The Challenges Are the Path
In your practice, do not hope to be free of obstacles. Find liberation in the midst of them. -Chan Master Miaoxie, Treasure King Samādhi Treatise
I would like to talk about a few things that happened at last Tuesday’s meditation. The first two things were comments from our regular participants.
The first person said that they felt they weren’t making much progress. They were getting frustrated and thought about quitting. But despite that, they decided to just keep going. I think it’s important to recognize what a great attitude this is. Continuing despite frustration and uncertainty shows Great Determination: the willingness to keep going even when things are difficult. It also shows Great Faith in the practice, in the method, and in yourself.
The second person said that, for the first time, it felt like they were investigating a genuine question, that the doubt was starting to feel real. That’s fantastic, because it means the hwadu is becoming a real question and the doubt is coming alive. That is one of the classic signs that practice is gaining momentum. I was so happy for them! We were wondering, though, whether perhaps there was just a little too much effort being applied. The drive to understand the hwadu is good, and effort is necessary to carry us forward. But if we put in a little too much effort, it can stand in our way or cause problems. Here we have two practitioners making progress, each encountering different challenges along the way.
The other thing that happened was a change in the energy in the room. Everyone was silent, almost completely still, sitting with good posture and applying the technique. There was a stillness and seriousness in the room that made me realize that something had changed. In that moment, I could see that you were maturing as practitioners and beginning to seriously engage with the practice.
As you continue along the path, you are sure to encounter challenges, and I want to make sure you have the tools you need to work with them wisely. That is precisely what I want to talk about today: how to deal with the challenges that arise in our practice. Because they will. My hope is that this talk will encourage you and help prepare you for the challenges you face now and those that lie ahead as you continue along the Buddhist path.
When we encounter challenges in practice, our first reaction is often to see them as problems to get rid of, or as defects in our practice. Something we are doing wrong. We think of them as obstacles standing in our way, preventing us from ‘truly practicing’. We think, “If only I could get rid of these pesky thoughts, then I could practice.” Or, “If only I could sit still, then I could really meditate.” Or, “If only my legs didn’t ache so much, then I could stay with the hwadu.” Negative thoughts can also be an obstacle for us, such as “Maybe I am just not good at this meditation stuff” or “My mind is just too busy, maybe I should just give up.” But the thing is, this is precisely the practice. These aren’t things that are getting in the way of the practice. This is the practice.
When I first moved to Norway, my Norwegian language teacher told me that in professional settings, I shouldn’t use the word “problem.” Instead, we should talk about “challenges.” Of course, changing the wording doesn’t make the problem any less real, but it reflects a shift in attitude from seeing something as an obstacle to seeing it as an opportunity to learn, adapt, and move forward. Rather than focusing on problems that need to be eliminated, we focus on challenges that need to be worked through.
I think we can apply this attitude to our practice, too. Rather than thinking that there are obstacles that need to be solved before we can continue, we can recognize that these are challenges that arise within the practice and that we need to learn how to work with them. When we first start practicing, we come face-to-face with the coarser layers of the mind: restlessness, frustration, boredom, overexertion, and so forth. We encounter all these things, and we can think they’re getting in the way. But these are precisely the things we have to learn to work with. When these challenges arise, we learn to recognize the patterns and let them go without clinging to them or following them. Rather than treating them as obstacles or hindrances that we need to eliminate before we can practice, we learn to see them as part of the practice itself.
Trust me when I say that it is not a matter of if you will experience challenges like these, but when. As Chan Master Sheng Yen once asked: "Is it possible to make progress in your practice without encountering obstacles?" His words can be interpreted in two different, but equally valid, ways: The first is that challenges are an inevitable part of the practice. It's simply a matter of fact that we will be confronted with challenges as we walk this path. The other meaning is that challenges are a necessary part of the path that helps us move forward, and without them, we can't progress. One of the things that hwadu practice does is put us face-to-face with the mind and all of its vexations (Skt. kleśa): wants, aversions, anger, frustration, impatience… the list goes on and on. None of these aspects of the thinking mind can pass through the iron wall of the hwadu. As we continue to investigate, each of the aspects of mind comes up against that wall, and it shows them clearly to us. One by one, we have to learn to let them go or to work with them wisely.
