As we live our daily lives, in times of health and happiness or in times of great fear and uncertainty, we will encounter the Buddha’s classic Hindrances. Indeed, any experience we really notice is probably infused with a Hindrance of some kind. But the name of these phenomenons may be misleading. By paying a more subtle attention we may be able to use these aspects of our experience as a way to investigate, learn, and grow in wisdom. This week Payton guided our Sangha’s exploration of what the Hindrances are to us, how they manifest, and how they can shift our awareness in positive ways.
Primarily we listened to a talk by Nathan Glyde from Gaia House entitled “Hindrances in Daily Life or Deep Meditation”. That talk is available here:
https://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/836/talk/61710/
The classic 5 Hindrances (in Payton’s interpretation) are:
- Greed and Aversion
- Ill-will
- Restlessness and Worry
- Sloth and Torpor
- Doubt
Nathan collapses these down to 3 Hindrances which, as he says, might be easier to “fit in your pocket”.
- Taṇhā (thirst, craving, or green)
- An imbalance of energy in the body/mind
- Doubt
Burlington Buddhist Sangha 