Chapter 9
Mental Hindrances

It is important for the meditator to have a thorough knowledge of the Five Nivarana, or the Five Mental Hindrances, since they cloud the mind, cause suffering, and are the worst enemies of Samadhi.

The mind in its natural state is extremely pure (pabhassara) and free from hindrances. However, it has been clouded because of the visiting defilements. As the Buddha has said,

“Pabhassaramidam bhikkhave cittam tanca kho

akantukehi uppakkilesehi uppakkilittham”

Meaning,

“Monks, naturally the mind is bright, but by the visit of

defilements, it is polluted.”

In this case, the words “Pabhassarmidam” and “cittam” or the ‘bright mind’ refer to the mind that is free from mental hindrances. However, it does not mean that the mind is absolutely free from defilements because if it were, there would be no need for us to get rid of them. But since it is not yet free from all defilements, it still needs purification.^*

So ‘the bright mind’ means the mind without visiting impurities, which are the middle form of defilements. This mind is not yet free from the subtle form of passions which are the delicate, subtle kind of defilements. They cannot be destroyed by the power of samadhi; only wisdom (panna) can destroy them.

Therefore, nivarana or the middle level of defilements will be explained here so that the miditator will be well acquainted with them. Like the policeman who must know the name or the face of a criminal so that he can arrest the right person, the meditator must be able to identify these mental hindrances so that they can be eliminated. If the policeman does not know the criminal or his past deeds, then unless the crime is committed in his presence, he will not be able to arrest the criminal. Similarly, if the meditator does not know about these mental hindrances, then they cannot be ‘arrested’ and eliminated.

For example, a wise doctor must carefully examine his patient until the cause of disease is clearly known and understood so that he can effectively cure it; likewise, the miditator must study and know well the middle level defilements clouding his mind so that they can be easily and effectively eradicated.

These visiting defilements that cloud the mind are called “Agantuka-kilesa”. “Agantuka” means ‘visitors’, like those who come to our houses. Some agantuka are nice and they get invitations to visit. But most agantuka-kilesa that visit our minds are not invited and are always harmful; whenever they pay a visit, they sadden and darken the mind.

This agantuka-kilesa or the visiting defilements that prevent the mind from being pure is called Nivarana. “Nivarana” means ‘impediments, obstructions, or hindrances’. It is the unwholesomeness that impedes a person from accomplishing the development of the mind, obstructs one from gaining Samadhi, keeps one from being blissful, and causes suffering. This Nivarana is like robbers who block a road, preventing cars from passing through so that they can rob the passengers.

The five kinds of Nivarana are :

“Kamachanda” means ‘lustful or sensual desire’. Sometimes it is called “Kama-raga” or addiction to sensual desire, that is, being immediately drawn to the five sensual objects, for example, visible objects or forms, tastes, smells, sounds, and delightful touches on the bodies of the opposite sex or of the same sex.

Whosoever delights in these sensual objects will have a burning mind and will feel agitated. So this kind of defilement is called “Ragaggi” or the “Fire of passion”. It is the fire that burns the mind, darkening it so it cannot see truth. The mind overpowered by this passionate burning will torture, trouble, and disturb the owner, who will always be free from happiness.

“Vyapada” means ‘ill-will’ or ‘hatred’ and it is one kind of fire that burns worldly beings and makes them restless. It is called “Dosakkhi” or the “Fire of anger”. This kind of mental hindrance gradually grows first as “patigha” meaning ‘irritation and being discontent with any being or object’. If this feeling does not cease, it will accumulate to become “kodha” or ‘wrathful passion’ which, if not stopped, will become “Dosa” or ‘Anger’. People with dosa may scold, curse, or even hurt those whom they dislike.

Unrestrained anger will become vyapada, which is one kind of Nivarana. Excessive ill-will or hatred then escalates into a desire for retribution. The difference between ill-will and retribution is that, in ill-will the feeling may disappear after one has taken vengeance. But this is not true for retribution. With retribution there will be an escalation into an endless feud. Ill-will is like tying a knot temporarily, whereas retribution is like a permanent knot which is exceedingly difficult to untie. Hence, retribution is more harmful than vyapada. However, all are the fire of defilement which prevents the mind from being peaceful. They must be eradicated before the meditator can achieve peace of mind.

Thina-middha (sloth and torpor) is the third kind of Nivarana. Thina and Middha are not one single word and are not the same defilement but are complements of each other. They usually darken the mind together. Thina means ‘sloth’ and Middha means ‘torpor’ or ‘drowsiness’. These two defilements are like molds that destroy plants. When they control the mind, the person feels weak, dull, unwieldy, and does not want to make any effort or do any good for himself or society.

An aspirant may notice that on certain days he does not feel like meditating or does not want to perform his daily duties. Even with a lot of rest or sleep he still feels drowsy and lazy and yawns continuously. If this is not caused by physical problems, then it must be that his mind is overpowered by these two defilements and he becomes weak, dull, drowsy, and does not want to speak. He is unhappy because of the power of thina-middha. Unless they are eradicated, an aspirant cannot cultivate Samadhi.

Uddhacca-kukkuca are unwholesome mental factors and they also are complementary to cach other. “Uddhacca” means ‘restlessness’, “Kukkuca” means ‘worry’. Usually, when the mind is restless, people tend to be easily annoyed. Such people become unhappy, moody, and feel bored or irritated with the words of others and loud noises. Sometimes they are moody even when approached with polite words. Sometimes one may feel gloomy but not annoyed if he only has sloth and not torpor. But for some aspirants, uddhacca and kukkuca may occur simultaneously, so they are both restless and annoyed at the same time.