I think it’s also worth remembering that although we are all walking the same path, we all have unique challenges. We each come to practice with our own history, our own psychology, our own habit-energies (Skt. vāsanā), and our own karmic tendencies. Imagine that we are all trying to travel north, toward the North Pole, which represents our original Buddhanature. But each of us begins somewhere different in the world. To go north, we will have to traverse different terrain to arrive at the same point. Some of us might have to climb mountains of self-doubt. Others might have to learn to pull themselves out of the quicksand of chasing one meditation experience after another so they can continue making their way north. Some might have to cut their way through jungles of pride, arrogance and conceit (Skt. māna) in order to travel north. We are all heading to the same destination, but the terrain and the journey is different for each of us. But the fact of the matter is, there is no other place we can begin than where we are right now. There is no other option - you can’t become someone you are not. We have to start with the mind and the life we actually have, and learn to work with whatever we encounter along the way. Actually, from the perspective of ultimate truth, there is nowhere to go and nothing to attain. But I hope this image nonetheless helps you understand why you will face challenges that are uniquely your own as you walk the path.
I often say that the instructions for the hwadu method are simple, but I’ve never said that walking the Buddhist path is easy. One of the visiting teachers at Dohasa, Zen Master Rebecca Nie, often tells her students that they are embarking on the Hero’s Journey. And I think that’s a fitting description, because this is a journey that asks us to face things we would ordinarily spend our lives trying to avoid or run away from. As we practice, we come face-to-face with our own impatience, our fears, our insecurities, our attachments, and our deeply ingrained habits of mind. We encounter uncertainty, frustration, and periods when it feels as though we’re getting nowhere. There are times when we want to give up, when we wonder whether we can continue at all. But encountering these challenges in our practice is not a sign that we’ve done something wrong. They are part of the journey itself. Like any true hero, we keep going, meeting each challenge with courage.
Sometimes, it really does take real courage to face aspects of ourselves that are so deeply ingrained in us. These challenges can arise from our own personalities, habits, and deeply rooted ways of relating to the world. For example, if we are goal-oriented people, we can become so hung up on making progress and attaining enlightenment that we create an impasse in our practice. Or, if we tend to be intense and driven in everything we do, we can throw ourselves into practice so forcefully that we exhaust ourselves, develop headaches, and make our practice unsustainable in the long run. If we are people who seek comfort and pleasure, we can become so attached to having a relaxing and peaceful meditation that we waste time trying to produce a pleasant experience instead of genuinely investigating the hwadu. If we are energetic by nature, we may become restless and impatient, seeking distractions rather than facing the present moment as it is. If we are people who jump from one thing to another, we might be intensely interested in practice at first, only to lose interest and abandon it a few months later when the excitement wears off. If we are the intellectual type, we might spend countless hours reading Buddhist books, discussing Buddhist philosophy, without actually doing the practice itself. If we are materialistic or seeking a new identity, we can become so caught up in the visual and material aspects of Buddhism, from mala beads to Buddhist statues, that we mistake collecting Buddhist objects and adopting a Buddhist identity for actually practicing the Dharma. Finally, if we are the type who wants to have psychedelic experiences or altered states of consciousness, we can go down endless rabbit holes chasing after mind-blowing visions and extraordinary experiences, only to discover that years have passed and we are no closer to realizing our true nature. The possibilities are endless because people’s personalities are endless.
The tricky thing is that our own patterns are often the hardest things for us to see, and we may not even realize they have become a challenge, because they are simply our way of moving through the world. But in meditation, the same habits that serve us well in daily life can work against us. This is one of the reasons it's important to discuss your challenges with a teacher. A teacher who has walked this path can offer an objective perspective, and they may recognize patterns they were once stuck in themselves. They can patiently and compassionately point out what we can’t see, help us recognize it, and help us keep moving forward. A good teacher will never think less of you for being honest about your practice. They will see a student who is willing to learn and grow. That is why it is important to find someone who you feel you can trust and speak openly with, and one who will be compassionate, but honest, with you.
