Hindrances

[Trilaksana]

For me it's probably sensual desire and sloth. But I'm getting better with them all the time through meditation and mindfulness mostly.

[Abhaya]

Doubt - I am a scientist by vocation, so I need to test everything for myself and experience it first-hand.

[ryancook2002]

Hi Abhaya. I'm not a scientist but I am a computer programmer and have a scientific mind, and a healthy appreciation for doubt. Fortunately there isn't much to doubt in Buddhism. Even the parts about emptiness and no self work pretty well in a scientific world view. Karma doesn't seem to be a required belief and the ethical teachings are logical without it. I've become convinced that the path to happiness will work, but sometimes I get distracted and think about how nice fame or wealth would be. I consider this a form of doubt... Doubt about what I really want out of life and the best way to get it. That is how doubt manifests for me.

[monkey]

Hi Ryancook- welcome to the forum :) I'm newish and have found it a great place for practical advice and experience from some great people.

I would have to say ill-will / anger is my biggest hindrance. I find, especially in the last week, I am carrying a lot of ill-will toward various entities, from my co workers to myself to the world in general.

[Esho]

Fortunately there isn't much to doubt in Buddhism.

Sure. This is what I call "confidence through verification" along our practice. Buddha invites us to verfy his teachings, not to doubt about them. For verification it is needed understanding, practice and evaluation of its results in terms of a tamed mind that becomes peaceful.

[Kavaspirit]

as this is my first post in someones thread ill say hello everyone!, this is an interesting one ryan :)

the more i think about it, the more i feel like my different hinderances come from the same source, so its really hard for me to compare them in a way that defines one as worse than another. I think i do react to the different forms of hinderance in varying ways and perhaps i am more rupulsed by some, more saddened by others, and perhaps more nuetral towards some.

so to pick a random 5 for the discussions sake, sensual desire, anger, self pity, sloth, and fear. These are 5 hinderances that i make for myself from time to time. i think they all come from the same thing really and i guess thats from a lack of acceptance for reality, or to put it another way from a lack of mindfulness. i find that in myself these hinderances tend to come about when my minds caught up in the torrent of wondering thought, and that when i am making a concious effort to just observe that these hinderances are no longer there. or to be more correct they are no longer hinderances.

when in a state of mindfulness and calm observance i seem to just accept these parts of me, these what i would sometimes label wrong or bad feelings and actions just become another part of my self to be aware of and to accept. it seems that with accepting these things they become all the less of a problem, and somehow seem to not even really exist. where as things i would label as more helpful than hinderance only seem to grow stronger under the light of that awarness. in that sense mindfulness could be compared to a filter! as only reality seems to exist within it.
on that reflection, and back to the original question, i would say that my ultimate hinderance has to be a lack of acceptance of my hinderances, a lack of mindfullness.

[Genecanuck]

Hello,

I realize this is a really old thread but found it when I searched for hinderances. Right now in my life, I am expeiencing a hinderances attack and trying to focus on the suchness of life in this moment.

I appreciated the wisdom in this thread.

Wishing everyone a good day.

Kind Regards to all who read this.

Gene