The Five Hindrances

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Published on Friday, 17 June 2011 16:06

The Five Hindrances are obstacles to meditation, to happiness, and to leading a satisfying life in general. Dealing with the hindrances during meditation is to come to know and understand their power and to develop the skills to overcome them instead of being governed by them. The Buddha uses the simile of a pot of water in which one with good vision can see a clear and true reflection of oneself—so long as the water is clean and undisturbed. Each of the hindrances has a corresponding metaphorical impediment to clarity.

Sensual Desire

When the mind is filled with sensual desire—for pleasant sights, sounds, smells, tastes, things to touch, and things to think about—it grasps at what is desired and is mesmerized by it. Imagine a bowl of water swirling with iridescent paints. As beautiful as it is to look at, clarity is obscured. The antidote to desire is to contemplate the repulsive and repugnant (impermanent and ultimately unsatisfactory) nature of things.

Ill Will

Ill will results from anger and aversion. Water churning on the fires of hatred and anger reflects no image. The antidote to ill will is to offer loving kindness and compassion to oneself and all beings.

Sloth and Torpor

Sloth and torpor are mental dullness and drowsiness. Water choked with weeds evokes the idea of sloth and torpor. The antidote to these hindrances is effort and exertion.

Restlessness and Remorse

Restlessness is a form of excitement and agitation, an impatience with how things are. Remorse is worry and guilt, usually as a result of moral transgressions. Water whipped by a strong wind represents this compound hindrance. Contemplating tranquility and equanimity counteracts restlessness and worry.

Doubt

Doubt is an expression of uncertainty regarding the teachings and the practice of the Dharma. An unsettled mind obscured by doubt offers no more clarity of vision than water viewed in darkness. Striving to see things how they really are, having faith in the teachings of the Buddha, and thinking about the benefits of practice illuminate the darkness and are the antidotes to doubt.

Paul Gerhards, an excerpt from Mapping the Dharma