When we recognize that we have come up against a challenge, there are a few qualities that can help us work wisely with that challenge. First and foremost are our Great Faith and Great Determination. Together with Great Doubt, these are the Three Essentials of our practice. We have Great Faith, or trust, in our teacher, our method, our fellow practitioners, and our tradition. We also have faith in our own capacity for awakening, trusting that our true nature is already that of a buddha, even if we have yet to fully realize it for ourselves. And we rely on Great Determination, a fiery resolve to break through the hwadu and settle the great matter of birth and death. One of the aspects of Great Determination is the attitude that we just keep going, no matter what challenges we encounter. We don’t give up when we become frustrated, when our minds won’t calm down, or when we feel we’re not making progress. We keep putting one foot in front of the other, determined to not give up until we understand this matter for ourselves. Great Determination doesn’t mean gritting our teeth, applying superhuman effort, or trying to force our way through problems. Its strength lies in the depth of our resolve, not in how hard we strain.
In addition to the Three Essentials, there are a number of other helpful qualities that we can cultivate to help us face the challenges that arise in our practice. This includes honesty, patience, humor, creativity, thankfulness and humility. The first and most important thing we need to do is be honest with ourselves. We need to take an honest look at our practice and recognize when we are falling into these cycles or adopting unwholesome and unhelpful approaches. When we can recognize what is happening and be honest with ourselves about it, we have the opportunity to do something about it. We also need to be honest with our teacher about the challenges we are facing. It can be difficult to let our guard down and admit that we might need help, but this kind of honesty is very important to keep moving forward. If we can be honest with both ourselves and our teacher, we give ourselves the best opportunity to recognize our blind spots, approach them in a helpful way, and keep moving forward.
We can cultivate patience by remembering the Buddhist teaching that all things are impermanent. All dharmas arise and pass away according to conditions, and nothing possesses a permanent existence. Said more simply, just remember the wisdom that “this too shall pass.” Remembering this can help us develop patience. We do not have to react to every feeling or thought as though it were permanent or demanded our immediate attention. Sometimes, the best way to meet a challenge is simply to be patient and allow it to run its course. This is especially true of certain mindsets that can arise during practice, such as boredom or restlessness. Sometimes, the wisest thing we can do is acknowledge these experiences and allow them to be, trusting that they will eventually pass just as they arose. Patience is also essential when we find ourselves falling into the same patterns repeatedly, such as forcing our meditation or applying too much effort. We need the patience to recognize these tendencies each time they arise and the wisdom to respond skillfully rather than becoming frustrated with ourselves. If we can cultivate this kind of patience, we can learn from our difficulties without becoming discouraged by them.
One of the most transformative qualities that we can bring to our challenges is humor. When we recognize how much of our struggle comes from our own mind’s habits and reactions, we can greet them with a little chuckle: “Oh, here comes my old friend self-doubt. What stories do you want to share with me today?” There can be a lot of humor in the habits and mindsets we get ourselves into. I remember that as a beginning meditator, I was so worried about using the meditation method incorrectly that I ended up not meditating at all because I was afraid to make a mistake! How silly is that? Sometimes we just have to have a good laugh at ourselves and not take things so seriously. When you can have a chuckle at the silly things you do, suddenly the challenge seems much smaller and lighter than before.
And then there’s creativity. If we can approach each challenge with an open mind and a willingness to try a different approach, we may discover that some of the challenges that once felt so difficult can dissipate surprisingly quickly with a shift in attitude or a change in how we relate to them. For example, if a neighbor’s dog starts barking every time we sit down to meditate, we can get annoyed and spend the whole time waiting for it to stop. Or we can let each bark be a reminder to return to the hwadu. Or if we always tend to slip into that sleepy, fuzzy, half-dream state when we meditate in the evenings, we can instead try to meditate in the morning with open windows for sunlight and fresh air. With a little creativity, we don’t need to fight our way through difficulties. We can just find a new way to work with them.
