How Can I Make Meditation To Look Forward To?

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim's (법륜스님) Answer to “Meditation isn't enjoyable for me. How can I make meditation something to look forward to?”
A question is chosen from the weekly Sunday meditation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim.

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Note: This has an English translation.

Transcript

So far,

Meditation for me has been like spinach.

It is something that other people tell me is good for me,

But I do not find it particularly pleasant.

Since I do not find it particularly pleasant,

I tend to not want to do it often.

Do you have advice about how I can improve my meditation experience so I am eager to do it and make it more useful to me?

To want to do something is part of your desire.

To want to do something is part of your desire.

Because if you want to do something and there is a situation arises when you can't do what you want to do,

That gives rise to suffering.

So if you find a way to desire meditation,

And something happens and you can't do meditation,

Then meditation becomes a source of suffering.

So it's not always good that you want to do meditation.

So meditation is not something you want to do or something you don't want to do.

It's something you just do.

And if you want to do it and you can't do it,

It becomes a source of suffering.

And if you don't want to do it,

But you are forcing yourself to do it,

Then it also becomes a source of suffering.

So meditation should not be placed in a position to become a source of suffering.

Because at that point,

Meditation becomes an object of desire.

Because meditation essentially is letting go of your desire.

And free yourself from suffering.

Just because you are sitting down in stillness and breathing doesn't mean it's meditation.

So sitting down and focusing on the breath and being mindful of the breath is a necessary condition to meditation,

But it's not a sufficient condition.

So a necessary and sufficient condition to meditation is a state in which you are free from distraction,

From suffering.

So you have to be able to go beyond the duality of I want to or I don't want to and just engage in meditation as is.