What gets in the way of our right concentration or stillness: The Five hindrances

The five hindrance obstuct the path to our right concentration or stillness of the mind. So it is good to identify these as we meditate and be mindful when they come to our mind. We have to use the antidotes for each one of them as and when they come up during meditation.

According to the book "Mindfulness bliss and beyond" (page 47),

Type of Hindrance and How to overcome it:

1. Sensory desire - Just take the attention away from the five senses little by little and apply it to the breath or the mind.

2. Ill will - Do some loving- kindness.

3. Sloth and torpor - Remember to “give value to awareness.”

4. Restlessness and remorse - “Contentment, contentment, contentment” or practice forgiveness.

5. Doubt - Be confident and be inspired by the teachings.

The  "Mindfulness bliss and beyond"  book also says: "Whenever you meditate, apply the solutions methodically. That way, the obstacles you experience won’t create long- term barriers. They’re things that you can recognize, overcome, and move beyond. 

Samatha (tranquillity) and Vipassana (insight) Meditation: The bottom line is don't debate, just do it!

There has been so much discussions and debates between Samatha (tranquillity) and Vipassana (insight) meditation methods. Ajahn Brahm says "it is like the two sides of the same hand."  Ajahn Chah once said it is like "two ends of the same stick, if you pull from one end the other end invariably moves." This means they are closely related and hard to separate as two distinct techniques. Buddha briefly talks about these two paths in Yuganaddha Sutta. In this post I propose a map to show how they are intricately related. I have used the stages as shown in Ajahn Brhams book "Mindfulness bliss and beyond" to outline path of breath meditation that leads to The Right Concentration (Jhanas, 1-4). The Last two factors of The Noble Eightfold Path after The Right Concentration, The Right Wisdom (knowledge) and The Right Release is also shown here to complete the tenfold path as shown in Maha-chttarisaka (The great Forty) Sutta.

The bottom line is don't debate, Just do it!

P.S. Here is a related podcast from Ajahn Brahm from his recent visit to Toronto, in November 2012.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

November 6, 2012 – Public Talk: “Samatha and Vipassana meditation practices: Are these two different methods or two aspects of the same technique?”

Two Kinds of Thoughts

In this sutta Buddha talks about 2 kinds of thoughts:

#1. Thoughts of Sensuality, Thoughts of ill will, Thoughts of harm

#2. Thoughts of Non-sensuality, Thoughts of non-ill will (loving-kindness), Thoughts of Non-harm (compassion)

Type #1. Leads to your own affliction or to the affliction of others or to the affliction of both. It obstructs discernment, promotes vexation, & does not lead to Unbinding.

Type #2. Leads neither to your own affliction, nor to the affliction of others, nor to the affliction of both. It fosters discernment, promotes lack of vexation, & leads to Unbinding.

When the thoughts of type #1 arises, he advised us to reflect on the danger of this thoughts (method 2 of the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, please see the post above) and get rid of them.

In his own words: "As I noticed that it leads to my own affliction, it subsided. As I noticed that it leads to the affliction of others... to the affliction of both... it obstructs discernment, promotes vexation, & does not lead to Unbinding, it subsided. Whenever thinking imbued with ill will had arisen, I simply abandoned it, destroyed it, dispelled it, wiped it out of existence."

He also said: "Whatever a one keeps pursuing with his thinking & pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness."

Dvedhavitakka Sutta: Two Sorts of Thinking translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

http://www.accesstoinsight.rg/tipitaka/mn/mn.019.than.html

Also please see this beautiful simile from the sutta (click on the title) :There lived a large herd of deer...

So it is possible to change our mind with practice and ultimately change our own behavior pattern, either good or bad. It is a matter of shift in the thinking pattern in the mind and with practice speech and bodily action will follow. To begin with it may be nice if we can implement thoughts of loving kindness, non-ham in our society too. It will be more effective if we start this at an early age, like an early childhood education program in schools. If this happens in the future we should see less of these horrible school shootings, murders and other violence we in our society today. The key is the practice of loving-kindness (see labels). It is not difficult and it will benefit you and people around you too.

Also Note: This sutta is basically an expansion (both Wrong Intention and the Right Intention) of the second step in the Noble Eightfold Path (The Right Intention*). Please see the link below.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/waytoend.html#ch2

*

2. Right Intention

While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html

Like a foot path that is has been covered by weeds...

Sometimes when you travel along this path* of Dhamma, some things you hear are so familiar you just know for sure that you have heard them before. It is possible that we all have traveled this path before but somehow we did not complete our journey. But now again we have got this opportunity to travel the path right to the end. It is just like you have discovered a foot path that is has been covered by weeds and you now clearing it again.

* The Noble Eightfold Path

Swimming against the stream

The path to enlightenment is not so easy. It is a path that goes against the stream. Buddha called this "Patisothagami " or going against the stream. It is just like when almost all the fish in the water are swimming with the flow while only one fish is trying hard to swim against the flow. It's not swimming against the resistance of the flow of water but also the resistance of the other fish that may impede its path.

