Hi all, I encounter some problems when I am reciting the buddha's name.I will have negative thoughts and sometimes evil thoughts in between the recitation.I try really hard to stop thinking abt it but these thoughts are constantly coming back.Are these thoughts there because I am not chanting with complete devotion and concentration? I do drift off in between the recitation. Can anybody in forum advise me on this?Many thanks!
Just continue and keep chanting until you experience the calmness and stability of mind... then thoughts will become less of a problem. Don't bother the thoughts, if you bother the thoughts the more problematic it becomes.
yeah just press on. heard this quite often. perhaps it's normal. sometimes, it's because it's always been there, just that we did not notice it, until one start to calm the mind. it's as if they have being magnified. or it's like stirring up some muddy water, and when the dirt is settled at the bottom of the water, u start to see them surfacing. don't care about them, just recite, they will slowly go away.
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Don't give up. Chant until you can chant. Maybe you can join those regular chanting groups and FO QI. When you are chanting with a group, there could be more motivation not to give up chanting. You can also practise repentance before chanting.
All the above comments are correct. However, there are other things you can do to help you to have less disturbances i.e. 由戒生定. Taking precepts will help. Taking precepts is not just restricted to just actions. It is about keeping your mind pure. Basically, you need to know what is your biggest weakness i.e. what are the wandering thoughts all about when you are not chanting. When such a thought arise when u are not chanting, you must quickly kill it off with another counter thought e.g. Gautama Buddha asked his disciple to observe that human body is not clean to counter sexual desire, practise compassionate thinking when to counter anger.
Thanks for all the advice.I will work on it :)