the temple that stands

'You have killed a dead people, you have burned a Temple already burned, you have ground flour already ground.' [Sanhedrin 96b]


We see from the Talmud that even while the Beit HaMikdash stood, it was already burned. So too, even though the Beit HaMikdash today is in ruins, we will see (b"h) that it is already standing.

distractions

All of your idle thoughts come back to distract you when you are praying. They come for one of two reasons (1) to be raised up while you are praying or (2) to interfere with your prayers because you aren't worthy to pray. [See Likkutei Moharan I:30]

This is a great piece of information. Usually it's frustrating to try and pray only to find your thoughts wandering aimlessly somewhere in the middle of Tefillah. At least now we know this isn't a failing on our part, rather it's part of the system of prayer.

I think the two reasons Rebbe Nachman brings down are actually the same reason, and its a question of how you look at it. On the one hand you can distract yourself from these distractions, and focus on legitimate tefillah, in which case as far as you're concerned the thoughts came (for reason #2) to distract you so that you may prove your worth by ignoring them.On the other hand, if you choose to raise these thoughts up then you can roll even these seemingly unrelated thoughts back into your tefillot, in which case they came back to you for (reason #1) you to fix.

Now, rather than thinking you've failed by being distracted in your tefillah, you can view it as a new challenge to overcome, so you can take your tefillah deeper.

Rebbe Nachman was right

The only answer to the problem of the rapidly advancing pace of the
world is Hitbodedut.
The only way to have a real and intimate relationship with HaShem is
to devote to Him that most precious of commodities, attention.
Hitbodedut is being alone with and entirely focused on HaShem.
As above, so below. But the converse is more important: When we give
HaShem our full attention, we have His.

[ps. The performance of Tefillah, as well as any and all other mitzwoth, touches on HaShem's infinite light. (See Iggeret HaKodesh 20) So please don't get the wrong idea here. Hitbodedut has special applicability in our day because we are the Me generation. But it cannot replace even one mitzwah, instead it's a solid framework upon which to enrich our (unwavering) mitzwah observance.]