Meditation Blockers: Overcoming The Five Hindrances

The five hindrances are a set of common challenges that all meditators encounter at some point. They are mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in daily life. The five hindrances are:

- Sensory desire (kāmacchanda)

- Ill will (vyāpāda)

- Sloth and torpor (thīna-middha)

- Restlessness and worry (uddhacca-kukkucca)

- Doubt (vicikicchā)

These hindrances can be seen as obstacles to deepening mindfulness and meditative concentration, or samādhi. By engaging with them skillfully, we can transform our meditation practice from a frustrating chore to a nourishing and insightful experience.

Sensory desire

To overcome sensory desire, one must first acknowledge it without judgment. This involves recognizing when desires are taking control and gently steering focus back to spiritual practice. Mindfulness and reflection are key tools in this process, allowing one to observe desires without acting on them.

• Mindfulness: Pay attention to moments driven by sensual desires and notice how they feel in the body and mind without acting on them.
• Reflection: Reflect on the temporary nature of sensory pleasures to reduce their allure.
• Redirection: Engage in activities that provide deeper satisfaction and align with spiritual goals, such as meditation, reading spiritual texts, or practicing kindness.

By addressing sensory desire with mindfulness and reflection, one can achieve greater spiritual freedom and fulfillment.

Ill-will

The Buddha taught that abandoning ill-will is crucial for cultivating a heart of compassion and advancing on the spiritual path. The antidote to ill-will is the cultivation of loving-kindness (metta) and compassion (karuna). These practices help dissolve the barriers we've built around our hearts, allowing us to connect with others more deeply and empathetically.

• Loving-kindness meditation: Regularly practice metta meditation, where you send wishes of happiness, health, safety, and ease to yourself and others.
• Empathy practice: Try to understand the circumstances and feelings of those towards whom you hold ill-will. Recognising our shared human experience can soften feelings of hostility.
• Forgiveness: Holding onto resentment binds us to the past. Forgiveness, even if it's just internal, frees us from this burden, allowing us to move forward with a lighter heart.
• Noble friendship: Seek out noble friends who support your aspirations and encourage you to do what is wise and skilful.
• Suitable conversation: Engage in conversations that are suitable for advancing your progress on the path.

According to the Buddhist scriptures, there are six things that are helpful in conquering ill-will:

• Learning how to meditate on loving-kindness.
• Devoting oneself to the meditation of loving-kindness.
• Considering that one is the owner and heir of one's actions (karma).
• Frequently reflecting on one's anger and its causes.
• Suitable conversation.

Additionally, the following are also helpful in conquering ill-will:

• Rapture, of the factors of absorption (jhananga).
• Faith, of the spiritual faculties (indriya).
• Rapture and equanimity, of the factors of enlightenment (bojjhanga).

Sloth-and-torpor

To overcome sloth-and-torpor, one can try arousing more energy through physical activities like brisk walking meditation, sitting up with a more erect posture, or washing the face with cold water. Changing conditions, such as avoiding being too warm during meditation, can also help renew a healthy state of energy and alertness. Additionally, one can investigate and explore the subjective experience of sloth-and-torpor, including the physical feelings of heaviness or dullness and their manifestation in the mind.

Another approach is to understand how particular thoughts, beliefs, and evaluations feed into sloth-and-torpor. Changing one's focus or perspective may help awaken more energy. For example, reflecting on death and dying from a Buddhist perspective can arouse healthy energy and motivation, freeing the mind from preoccupation with insignificant things.

Chronic sloth-and-torpor may indicate a lack of meaning or purpose in life, in which case deep inner reflection or thoughtful conversations with wise friends may be beneficial. It is important not to abandon a meditation session due to sloth-and-torpor but to work with this condition and persevere in one's practice.

Restlessness-and-worry

Restlessness and worry is the fourth of the five hindrances, or nivaranas, in Buddhist thought. The word for restlessness in Buddhist scripture is "uddhacca", meaning "to shake" in English. It is a state of agitation and over-excitement, which can be difficult to pay attention to due to its uncomfortable nature. The mental equivalent of restlessness is an inability to focus, with the mind jumping from one thing to the next, never settling. This is sometimes referred to as "monkey mind".

Restlessness can also be a symptom of an inability to be present with discomfort. It takes patience, discipline, and courage to face restlessness. It is important to be mindful of it, and to feel it physically. One can imagine their body as a wide container, allowing the energy of restlessness to bounce around harmlessly. This can take away the agitation of fighting the feeling.

Worry, or "kukkucca", is the other half of the fourth hindrance. It is explained as the agitated feelings of regret for past actions or inactions. In modern times, this has been expanded to include broader concepts of worry, such as concern over imagined futures. Worry can be powerful enough that meditation becomes counter-indicated, and psychotherapy may be more useful.

Restlessness and worry can usually be worked through with meditation. Being mindful gives a better perspective of what is happening, without eliminating the hindrance. It is useful to notice when restlessness and worry are not present, and what that feels like. This knowledge can dissuade people from believing restless thoughts, and encourage them to seek healthy alternatives to being caught in a hindrance.

To prevent restlessness and worry from arising, it is important to get enough exercise, sleep, and good nutrition. It is also important to live one's life ethically, so as not to cause agitation. Learning to breathe through restlessness is a great skill, as focusing on the rhythm of breathing can calm the body. When physical pain is triggering restlessness, it is important to address the pain.

Doubt

Understanding Doubt as a Hindrance

In the Buddhist tradition, doubt is recognised as one of the five hindrances or negative mental states that hinder progress in meditation and daily life. It is described as "skeptical doubt" or "sceptical doubt" (vicikicchā/vicikiccha), obscuring the clarity of the mind and our ability to be mindful, wise, concentrated, and purposeful.

Overcoming Doubt

To overcome doubt, it is important to:

• Recognise and acknowledge its presence without judgment.
• Reflect on how doubt is affecting your life and holding you back.
• Seek clarification about your meditation method if needed and consider making adjustments.
• Talk about your doubts with someone who understands your spiritual journey.
• Engage with books, spiritual talks, or teachings to deepen your understanding and faith.
• Reflect on your progress and acknowledge how far you've come.
• Practise mindfulness to observe doubt without getting caught up in it.
• Cultivate faith and conviction in yourself and your spiritual path.

Analogies for Doubt

The Buddha used analogies to explain how the hindrances, including doubt, obstruct clarity:

• Doubt is like turbid, muddy, unsettled, and murky water that obscures reflection, representing how doubt clouds the mind.
• Doubt is like travelling through a dangerous desert, creating anxiety and uncertainty, hindering progress towards spiritual enlightenment.
• Doubt is like being indebted, ill, imprisoned, enslaved, or lost, causing distress and impeding freedom and happiness.

The Impact of Doubt

• Questioning your path and ability to grow spiritually.
• Resistance to change and new experiences.
• Second-guessing decisions and lacking commitment.
• Difficulty in trusting others and yourself.
• Hindering your spiritual journey and commitment to practices.

Antidotes to Doubt

• Faith and conviction in yourself and your spiritual path.
• Learning, reflection, and deepening your understanding.
• Seeking support and sharing your doubts with spiritual friends or teachers.
• Mindfulness to observe doubt without judgment or attachment.
• Recognising doubt as a story or narrative that can be challenged and dispelled.

Frequently asked questions