the way of Silent Mind-Open Heart: Working with Hindrances

Working with the Five Hindrances

by Philip L. Jones

There are five mental states or objects that interfere with the development of concentration and mindfulness. They are called the Five Hindrances. Learning to work skillfully with the Hindrances leads to greater clarity and peacefulness in one's life. Working with the Hindrances requires the use of the skills one has developed in practicing with mindfulness of the breath, physical sensations, feelings, mind-states and mind-objects or thoughts. It is most important to meet these difficult states without judgment and without trying to change them. See if you can simply meet them with acceptance and curiosity while holding them in awareness.

Desire

It is also referred to as clinging, grasping, holding on and the wanting-mind. If one is distracted from being present for the ever-changing flow of experience by something that is pleasant, that is desire.

Working with Desire: First it is necessary to wake up from the distraction and to recognize that it is desire. Being aware of the feeling tone (pleasant, unpleasant or neutral) can help in the recognition. If there is enough clarity it can also be helpful to notice that desire is distinct from the object of desire (i.e. the thought or sensation). Otherwise, just notice that desire is present. Once one becomes aware of the desire, the most skillful response is to hold it in non-judgmental awareness and to maintain that awareness until the desire subsides. By not immediately fulfilling the desire you can allow yourself to experience what desire is actually like. Is it a pleasant experience, unpleasant or neutral? When you can experience what desire is really like, then you create the possibility of being with it without being controlled by it. After the desire subsides, return to the sensations of breathing.

It can also be helpful to work with desire during everyday life. If one feeds desire in everyday life, it will be stronger when one sits on the cushion as well. One way of working with desire is "guarding the sense doors," that is, being aware of the pleasant stimuli entering one's experience through the sense doors (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body/touch & mind), being aware of how it affects one and responding with moderation.

It is not necessary to banish the pleasant or the beautiful from one's life, but it is important to be aware of desire arising from contact with the pleasant and the beautiful.

AVERSION

Other names for aversion are anger, irritation, rage, fear, avoidance and ill-will. If one is resisting, avoiding or rejecting an experience, that is aversion.

Working with Aversion: Once again the first step is simply to recognize that one is caught up in aversion. If there is enough clarity it can be helpful to notice that the aversion is distinct from the object of aversion (i.e. the thought or sensation). Otherwise, just notice that aversion is present. Once one becomes aware of the aversion, the most skillful response is to hold it in non-judgmental awarenessand to maintain that awareness until the aversion subsides. By not immediately reacting to the aversion you can allow yourself to experience what aversion is actually like and what the object of aversion is like. Are they pleasant experiences, unpleasant or neutral? When you can experience what aversion is actually like, then you create the possibility of being with it without being controlled by it. After the aversion subsides, return to the sensations of breathing.

Another way of working with aversion, especially if there is not enough mindfulness to hold the aversion in awareness, is to practice metta or loving-kindness meditation. In this way one replaces thoughts of aversion with thoughts of acceptance and kindness. It can also be helpful to practice compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity meditations.

One doesn't have to be passive in the presence of injustice or other unpleasant situations, but it is important to be aware of the aversion that arises from contact with the unpleasant.

Sloth and TorpoR

This hindrance is also known as drowsiness, sleepiness, dullness and sinking-mind. It refers to a mental state and not to physical fatigue, although during the first day or two of a retreat it can be hard to distinguish between the two. However, if one finds oneself getting drowsy or falling asleep during meditation when one is physically rested, then that is sloth and torpor.

Working with Sloth and Torpor: Recognizing the presence of this hindrance as it arises into awareness is a crucial part of working with it. If one doesn't catch it early, the sleepiness tends to have a momentum that overpowers mindfulness. Therefore practicing initial application (holding the object of meditation with mindfulness at the moment it arises into awareness) is an important skill for dealing with this hindrance. Hold the drowsiness in one's non-judgmental awareness until it subsides. Also, notice whether the feeling tone of sleepiness is pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. Curiosity about the state will also bring more energy to one's effort to be mindful. When the hindrance has subsided, return to the sensations of breathing.

Other practices that can help one work with sloth and torpor are opening one's eyes to allow more light or visual stimulus and meditating standing up. Another method is to add touch-points to the meditation on the primary object, as a way of giving the mind more to do. Unless one is clearly physically fatigued, it is wise to assume that one is dealing with this hindrance. But if all else fails, perhaps one should take a nap.

Restlessness and Worry

This hindrance is characterized by quickly changing thoughts (often called Monkey Mind), anxiety, worry and excessive energy in the body such as twitches, itches and difficulty sitting still. Whether the hindrance is expressed mentally or physically there is an unsettled feeling.

Working with Restlessness and Worry: Recognizing the unsettled feeling is the beginning of working with restlessness and worry. After recognizing the presence of the unsettled feeling, hold it in one's non-judgmental awareness until it subsides. It may also be helpful to notice the feeling tone (pleasant, unpleasant or neutral). When you can experience what restlessness and worry is actually like without being caught up in it, then you create the possibility of being with it without being controlled by it. Once the restlessness and worry subsides return the attention to the sensations of breathing.

If attempting to follow the sensations of breathing seems to be contributing to the restlessness, using mindfulness of sounds as the primary object of meditation may be helpful as it can lead to a greater sense of spaciousness.

Doubt

The hindrance of doubt is characterized by a lack of confidence in oneself, in the teacher or in the practice. It has a mental quality of wavering, of being unable to settle on a path or direction. When this quality of wavering is present, there is doubt.

Working with Doubt: Once again the first step is simply to recognize that one is caught up in doubt. Once one becomes aware of the quality of wavering, of the doubt, the most skillful response is to hold it in spacious, non-judgmental awarenessand to maintain that awareness until the doubt subsides. In effect, one loosens one's identification with the doubt and turns it into an object of meditation. After the doubt subsides, return to the sensations of breathing.

Practicing sustained application (holding the object of meditation in awareness from the time of its arising to the time of its subsiding) can also be helpful in dealing with doubt. However, if one is struggling with doubt often, it would be wise to speak to a teacher about the doubts.