The Five Hindrances

　　1. Kama-chanda: sensual desires; an attraction to sensual objects. For the mind to be attracted to sensual objects, a sensual state such as passion must first arise within the mind, followed by longing, and then the sense of attraction for an object. In other words, the mind longs for and falls for forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and mental notions, any of which can be either skillful or detrimental.

　　2. Byapada: ill will. The mind formulates a desire for forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, or mental notions, but is then thwarted and so feels ill will toward whomever it finds disagreeable. Thoughts of ill will are classed as a form of Wrong View and thus are a hindrance.

　　3. Thina-middha: torpor, drowsiness, depression, lethargy. Once this overcomes the mind, it prevents the mind from doing good and thus is a hindrance.

　　4. Uddhacca-kukkucca: mental restlessness and anxiety. The mind lets its attention stream out to take hold of external objects because it doesn”t know the true nature of the senses and their objects or the techniques for keeping its attention established on a single meditation theme. This mental state arises from sensual desire in that the mind forms a desire that is then unfulfilled, and so it becomes anxious and restless.

　　5. Vicikiccha: uncertainty, indecision, a lack of conviction. The mind has doubts about its objects, unable to decide whether they are good or bad, right or wrong. Assuming right to be wrong, and wrong to be right, it is unable to come to a firm decision.

　　* * *

　　Techniques for dealing with the hindrances are as follows:

　　1. Sensual desires can be dealt with in three ways (taking sexual lust as an example):

　　a. Examine the object of your desires until you see that it”s inconstant (aniccam), continually prey to disease (dukkham) — examine it until you see all the way to the fact that there”s no self, nothing of your”s or anyone else”s, to it at all (anatta). Even if you were to gain the object of your desires, you wouldn”t hold any rights over it. Someday it would be sure to throw you away and leave you.

　　b. If the desire remains active, then focus on the repulsive aspects of the object, the aspects that are unappealing, filthy, and disgusting. See that it is full of disgusting things and is a dwelling place for worms and other parasites. No matter how you try to dress up the body, you can”t escape from its repulsiveness for long.

　　c. If the desire persists, then consider the true nature of the body until the mind realizes that it is just a compound of physical properties into which a deluded mind has strayed and taken up temporary residence, like a hermit crab moving from shell to shell: nothing with any truth or fidelity. Then forcibly focus the mind on a single meditation object until concentration of one level or another arises, and the desire will fade or disappear.

　　2. Ill will arises or becomes active when mindfulness is weak and you react unwisely or unthinkingly to whatever shows resistance to the will, giving rise to anger, thoughts of revenge, and ill will. When this happens, the following methods should be used to allay such thoughts:

　　a. Metta-nimitta-uggaha: Give rise to thoughts of benevolence, either toward specific people or to all living beings in general.

　　b. Metta-bhavananuyoga: Be intent on developing and radiating thoughts of benevolence, hoping for your own happiness and that of others.

　　c. Kammassakata paccavekkhanata: Consider the principle of kamma, that all living beings are possessors of their actions and will meet with good or evil according to their actions. Make yourself see that ill will is a bad action and, since it”s bad, who wants it

　　d. Patisankhana-bahulata: Be increasingly circumspect and astute i…

《The Craft of the Heart - The Five Hindrances》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…