How does "The Noble Eightfold Path" becomes an integral part of the meditator...

Reality as it is becomes the right view of the meditator. Thinking of it as it is becomes the right thought. Awareness of it as it is becomes the right awareness. Concentration on it as it is becomes the right concentration. Actions of the body and speech* are then aligned to reality as it is. In this way the meditator develops and is fulfilled.

- Majjhima Nikaya

It is amazing to see how "The Noble Eightfold Path" becomes an integral part of the meditator...

1. Right View
2. Right Intention (Translated as "Right Thought" above)
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness (Translated as "Right Awareness" above)
8. Right Concentration

*Actions of the body and speech are # 3, 4, 5, and 6

The right technique will give results whether you wish or not ...

"Suppose a man in need of fire, looking for fire, wandering in search of fire, would take a fire stick and rub it into a wet, sappy piece of wood. If he were to take a fire stick and rub it into a wet, sappy piece of wood even when having made a wish [for results]... having made no wish... both having made a wish and having made no wish... neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, he would be incapable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an inappropriate way of obtaining results.

"In the same way, any priests or contemplatives endowed with wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, & wrong concentration: If they follow the holy life even when having made a wish [for results]... having made no wish... both having made a wish and having made no wish... neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, they are incapable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an inappropriate way of obtaining results.

"Suppose a man in need of fire, looking for fire, wandering in search of fire, would take a fire stick and rub it into a dry, sapless piece of wood. If he were to take a fire stick and rub it into a dry, sapless piece of wood even when having made a wish [for results]... having made no wish... both having made a wish and having made no wish... neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, he would be capable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an appropriate way of obtaining results.

"In the same way, any priests or contemplatives endowed with right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, & right concentration: If they follow the holy life even when having made a wish [for results], they are capable of obtaining results. If they follow the holy life even when having made no wish, they are capable of obtaining results. If they follow the holy life even when both having made a wish and having made no wish, they are capable of obtaining results. If they follow the holy life even when neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, they are capable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an appropriate way of obtaining results.

Bhumija Sutta: To Bhumija

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.126.than.html#butter1

The one that is skilled in the path...

"Tissa, it's as if there were two men, one not skilled in the path, the other. In that case the man not skilled in the path would ask the man skilled in the path about the path. The second man would say, 'Come, my good man, this is the path. Go along it a little further and you will see a fork in the road. Avoiding the left fork, take the right. Go along a little further and you will see an intense forest grove. Go along a little further and you will see a large marshy swamp. Go along a little further and you will see a deep drop-off. Go along a little further and you will see a delightful stretch of level ground.

"I have made this comparison, Tissa, to convey a meaning. The meaning is this: The man unskilled in the path stands for a run-of-the-mill person. The man skilled in the path stands for the Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened. The fork in the road stands for uncertainty. The left fork stands for the eightfold wrong path — i.e., wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong concentration. The right fork stands for the noble eightfold path — i.e., right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. The intense forest grove stands for ignorance. The large marshy swamp stands for sensual desires. The deep drop-off stands for anger & despair. The delightful stretch of level ground stands for Unbinding.

SN 22.84, Tissa Sutta-Tissa

The four kinds of food...

There are these four kinds of nutriment (food) for the maintenance of beings that already have come to be and for the support of those seeking a new existence.

The four kinds of food:

1. Physical food : gross or subtle
2. Contact food
3. Mental volition food
4. Consciousness food

With the arising of craving there is the arising of nutriment. With the cessation of craving there is the cessation of nutriment. The way leading to the cessation of nutriment is just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

Sammaditthi Sutta -The Discourse on Right View

To learn more on nutriment:

The Four Nutriments of Life

So rare is a human birth...

"Monks, suppose that this great earth were totally covered with water, and a man were to toss a yoke with a single hole there. A wind from the east would push it west, a wind from the west would push it east. A wind from the north would push it south, a wind from the south would push it north.

And suppose a blind sea-turtle were there. It would come to the surface once every one hundred years. Now what do you think: would that blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole?"

"It would be a sheer coincidence, lord, that the blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, would stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole."

"It's likewise a sheer coincidence that one obtains the human state. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, arises in the world. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world.

Now, this human state has been obtained. A Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, has arisen in the world. A doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world.

"Therefore your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.*'"

Chiggala Sutta
The Hole

*The Four Noble Truths

Keep riding no matter what...

There is this question that come up again and again. Is attainment of Jhana necessary for enlightenment? Jhana is considered to provide "lubrication" for your vipassana practice.
Can you just practice vipassana ("dry" vipassana) without attainment of Jhana to attain liberation?

There is so much said about in support of both these methods.

This is how I see it.

