The Nine Resistances in Meditation

You sit down, close your eyes, and instead of silence everything else shows up. A voice says that this is pointless, your knee itches, you remember an email you haven't answered, and you have the vague feeling that you're doing it all wrong. If that sounds familiar, you haven't failed at meditation. You're right in the middle of it.

Over the years I've noticed that the same resistances come up again and again, both in my own practice and with the people I meditate with. I've grouped them into nine. This isn't a classical Buddhist list, it's simply a practical way of naming what actually happens when someone sits down and looks inward.

Obstacles in the Buddhist view 障

Many descriptions of meditation create the impression that a calm mind should be there from the first breath. If you believe that and then experience the opposite, it's easy to conclude that meditation just isn't for you. I think that's one of the most common reasons people give up.

Buddhism has a word for obstacles, shō 障, as in shōge 障礙. Obstacles are taken very seriously there, but they aren't treated as something shameful. On the contrary, they show you where the mind is still attached. In other words, every resistance tells you something about yourself, and the more useful question is how to meet it rather than how to get rid of it.

The nine resistances 九障

• Resistance 1 Altered sense of time Five minutes feel like half an hour, because the mind isn't used to being without outside stimulus. This changes with practice.
• Resistance 2 Inner voices "This is a waste of time" or "You could be doing something useful." These voices are habits that speak up because, for once, you're listening. You can let them talk and still stay seated.
• Resistance 3 Checking the clock The urge to keep looking at the time shows that the mind wants to stay in control. Part of the practice is letting that go.
• Resistance 4 Bodily sensations Tingling, itching, pressure or mild discomfort appear because the body suddenly gets attention. A good sitting posture makes a big difference here. Real pain, of course, is a signal to change your position.
• Resistance 5 Thoughts and emotions Memories, worries, sadness, anger or joy come up, sometimes all at once. When the mind is given space, it tends to sort itself out, and that can be a bit messy at first.
• Resistance 6 Feeling unworthy The feeling of not being spiritual or disciplined enough for this practice. In my experience this one often sits deepest, and that's why it's worth meeting it.
• Resistance 7 Outside distractions The phone, the doorbell, noise from the street. They're the easiest excuse, and also the easiest to see through, because the resistance usually lies in your reaction and not in the sound.
• Resistance 8 Boredom and impatience Nothing happens, no light and no vision, just silence and the feeling of wasting time. If you stay with the boredom for a while, something else often opens up behind it.
• Resistance 9 Self-doubt Am I doing this right? Is this even the right method for me? Self-doubt likes to look like careful reflection, but often it's simply the mind holding on to the familiar.

How to meet them 観

There's no single technique that makes all nine disappear, and that isn't the point either. What helps is the attitude you bring to them. Put simply, you notice what is happening without judging it, you allow it to be there, and you stay seated and return to your breath, your mantra or whatever your practice is. You do this without force, with the same friendliness you'd show a restless child. Breath-counting like the 108 Breath Meditation is a good anchor for this.

Shingon has a word for this kind of seeing, kan 観, contemplation. It's the same character you find in the names of the moon disc meditation Gachirinkan and the breath meditation Sûsokukan. It doesn't mean analyzing, it means an open, wide way of looking that includes whatever comes up.

Do the resistances go away? 道

In my experience they don't disappear completely, but they change. What looked like a wall at first becomes something familiar over time. The inner voice still speaks, but you don't automatically follow it anymore. Boredom still comes, but you know it passes.

Which of the nine do you know best from your own practice?