Boredom

There is no boredom in practice. Boredom is a symptom of a failing or flagging practice.

As we know from psychological theories and science, boredom is frequently a symptom of sexual frustration, clinical depression, lack of understanding through basic education. Boredom is a symptom of an inability or unwillingness to channel energy through meditation or chanting or hard work or intellectual curiosity.

The beauty of Zen practice, as an example, is its relentless attention to refining the usual, the routines of daily living. Zen practice entails a lot of hard physical work as well as sitting meditation. Balance. This leaves little time for the ego to corrode energy with obsessions about sex, food, alcohol or other addictive behaviors.

Any practice, mine or yours, can adopt the best of Zen and other practice forms. Just reading and then applying these different techniques of practice leaves little time for boredom. The payback is huge and far outweighs the effort.

So embrace boredom as a symptom. Use it as an alarm to get off your ass and do something that will increase your knowledge, your ability to be a growing person and your daily practice. Reaching for the TV remote control is the way of the lazy and the unadventurous.