The Reasons Why Cultivating Meditative Concentration Is Difficult

Craving means craving attachment and grasping. When craving is severed, the karma of the three realms is ended. When desire-craving is severed, the bonds of the desire realm are severed; otherwise, one cannot escape the desire realm and cannot attain the first dhyāna. Those with severe desire-craving not only cannot attain the first dhyāna, they cannot even attain the threshold concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) of the desire realm, nor even the coarser, shallower concentration of the desire realm. The moment a thought stirs, concentration vanishes—it is just that serious. Those who complain that meditative concentration is difficult to cultivate should examine whether the thoughts in their mind are tranquil. If the thoughts are not tranquil, then enduring the pain of sitting and forcibly cultivating concentration is of no use.