January 8 – Working with the hindrances

Dear Friends,

DaRa’s talk on The Five Hindrances looks at what the hindrances are, and then she shares a technique to work with them. So we’ll unpack that today and tomorrow.

As we sit to meditate, we will certainly come across any number of challenges that get in the way of mindfulness and concentration.

There’s a typical list of five categories of experiences that hinder the meditation – you might have your own variations on these themes. One think I like about this list is that it normalizes the experience. When we meditate – and in life – there are some habitual forces that will obscure our ability to see clearly and respond wisely.

As DaRa mentions, these occurrences are not something we’re doing wrong or need to condemn. Instead, if we can turn our attention toward them, they become “the fodder through which we strengthen and deepen our practice.”

Working with the hindrances is one of the most formidable and strengthening ways to develop concentration and a healthy and mature practice. …

We must understand their true nature, and how they work, as it is much easier to find freedom from something when we know it thoroughly.

Here are some of the forces we might notice:

Sensual desire
The mind is looking outward – for food, comfort, sounds, smells, sights, etc.
“Living without wants, wishes, motivations, or aspirations, is impossible. However, to approach freedom we must emphasize skillful desires and distinguish the healthy, useful desires, from the unhealthy ones.”

Ill-will or aversion
The mind is resisting experience from full on rage to irritation, and everything in between.
“Wisdom is acquired through familiarity, and one of the tasks and mindfulness practice is to become familiar with the hindrances. With ill will or aversion, this requires a willingness to shift attention away from whatever we are hostile towards, and instead, turn it towards the experience of ill will itself.”

Sloth and torpor
There may be a physical heaviness or sleepiness, or a mental energy of sluggishness.
“Although sloth and torpor may be present, it does not mean that energy is not available, but just that we are not accessing it.”

Restlessness and worry
There may be a physical sense of not being able to settle, or a mental energy that skids off where we want the attention to land so that it bounces here and there.
“It can be useful to cultivate contentment – breathe through the restlessness for calming. Releasing tension or constriction in breathing can be relaxing. The more attention given to breathing, the less attention is available to fuel restlessness and worry.”

Doubt
This is a skeptical doubt that can block ones practice. Why am I here? What’s going on? I can’t do this.
“Doubt distances us from the present moment, so bringing mindfulness can be helpful in shifting from doubt.”

I also find it helpful to remember that these patterns that obscure our ability to be mindful are strategies we have developed over the years as ways to we found useful in some way. I’m trying to look at these states with more kindness and care. “Hey hun, I know you’re trying to help here. What’s up? Maybe we can find another way to do this.”

For example, I have sloth and torpor come up a lot in my practice. Sometimes that just related to the fact that I’m physically tired – staying up too late then getting up early. And I also notice times that I get a sluggishness because I really don’t want to deal with something that’s coming up – so I’ll just nap for a bit to disconnect from that thing. So if I can tune into this distancing habit, I can explore if there are more skillful ways to respond – bringing up a bit of energy and interest that brightens the mind instead.

I might notice the mind drifting off into fantasy when there is some sort of discomfort – I’m cold and I start thinking about going on a trip… And maybe in that moment, the skillful thing to do is to acknowledge that chill and determine if I need a blanket in this moment or if it’s actually not as bad as I think.

This is a gradual process – no quick fix. DaRa says,

When we practice and repeat the process of examination, over and over, within this practice, through the years, all types of desire [and other hindrances] gradually have less impact on our sense of well being. So it’s not saying that desire disappears, but the capacity to impact or influence us in terms of our actions, our thoughts, our behaviors, lessens.

Andrea Fella has a meditation on “What Wants to be Seen?” We are invited to settle into the body and breath, and receive experience. With this receptive mindfulness, we can create conditions that can help us be open to learning about what arises in practice – like the hindrances, so I thought it kind of relates. (No ending bell.)
https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/13522

Tomorrow, we’ll look at one “beautiful” strategy to practice with the hindrances.

With kind wishes,
Andrea