In the Buddhism tradition, the five hindrances (; Pali: ) are identified as mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in daily life. In the Theravada tradition, these factors are identified specifically as obstacles to the jhānas (stages of concentration) within meditation practice. Contemporary Insight Meditation teachers identify the five hindrances as obstacles to Mindfulness.
Within the Mahayana tradition, the five hindrances are obstacles to samadhi. They are part of the two types of obstructions (Sanskrit: āvaraṇa), i.e. the obstacles to Buddhahood. The two types of obstructions are afflictive obstructions (Sanskrit: kleśāvaraṇa, which include the standard five hindrances) and cognitive obstructions (jñeyāvaraṇa, which can only be removed by Bodhisattva).[Buswell, Robert E; Lopez, Donald S. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 83-84. Princeton University Press, Nov 24, 2013.]
The classic list of five hindrances is:
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Sensory desire ( kāmacchanda): seeking for pleasure through the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and physical feeling.
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Ill-will ( vyāpāda; also spelled byāpāda): feelings of hostility, resentment, hatred and bitterness.
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Sloth-and-torpor ( thīna-middha): half-hearted action with little or no effort or concentration.
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Restlessness-and-worry ( uddhacca-kukkucca): the inability to calm the mind and focus one's energy.
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Doubt ( vicikiccha): lack of conviction or trust in one's abilities.
Etymology
According to
Gil Fronsdal, the Pali term
nīvaraṇa means covering. Fronsdal states that these hindrances cover over: the clarity of our mind, and our ability to be mindful, wise, concentrated, and stay on purpose.
According to Rhys Davids, the Pali term nīvaraṇa (Sanskrit: nivāraṇa) refers to an obstacle or hindrance only in the ethical sense, and is usually enumerated in a set of five.
In Pali Literature
In the Pali Canon
In the
Pali Canon's
Samyutta Nikaya, several discourses juxtapose the five hindrances with the seven factors of enlightenment (
bojjhanga). For instance, according to
Samyutta Nikaya 46.37,
the Buddha stated:
Anālayo underlines:
Anālayo further supports this by identifying that, in all extant Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the Satipatthana Sutta, only the five hindrances and seven factors of enlightenment are consistently identified under the dhamma contemplation section; contemplations of the five aggregates, six and Four Noble Truths are not included in one or more of these non-Pali versions.
In terms of gaining vipassana into and overcoming the Five Hindrances, according to the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha proclaimed:
Each of the remaining four hindrances are similarly treated in subsequent paragraphs.
The Buddha gives the following analogies in the Samaññaphala Sutta (Digha Nikaya 2, "The Fruits of the Contemplative Life"):
Similarly, in the Sagārava Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya 46.55), the Buddha compares sensual desire with looking for a clear reflection in water mixed with lac, turmeric and dyes; ill will with boiling water; sloth-and-torpor with water covered with plants and algae; restlessness-and-worry with wind-churned water; and, doubt with water that is "turbid, unsettled, muddy, placed in the dark."
From post-canonical Pali literature
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The Pali commentary's methods
and paths for escaping the hindrances. |
According to the first-century CE exegetic
Vimuttimagga, the five hindrances include all ten fetters: sense desire includes any attachment to passion; ill will includes all unwholesome states of hatred; and, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and doubt include all unwholesome states of infatuation. The Vimuttimagga further distinguishes that "sloth" refers to mental states while "torpor" refers to physical states resultant from food or time or mental states; if torpor results from food or time, then one diminishes it through energy; otherwise, one removes it with meditation. In addition, the Vimuttimagga identifies four types of doubt:
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doubt regarding anatta is a hindrance to samatha;
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doubt regarding the Four Noble Truths and tiloka is a hindrance to vipassana;
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doubt regarding the Triple Gem is a hindrance to both tranquility and insight;
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doubt regarding places and people is a hindrance to "non-doctrinal" things;
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doubt regarding the Tipitaka is a hindrance to solitude.
According to Buddhaghosa's fifth-century CE commentary to the Samyutta Nikaya ( ), one can momentarily escape the hindrances through jhana suppression or through vipassana while, as also stated in the Vimuttimagga, one eradicates the hindrances through attainment of one of the four stages of enlightenment (see Table 1).
The five mental factors that counteract the five hindrances, according to the Theravada tradition:
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vitakka ("applied thought", "coarse examination") counteracts sloth-torpor (lethargy and drowsiness)
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vicāra ("sustained thought", "precise investigation") counteracts doubt (uncertainty)
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pīti (rapture, well-being) counteracts ill-will (malice)
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sukha (non-sensual pleasure) counteracts restlessness-worry (excitation and anxiety)
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ekaggatā (one-pointedness, single-pointed attention) counteracts sensory desire
Mahāyāna
Mahayana Buddhist thought focuses on the concept of the
āvaraṇas (Sanskrit, “obstruction” or “hindrance”; Tibetan:
sgrib pa; Chinese:
zhang) refers to impediments on the path to
Buddhahood. Mahāyāna Buddhism recognizes two primary types of
āvaraṇa:
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Afflictive Obstructions (Kleśāvaraṇa): These arise from defilements such as anger, envy, and ignorance, which result in unwholesome actions. They can be overcome by Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, and beginner Bodhisattvas through antidotes ( pratipakṣa) and lead to freedom from rebirth.
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Cognitive Obstructions (Jñeyāvaraṇa): These stem from misconceptions about reality, such as reifying imaginary phenomena, and result in pride, wrong views, and discrimination. Only advanced Bodhisattva can overcome these obstacles, attaining complete understanding of emptiness ( śūnyatā) and compassion ( karuṇā) while accumulating merit ( puṇya).
Afflictive obstructions hinder liberation, while cognitive obstructions block omniscience. Buddhas alone transcend both, achieving complete insight into all objects of knowledge. In Yogachara sources, cognitive obstructions are linked to mistaken perceptions and conceptualizations. These are addressed through advanced practices on the Bodhisattva path, including mastery of the six perfections ( pāramitās).
According to Xuanzang's Cheng Weishi Lun ( Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi), there are ten specific āvaraṇas which correspond to the stages of the Bodhisattva path ( daśabhūmi). These are:
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Obstruction of common delusions ( prithagjanatvāvaraṇa): Overcome through generosity.
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Obstruction of deluded conduct ( mithyāpratipattyāvaraṇa): Addressed by morality.
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Obstruction of dullness ( dhandhatvāvaraṇa): Resolved with patience.
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Obstruction of subtle afflictions ( sūkṣmakleśasamudācārāvaraṇa): Countered by effort.
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Obstruction of the lesser nirvāṇa ideal ( hīnayānaparinirvāṇāvaraṇa): Overcome through meditative absorption.
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Obstruction of coarse characteristics ( sthūlanimittasamudācārāvaraṇa): Addressed by wisdom.
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Obstruction of subtle characteristics ( sūkṣmanimittasamudācārāvaraṇa): Overcome by expedient means.
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Obstruction of continued activity in the immaterial realm ( nirnimittābhisaṃskārāvaraṇa): Resolved through vows.
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Obstruction of reluctance to save others ( parahitacaryākāmanāvaraṇa): Countered by spiritual power.
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Obstruction of incomplete mastery over all phenomena ( dharmasvāśitāpratilambhāvaraṇa): Addressed by omniscience.
See also
Notes
Citations
Works cited
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A general on-line search engine for the PED is available at [1].
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Further reading
External links