Next comes thankfulness. A little gratitude can go a long way. Having an attitude of thankfulness for the challenges we encounter can be beneficial. We can be thankful when a new challenge arises because it gives us another opportunity to learn, to deepen our practice, and to take another step along the path. This is the mental shift that turns problems into challenges. Rather than seeing these challenges as enemies to be defeated or problems standing in the way, we can see them as our teachers, as an opportunity for us to learn the lesson that we need to learn. The very challenges we encounter reveal where we are clinging to something or running away from it. In short, they show us where we are stuck. Bow to these challenges in thankfulness and be willing to receive the lessons they offer.
And last but not least, a good dose of humility can never hurt. We don’t always know the way forward, especially in meditation. If we already knew where this practice is taking us, we wouldn’t need to practice! If we already knew, we would finish this Buddhist path in a week, go home, put our feet up and watch a movie. But in reality, we don’t actually know where this path is taking us and we have to learn how to walk it. In The Way of Korean Zen, Zen Master Kusan Sunim says that one of the main reasons to rely on a wise teacher is to overcome pride. Pride, he says, "causes you to imagine that you understand something when in fact you do not." And because we think we understand, or perhaps because we don’t want to seem stupid, we never ask questions or admit we might need help. So have enough humility to admit to yourself that maybe you don’t know everything, or that you might need some help from time to time, or that you might be stuck. And never have so much pride that you are afraid to ask the “dumb” questions, no matter how basic or embarrassing they may seem.
Together, these qualities are a powerful toolbox for navigating the Buddhist path. They can help you at every point along the path, from your first steps until you reach buddhahood. But how do we actually put them into practice? Each challenge needs to be approached in its own way, and I can’t outline every possible way of working with the difficulties we encounter. Ultimately, each of us has to find helpful strategies to work with our challenges. But let me give you a few examples for inspiration.
If we realize that we are constantly thinking about enlightenment or worrying about making progress, we can learn to recognize that recurring thought, including its more subtle manifestations. Each time it arises, we can acknowledge it and gently let it go, returning to the hwadu. We don't have to fight the thought or become frustrated with ourselves for having it. With patience and consistency, we can stop feeding that habitual thought and it will lose some of its grip on our practice over time. Then we can practice for practice’s sake without becoming preoccupied with results.
Or, if we have the habit of pushing or overfocusing, we can learn to recognize that too. Rather than continuing to force the investigation, we can take a step back, take a deep breath, put down the hwadu for a few minutes, and reconnect with the body and the present moment. Once we have calmed down and our energy is more balanced, we can gently raise the hwadu again in a more gentle way. The habit of overexertion may return, but each time we recognize it and respond differently, we have an opportunity to weaken that habit and develop a more balanced way of practicing.
And if we're naturally restless and find it difficult to sit still for long periods, particularly when we're new to practice, we might explore ways of bringing the hwadu into more active parts of our lives. Walking the dog, going for a jog, exercising, cleaning the house, creating music or art - these are all fantastic opportunities to investigate the hwadu! Practice during daily life cannot be emphasized enough, and these activities give us constructive ways to work with our energy while learning to maintain our connection with the hwadu beyond formal sitting. Over time, this can be a valuable way into the practice and actually help you to sit more calmly and for longer periods.
These are just a few examples of how to work with challenges in a constructive way. The important thing is to approach our challenges in a positive, constructive way. If we can do that, then even our most difficult challenges can become our greatest teachers.
So when you encounter these challenges, don't take them as a sign that you aren't cut out for this practice. This is the work, right here, with this mind, this body and this life. What else could the path possibly be? You don't need to be the world’s best meditator, or highly educated in Buddhist philosophy. You just need to show up, and do the work day by day, and work with your challenges in wise and helpful ways. Rely on Great Faith and Great Determination. Bring the other helpful qualities into your practice that we have spoken about here today. If you approach your practice in this way, you are sure to succeed.
It seems that many of you are truly walking the path now, and that many of you are beginning to approach the practice in a holistic way. You’re starting to see that this practice isn’t just something we do when seated on a cushion, but that it encompasses our entire life. You’re learning not only how to investigate the hwadu, but also how to work with everything that arises in your life as you investigate it. And that is truly something worth celebrating.
I encourage you to keep going, to meet the challenges that arise with patience and determination, and to trust the practice as you continue along the path. I offer you all a deep bow for your sincerity and your commitment to walking this path together.
