Dearest Friends,

It was delightful to be in your company again at our most recent gathering.

Having explored the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta’s exercises on the body (kāya), the feeling tones (vedanā) and the mental states (citta), we directed our attention in our last session towards the fourth foundation of mindfulness: the dhammas (dhammānupassanā).

In this final category of practice, we shift from observing individual experiences to investigating the patterns that shape experience itself. The first of these patterns is what’s referred to in the dharma as the Five Hindrances (pañca nīvaraṇāni). We start with these because before we can begin examining the deepest structures of reality, we need to understand the factors that undermine clarity, concentration and insight first. We can think of these factors as clouds that obscure the light of the sun (the word nīvaraṇa means “that which obscures”). Just as clouds cover the sun, these factors block the light of awareness. The Five Hindrances are:

• sensual desire (kāmacchanda; “I want something that isn’t available here right now”);
• ill will (byāpāda; “This shouldn’t be happening”);
• sloth and torpor (thīna-middha; “I don’t have the energy for this”);
• restlessness and worry (uddhacca-kukkucca; “I need to be somewhere else or do something else”); and
• doubt (vicikicchā; “I can’t start—or commit to—this until I’m absolutely sure”).

In working with the Five Hindrances, the aim isn’t to eliminate or suppress them outright, but to investigate and understand them thoroughly by asking four questions:

• Is the hindrance present? (What’s your experience like when it is?)
• Is the hindrance absent? (What’s your experience like when it is?)
• What gave rise to the hindrance? (What causes and conditions strengthen it?)
• What helps it pass away? (What causes and conditions weaken it?)

Simply studying the Five Hindrances in this way is what leads to our liberation: We start with noticing the weather of the mind…and then we shift to understanding how the weather forms, changes and clears.

SUGGESTED PRACTICE:

Sit quietly and attend to your breath with your gaze lowered or your eyes closed. Whenever you’re ready, silently ask: “What is most prominent in the mind right now?”

With a gentle interest and curiosity, notice whether one of the hindrances is present:

• Is the mind reaching for something? (This indicates the presence of sensual desire or kāmacchanda.)
• Is the mind pushing something away? (This indicates the presence of ill will or byāpāda.)
• Does the mind feel sluggish or dull? (This indicates the presence of sloth and torpor or thīna-middha.)
• Is the mind restless or preoccupied? (This indicates the presence of restlessness and worry or uddhacca-kukkucca.)
• Is the mind uncertain and questioning everything that’s arising? (This indicates the presence of doubt or vicikicchā.)

Simply practice noticing and naming what’s there. There’s no need to fix or fight whatever hindrance is present. Just see it for what it is. Notice how the hindrance itself can become an object of awareness—and how it loses its power when it’s known and understood. Rest for a few moments in the sense of freedom, ease and well-being that arises from this insight.

REFLECTION PROMPTS:

• Which hindrance most often affects your meditation?
• Which hindrance seems most active in your daily life?
• What might change if you regarded hindrances as teachers rather than enemies?