Lust is great -- not seeing the danger in it -- great fun and a great distraction in meditation. When greed (lobha) is present in the mind, there will be no serenity, no mindfulness, and consequently no enlightenment. Purification by concentration on a single suitable object is the antidote. And when the mind is strong, remaining effortlessly on the object, there is no danger of slipping into the uncomfortable trap of sensual craving.
- loving-kindness (metta)
- active compassion (karuna)
- joy-in-others-happiness (mudita)
- equanimity while looking on (upekkha)
These give rise to acceptance and appeasement. One becomes unflappable and able to respond. The fourth, warm detachment, should not to be confused with cold indifference. Trying it, tasting it, one will agree. But thinking about it, prejudging, one will argue. The Buddha taught these Divine Abidings not to be philosophical but because they work.
Sleepiness and sluggishness comes from making too little effort -- stemming from indifference, lack of confidence, lack of sleep, or stressed adrenals from an exhausting lifestyle -- and a habit of ignorance. If in the past one was not keen to hear the truth, not interested in things as they are, but negligent, heedless, inattentive, then mindfulness, diligence, and one-pointedness will take more effort. Resting well before sitting and persevering is the antidote.
Restlessness and worry or being "scattered" results from too much effort or allowing the mind to drift to unsuitable objects. (Giving unwise attention to thoughts, worries, or triggers results in more restlessness). More effort makes one more awkward. The more one wants something, the less one is able to get it. The same is true in dating. More confidence/faith (the opposite of doubt) and less apparent concern with outcomes means MORE success. With more success comes more confidence (even less doubt). The same is true in meditation and seeing the light of a concentrated (purified) mind. An appeased and pacified heart helps. Stress hinders. Over effort quickly leads to dissatisfaction and prematurely giving up.
Uncertainty or nagging/distracting doubt (a lack of confidence in the Teaching, the Teacher, or the Taught) is overcome in two ways. Set it aside for now and meditate. If "don't worry" is no kind of instruction, then "get confident" might be. Getting up and getting one's questions answered. There exist many books, many teachers, many successful meditators. Entangled in a net of views, one will not discover a way out. The way to enlightenment, meditation, or skill in concentration is NOT thinking.
Thinking does many amazing things. It may even bring one to the Dharma. But it does not lead to the goal (bodhi/nirvana) nor even to mundane accomplishments. (Do as much of it as is pleasing, but never in place of meditation). Instead, suspend disbelief, lay down the doubting mind, abandon trying to reason from a position of ignorance. The Truth is true; thinking won't make it otherwise. The Truth is inviting. There's a time to argue, a time to study, a time to investigate and question. That time is certainly not when one is sitting on a meditation mat.
Sitting is the practice of sitting (analogous to the rural practice of spinning a wheel with a stick) -- sufficiently mindful, almost effortlessly concentrating. Kalyani proves that it is attainable even now in what Hinduism labels the Kali Yuga and Christianity calls the End Times.
