Five hindrances with respect to meditation

[PhillyG]

This is a sutta where the five hindrances are described AN 9.64: https://suttacentral.net/an9.64/en/thanissaro

I was wondering if they are applicable on meditation practice. What do you think?

Do you know other suttas, which describe how to deal with obstacles in meditation?

[Esho]

Hello PhillyG!

There's a book written by Ajahn Brahm about Meditation. Its an excellent book and in it he dedicates a whole chapter to the five hindrances and ways to overcome them. The book can be downloaded for free in the internet. The book is 'Mindfulness, bliss and beyond. A meditator's handbook'

It describes in stages the process to reach Jhanas. The first four or five stages applies to Zazen too so I took it as a guide for my practice of Zazen.

Best wishes!

[Aloka]

Hi PhillyG,

Ajahn Amaro (abbot of Amaravati Monastery UK) also mentions the hindrances in his helpful little meditation book "Finding the Missing Peace".

https://amaravati.org/dhamma-books/f...st-meditation/

[Element]

Do you know other suttas, which describe how to deal with obstacles in meditation?

Hi Philly

Some suttas about how to deal with the five hindrances are the following:

1. For each of the five hindrances, there is AN 46.51 (in Deutsch here, Nahrung), which is about the nutriments/food for the hindrances and about the denourishment of the hindrances. For example, about sensual desire & ill-will it says:

(i) giving careless attention to the sign of the beautiful is the nutriment for the increase and expansion of sensual desire.

(ii) giving careless attention to the sign of the repulsive is the nutriment for the increase and expansion of ill-will.

(iii) giving careful attention to the sign of foulness is the denourishment that prevents sensual desire from arising & increasing.

(iv) giving careful attention to the liberation of mind through lovingkindness is the denourishment that prevents ill-will from arising & increasing.

2. About the hindrance of sexual desire, there is SN 35.127 (in in Deutsch, here, Bhāradvājo), which provides three methods to be free from sexual desire.

3. About the thoughts that arise from the hindrances, there is MN 19 (in Deutsch here, Zwei Arten von Gedanken), which emphasizes to consider the harmfulness of hindrances & their thoughts.

Kind regards

[Element]

I was wondering if they are applicable on meditation practice. What do you think?

Also, the Satipatthana Sutta refers to various aspects of the five hindrances as a subject of meditation.

Two Deutsch translations are here and here.

[PhillyG]

Thanks a lot for the tips, folks.

[PhillyG]

Thanks Element. I also really enjoyed your Thread here: https://www.buddhismwithoutboundarie...%E2reyya+Sutta

[Element]

Thank you Philly