The Hindrances: Sloth and Torpor

The most common "problems" in meditation are one of the five hindrances:

1. Sensual desire 
2. Anger/ill will
3. Sloth and Torpor
4. Restlessness
5. Doubt

I will talk a bit about each of these in due course. Today I will focus on Sloth and Torpor.

For me, sloth and torpor is one of the most frequent friends that I meet on this path, a bit like an old friend with a drinking problem. You know this friend, and you know the problem, but it can be so hard to do something about it! 

How can one overcome this? In some of the suttas, the Buddha mentions pressing one's tongue to your palate, and beating your mind down. If you try it, you'll realise that this simply causes you to oscillate between tiredness and extreme restlessness (I personally didn't believe this until I witnessed it in myself during a retreat). 

Usually, tiredness has a mental and physical cause. Often, we simply don't realise just how tired we are, especially in this day and age where sensory overstimulation is the norm. The Buddha compared sensual pleasures to a debt, which you have to pay back: when we sit down and meditate and our minds become overwhelmed with tiredness, this is mental-payback time for all the times you were nonstopsurfingonyourphonetalkingwhileeatingplayingonegameafteranotherlisteningtomusicwhileworkingoutetc. 

The solution really is to either rest, or allow yourself while meditating to rest: just kindfully (yes, kindly + mindful) let your mind be even if it is dulled with fatigue. If it is really unbearable, then lie down to rest: after all, that was also part of the advice that the Buddha gave to Mahamogallana (one of his two chief disciples) when the latter was fighting fatigue on his path to arahantship. It is also what my teacher Ajahn Brahm cheekily calls "flat out meditation". 

After some rest, usually you'll find it is much easier to sustain attention on the meditation object. When mindfulness builds up, usually sloth and torpor naturally falls away by itself. 

Another thing that helps in your daily life is to meditate more regularly, and to simplify your life by removing craving for things and stimuli. This helps overall.