What are some ways to improve my practice?
score:3
It is hard to offer concrete suggestions or even precisely guess what's happening without more information about your practice and your background; that said, it looks like your practice is sincere, and it is working. Often when the practice begins to bite, irritability and impatience may increase - it is a learning moment, and a teacher. Find the three characteristics of impermanence, non-self and suffering in each of those moments of irritability, dullness and anger.
Without getting into too many technical details, I'd say, think of it as the next level in a game, your opponents are tougher, and that is what makes it more interesting.
The most important thing is not to abandon practice at this point, but to continue, this is exactly when you need faith and perseverance.
I assume you practice insight meditation (also called Vipassana), if you do, it is not about indulging in the pleasant moments, or treating ourselves to some peace and calm - it is about understanding reality - which means one encounters the good and bad mind moments, and learns to remain equanimous.
Everything is impermanent - even the good and calm times in meditation will go away, and be replaced with difficult times - this is the moment of wisdom, that reveals the suffering in being attached to any feeling.
You might want to take a look at another question where I've offered more advanced help - Working with cycles in meditation . Stop reading it if it gets confusing.
Upvote:3
When practicing insight meditation it can happen that latent defilements are being stirred up and surfaced. It can happen that a very calm person suddently experiences strong feelings of anger. One is "cleaning out the closet" in a way and stuff from the bottom can come to the surface. Do not worry too much about where that anger is coming from or what's the reason for it is.
The important thing is to work with it. To try to understand it and learn from it. Turn it into a foundation for cultivation of insights.
Anger is a variation of the second hindrance, i.e. Ill-will. A way to deal with this is to turn the feeling of anger into an object of observation. Try to see the 3 signs of existence in order to understand that this feeling of anger do not belong to anyone. The anger is not a Self, it is not you and it is not yours. It's an impersonal phenomena that has arisen and will cease to exist again.
It might be very intense but it's impermanent so sooner or later it will burn out it's fuel. By observing it and not reacting to it one is robbing it of it's fuel. If one interact with it or has aversion towards it one will provide it with further fuel to burn thereby making it last longer and burn hotter.
Another approach is to do metta meditation and thereby replacing the anger with loving-kindness.
Lastly, here is a video called "Monk Radio: Dealing With Anger in Meditation" by Ven. Yuttadhammo.
Let me know if you have any questions to what i wrote and i will try to answer. May you be well and happy.
More post
- π Is intercessionary prayer prohibited in Jodo Shinshu (Japanese Pureland?)
- π Sila & (Non)Remorse AN 10.1
- π Do Buddhists have a country or a religion to defend?
- π According to Buddhism , who achieves Nirvana?
- π How to reconcile non-attachment in a Type-A, North American culture where work is life?
- π How does the Buddha define "atheist"?
- π Meditation and family life
- π Is kasina meditation based on the suttas or was it invented in the Visuddhimagga?
- π How can Name-and-form be the cause and condition for the manifestation of the consciousness aggregate?
- π What do Venerable Cha Mo's similes on the Flower's Scent and the Perfumed Rag mean with regard to satkΔyadαΉαΉ£αΉi?
- π What is the meaning of "O Laso"?
- π Is Will Power required to renounce sense pleasures?
- π What is known about the years of oral tradition of the Pali Canon?
- π How is Uposatha practiced in non Buddhist countries?
- π I like pigeons, And I like to make homing pigeon for my house, is it good act or bad?
- π How to 'Let Go' in Meditation?
- π Has SΔdhna ( Meditation practice) with closed eyes more benefits than with open?
- π What happens to one in a locked in syndrome?
- π To hell with metta - how to understand AN4.125?
- π Is this aversion?
- π Is there a point practicing mantra if I can get to samadhi with pure anapana/breath meditation?
- π Why is there even a way to the end of suffering?
- π For contact, can eye, sights, and eye-consciousness arise but NOT meet?
- π Do buddhists believe that time travel will ever be possible?
- π What is it that is re-incarnated ?
- π How to cure "if I blamed someone who we should not blame"?
- π how to aware of Dukkha ( "suffering", "anxiety", "stress", or "unsatisfactoriness")
- π Can a human being reside both in this world and Nirvana at the same time?
- π Anatta & reincarnation
- π Does anybody know the composition of the 6th council and how the delegates were chosen?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- π What are some ways to improve my practice?
- π What are some of the ways to practice confidence/ self-confidence?
- π What are some techniques to practice Anatta with the five aggregates?
- π What are ways "common" and not so known to practice the first kind of proper giving?
- π What are some Buddhist ininterpretations of claims of past-life memories?
- π How are Buddhist Sacred Texts used in practice and historically, given the questioned authenticity of some of them
- π I have some people coming over who practice Buddhism, what should I know?
- π What are some entertaining/fictional movies, books, etc. about Buddhadharma or Buddha himself?
- π What are some resources on Mahayana forms of Meditation?
- π What are some examples of Buddhist rulers?
- π What happens if a Person spent money on good things which are earned from bad ways
- π Within TheravΔda tradition, what are the differences in doctrine and practice between schools and sects around the world?
- π What are the most common ways to enable keyboards to type Pali characters in 2021?
- π What is actually Nirvana -- what are some Tripitaka sources?
- π What are the ways to be conscious in all situations?
- π In what ways are the Advaita concept of 'Nirguna Brahman' and the Buddhist concept of Buddha Nature similar and different?
- π What are some special meditation techniques and/or objects that have been used to develop mental abilities?
- π What are the different ways of protecting one's practice?
- π What are some of the sutra's related to the Twelve Links (Nidanas)?
- π What are the main differences -- in meditation practice and discipline -- between different schools of Theravada?
- π What are the differences between vipassana and mindfulness meditation?
- π What are the common buddhist practices to eliminate sleepiness?
- π What are examples of identity-view?
- π What determines whether actions are good or bad?
- π What are the differences/similarities in the concept of faith as used in Buddhism and Christianity?
- π What are the texts that contain words which can be attributed directly to the Buddha?
- π What are the scientifically proven benefits of mindfulness meditation?
- π What dietary practices are most helpful for reaching enlightenment?
- π What are the other Theravada Councils held between the 4th and 6th
- π What are the Four Noble Truths?