Inability to concentrate is because your mind is too active. What should we do if this happens? There’s no other way but to choose an object that you can easily focus on. Besides, if you are really attached to something, you should get it done first. Stop meditating for the moment and deal with that matter. Once you’ve figured it out or resolved it, then meditate again.
If you sit there continuously thinking about it, you’ll feel exhausted. It’s better to get it done before meditating. Also, you should ponder what you are attached to and why you are so attached to it. You can’t even enter meditative state. Try to resolve your immediate daily conflicts (chores) before meditation when you can. Your life will run smoother, and you won’t be pondering uselessly in your practice. This may sound simple, but in daily life, we should try not to be too attached when dealing with issues. If you are attached to something, then during meditation, you may still think about it. Your mind hasn’t settled, and you are still caught in emotions, thinking about it while sitting there. For such people, it’s better not to practice meditation for now. Instead, it’s more suitable for them to make prostrations and chant sutras. When meditators sit down, they have few wandering thoughts and can quickly enter a meditative state. Such people are qualified for meditation. Another method to help you meditate is that you can first listen to the Dharma until your mind is free of distractions, then you can proceed with meditation. This approach is fine. If you have just dealt with something, or if you feel upset or have many things around, then trying to meditate immediately won’t work. Because there will be numerous wandering thoughts, or you may feel drowsy or tired. This won’t work. Therefore, you can first listen to the Dharma, do some chanting, or resolve your personal matters and let go of them before starting meditation. If you haven’t let go of your attachments, then meditation would be useless for you, as your mind will run away. What’s worse, your karmic obstacles may surge, leading to mental disturbances. During meditation, some people can indeed become mentally disturbed while pondering uselessly. So, individuals with mental health issues are advised to avoid meditation. Individuals with a history of mental illness should avoid practicing meditation. If they attempt to meditate, problems are likely to arise. When some people come here, we cannot directly inquire about their history of mental illness, as this is a sensitive matter. However, in some cases, they may not disclose this information, but over time, their karma surges, leading to problems. Therefore, individuals with a history of mental illness should avoid practicing Qigong or meditation until they have eliminated the negative karma. Those who haven’t yet eliminated the negative karma should avoid practicing meditation.