think there are many people around me who have never been interested in meditation. Everyone must have tried it at least once.

Close your eyes,
focus on your breathing,
and try to be quiet.

However, when you try it, you find yourself thinking. Thoughts about what just happened or future plans come to mind.

You even start evaluating yourself, thinking, "I'm not doing this right," and many people conclude... that they are not suited for meditation.

Is it a lack of concentration?
Is it because my mind isn't calm...

A time to notice what is happening on its own

I would like to change our perspective a little here. You are trying to be quiet, yet thoughts keep coming one after another.

Rather than thinking "I am not doing this well," you can view this as something happening without you doing anything at all.

Think back carefully. Do you decide "I will think this thought next" before you think it?

In most cases, no.
By the time you notice it, it has already begun.

Even if you try to stop it, other thoughts emerge. You don't even choose the content.

This is the moment when "meditation" clearly shows that"thoughts are not moving by your own will."

The ego dislikes silence

So who is doing it?
It is the ego.

The ego does not like silence. It feels anxious when nothing is happening. That is why it starts moving noticeably as soon as silence is about to arrive.

Producing thoughts → assigning meaning → starting evaluation

This is not a bad thing. It is a natural function for the ego.

However, meditation is not training to stop that function.

"Oh, it's happening on its own like this."
It is a time to realize that.

Your thoughts won't stop and you are full of distracting thoughts... at that moment, you are already standing in a position slightly removed from the thoughts themselves.

Usually, we live thinking that our thoughts and emotions are "ourselves."

But during meditation, you can see them appearing automatically and disappearing automatically. When you notice that, "correct meditation" has already begun.

There is no need to be quiet, and there is no need to be in a special state. Just watch what is happening on its own.

Meditation is difficult because it shows that fact too honestly.

And if you can find the existence of the "ego" through meditation, your journey toward oneness will advance significantly.

In your life from now on, "finding the ego, practicing forgiveness, and correcting it" will be the path that surely leads you closer to oneness.