Why Many People Don’t Suffer Less Despite Years of Meditation

As a meditation teacher, I’ve met thousands of meditators. I’ve learnt that many have started meditation years ago yet remain stuck in their suffering. Meditation may have given them some relief (which may be why they still persist), but only temporarily. Why so?

I see three basic reasons for this:

1. Mistaken Ideas about Meditation

For them, meditation is about following a method. By persisting in that method, they believe they will one day somehow suffer less. In reality, however, ending suffering doesn’t happen that way.

Although the Buddha did teach meditation methods—such as breathing mindfulness, cultivating loving-kindness, cultivating the perception of unattractiveness, etc.—they are not meant as complete ways to end suffering. They are only meant to fulfil certain principles of ending suffering. These methods are used to settle the mind if there is a need for them. The mind needs to be fairly settled to do the work of ending suffering. That’s the principle here.

Here’s another principle: We can’t let go of our cravings and clingings unless we know what they actually are. In other words, we can’t just meditate them away with some method.

(Note: “Principle” in Sanskrit is “sutra”, and this may be what the Buddha actually meant by “sutra” or “sutta” (in Pāli) in the early Buddhist texts.)

2. Lack of Behavioural Change

Meditation alone is not enough to end suffering. The Buddha made it clear that the work consists of three components: sīla, samādhi, paññā. Samādhi is the meditation component. (Samādhi also means composure or collectedness.). There are two other components: sīla and paññā. Let me first address sīla.

Sīla is often understood as “morality”. That is correct, but as a component of the way leading to the ending of suffering, the word takes a wider meaning: conduct. It includes right speech, right action and right livelihood.

For example, what would be the right conduct if you’re a person suffering from inferiority complex living with a hypercritical person? You may try right speech, telling the person in a proper way to stop correcting your every little mistake. This person may refuse to change. Then, for the sake of healing from your emotional wound, you may have to resort to staying apart from this person. That would be right action here.

And so sīla is not just about not doing a certain set of things. It’s also about doing certain things necessary for your ending of suffering.

3. Lack of Cognitive Change

In Dhamma practice, one needs to remember right view and right attitude. The two make up the paññā or discernment component, without which letting go cannot happen. To understand them, please refer to Open Awareness Meditation: A Quick Introduction.

 

Meditation is a powerful tool, but it’s not a magic bullet. By addressing these common pitfalls—mistaken ideas about meditation, neglecting behavioural changes, and failing to apply right view and right attitude—meditators can truly begin to chip away at the roots of suffering.

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