These two passions, uddhacca and kukkuca, are like viruses or flus that weaken people and make them feeble. They take hold of most people’s minds daily and make many people unhappy by disturbing their peace of mind. Currently, the government is building more and more mental hospitals for people with nervous disorders since more people in big cities are now facing various kinds of economic problems, as well as the problems of living in society. Problems caused by these two defilements are the most effective killers of people’s happiness.

So it is necessary for us to know and recognize them so that we can get rid of them easily. Unless we rid ourselves of them, they will recur day after day, making people gloomy or annoyed and preventing them from achieving happiness. Some who make attempts can rid themselves of these defilements. However, charity and observing precepts cannot destroy or eradicate mental hindrances, only Samadhi is powerful enough to eliminate them.

“Vicikiccha”, which is ‘doubt’ or ‘uncertainty’, is one of the most effective impediments to mental development. This is not an intellectual doubt, but it is doubt in relation to practice such as wondering whether merit and sin or heaven and hell exist, whether it is fruitful to practice meditation, or whether the practice really leads to spiritual progress, and so on.

A doubter of sin and merit does not perform merit making for fear of being a loser if, in reality, there is no benefit to be gained from the merit making. But at the same time he dares not do evil deeds, fearing that he will suffer if sin exist. Therefore, to be on the safe side, he does neither evil nor good deeds because of his doubts.

Sometimes one may feel uncertain about the way one is taught meditation practice, “Are the principles taught right? Is it right to sit this way? Is it right to meditate this way? Is it right to do the walking meditation this way?” With all these doubts one becomes lost in thought, absent-minded, and refuses to cultivate Samadhi, fearing that he will suffer a loss or become insane. Therefore his mind remains wavering, unsteady, and he cannot find peace. Hence, no progress in mental development can be achieved.

This is like the person with high expectations in life, but who is always afraid to make a decisions as to what kind of job he should take. If he goes into a trading business, then he is afraid of losses. If he is to be a farmer, he is afraid that the yield may not be sold. If he goes to work for the government or into private business, then he is afraid of not being successful. So he remains indecisive, doing nothing. As long as he has doubts, indecision, and perplexity, no progress is possible.

A person given to doubt, who does not know how to proceed in life or in the practice of meditation, can be compared with one who is lost in a deep forest and comes to stand at the mid-point of intersecting paths where there stands a big tiger at the entrance to each path. He cannot make a move in any direction since he is afraid of the tigers. In the same manner a person beset by doubt, either in life or in spiritual practice, cannot decide on any path. So this kind of mental hindrance must be dispelled before one’s mind can be developed.

The Five Mental Hindrances discussed above are considered hindrances to one’s peace and happiness since they cloud the mind and pollute the mind’s naturally pure state. The mind, in its truly natural state, is extremely bright and can be compared to gold, which is flawless. Gold is pure, soft (malleable), beautiful, and very valuable. But its quality will be considered the opposite and it will be devalued if it is mixed with any of the following:

1. iron (ayo)

5. silver (sajjham)

Similarly, the normally bright mind can be overruled by any of the Five Hindrances and this will cause the mind to be clouded, disturbed, and troubled. So the Buddha taught us to rid ourselves of these Five Hindrances by cultivating meditation. The five hindrances are the defilements that obstruct people’s progress and happiness. According to the Dighanikaya, the Buddha compared the person overpowered by these mental hindrances with:

1. A debtor,

A debtor will never feel at ease. He is worried by thoughts that the creditor will ask him to repay the debt in full, the interest will increase, or the property deposit will be taken away if he does not make haste to repay the debt, and so on. So he suffers and is unhappy in the same manner as one who is obstructed by mental hindrances and who never finds real peace.

A patient suffers from disease and is prevented from being happy because of the pain, for example, a headache hurts the head and a stomachache hurts the stomach, etc. Certain kinds of illness hurt him in other parts of the body. This is just like the mind harassed by any of these five mental hindrances. As long as one is overpowered by mental hindrances, he will have nervous problems caused by the visiting defilements.

Take for example a prisoner who loses his freedom. Being in jail, he is agitated, frantic, bored, and unhappy. Likewise, a person possessed by mental hindrances is not free and it is impossible for him to make spiritual progress.

A slave can do nothing without permission. He can go nowhere because he must wait on the master and do everything ordered by him, so he suffers and is unhappy. Even the servants of today, who serve in households, are ordered to perform duties until they have no free time for themselves, not to mention the slaves of long ago who were in much worse situations. Just as slaves cannot do whatever or go wherever they want, so too, a person under the power of mental hindrances cannot do what he knows is good and right. He is unhappy because his master, Nivarana, orders him to do everything its own way; he is truly the slave of Nivarana.

A traveler in hostile terrain must go uphill and down dale, across creeks and deep chasms, face wild animals and meet with various troubles, and sometimes take no sleep and go without food because the path is wild and barren. As he wanders he feels insecure, disoriented, and afraid and he suffers throughout the long journey. Similarly, a person disturbed by any of the Five Nivarana will never be happy because each kind of Nivarana is like a hill, a creek, a chasm, a wild animal, or a wild and unknown path.

A person who can free his mind from the Five Hindrances is very lucky and virtuous since he is entering into Dhamma in Buddhism. He has passed the middle level of practice and is no longer a debtor, a patient, a prisoner, nor a slave and will arrive safely at his destination.

In short, the cultivation of Samadhi establishes peace of mind, clears the path of life, and yields more virtues than performing charitable acts and keeping the precepts pure. It is the basis for the cultivation of Insight meditation (vipassana), which is the ultimate goal in Buddhism.

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