I guess it does not matter whether your bicycle has lubrication or not the idea is to get on and ride it. May be there is enough lubrication in it from before. May be you may find some lubrication along the way. May be it is very dry but you still can ride it.  You need the right technique. The main thing is to have faith in it, ride it with right effort and mindfulness. You may be delighted to see the most amazing sights traveling along this path you have never seen before. This way you are sure to reach your "destination".

So keep riding no matter what...

In this simile:

ride the bicycle-meditation

lubrication - wet vipassana meditation ( starting with jhanas)

lubrication from before- previous jhana practice (this life or previous lives)

lubrication along the way- attaining stages of enlightenment (stream entry, etc.)

right technique- in accordance with satipattana sutta

1. faith, 2. effort, 3. mindfulness, 4. delighted (joy)/smadhi, 

5. mazing sights/wisdom- The five spiritual faculties

along the path- the noble eightfold path

destination- enlightenment 

Train your mind like a fortress...

"Suppose, monk, that there were a royal frontier fortress with strong walls & ramparts and six gates. In it would be a wise, experienced, intelligent gatekeeper to keep out those he didn't know and to let in those he did. A swift pair of messengers, coming from the east, would say to the gatekeeper, 'Where, my good man, is the commander of this fortress?' He would say, 'There he is, sirs, sitting in the central square.' The swift pair of messengers, delivering their accurate report to the commander of the fortress, would then go back by the route by which they had come. Then a swift pair of messengers, coming from the west... the north... the south, would say to the gatekeeper, 'Where, my good man, is the commander of this fortress?' He would say, 'There he is, sirs, sitting in the central square.' The swift pair of messengers, delivering their accurate report to the commander of the fortress, would then go back by the route by which they had come.

"I have given you this simile, monk, to convey a message. The message is this: The fortress stands for this body — composed of four elements, born of mother & father, nourished with rice & barley gruel, subject to constant rubbing & abrasion, to breaking & falling apart. The six gates stand for the six internal sense media. The gatekeeper stands for mindfulness. The swift pair of messengers stands for tranquillity (samatha) and insight (vipassana). The commander of the fortress stands for consciousness. The central square stands for the four great elements: the earth-property, the liquid-property, the fire-property, & the wind-property. The accurate report stands for Unbinding (nibbana). The route by which they had come stands for the noble eightfold path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration."

Kimsuka Sutta
The Riddle Tree

The wise always delights...in the Dhamma

Drinking the Dhamma,
refreshed by the Dhamma,
one sleeps at ease
with clear awareness & calm.
In the Dhamma revealed
by the noble ones,
the wise person
always delights.
-Dhammapada

Calm is his mind...

Calm is his mind,
calm his speech
& his deed:
one who's released through right knowing*,
pacified, such.

-Dhammapada

*The right knowing is the same as The Right View (Samma Ditthi), the first step in
the Noble Eightfold Pathway

There lived a large herd of deer...

"Suppose, monks, that in a forested wilderness there were a large low-lying marsh, in dependence on which there lived a large herd of deer; and a certain man were to appear, not desiring their benefit, not desiring their welfare, not desiring their rest from bondage. He would close off the safe, restful path that led to their rapture, and would open up a false path, set out a male decoy, place a female decoy, and thus the large herd of deer, at a later time, would fall into ruin & disaster. Then suppose that a certain man were to appear to that same large herd of deer, desiring their benefit, desiring their welfare, desiring their rest from bondage. He would open up the safe, restful path that led to their rapture, would close off the false path, take away the male decoy, destroy the female decoy, and thus the large herd of deer, at a later time, would come into growth, increase, & abundance.

"I have given this simile in order to convey a meaning. The meaning is this: 'The large, low-lying marsh' is a term for sensual pleasures. 'The large herd of deer' is a term for beings. 'The man not desiring their benefit, not desiring their welfare, not desiring their rest from bondage' is a term for Mara, the Evil One. 'The false path' is a term for the eightfold wrong path, i.e., wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, & wrong concentration. 'The male decoy' is a term for passion & delight. 'The female decoy' is a term for ignorance. 'The man desiring their benefit, desiring their welfare, desiring their rest from bondage' is a term for the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One. 'The safe, restful path that led to their rapture' is a term for the noble eightfold path, i.e., right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, & right concentration.

Dvedhavitakka Sutta
Two Sorts of Thinking

Still sustained thoughts...as rain would, a cloud of dust

Three skillful thoughts*
should be thought,
three unskillful thoughts
rejected.

Whoever stills sustained thoughts
— as rain would, a cloud of dust —
through an awareness with thinking stilled,
attains right here
the state
of peace.

Iti 3.38; Iti 82

*Skillful thoughts

1.Renunciation

2.Non-ill-will

3. Harmlessness

Related Sutta:

Dvedhavitakka Sutta -Two Sorts of Thinking

A man running from...

"Monks, suppose there were four vipers of utmost heat & horrible venom. Then a man would come along — desiring life, desiring not to die, desiring happiness, & loathing pain — and people would tell him: 'Good man, these four vipers, of utmost heat & horrible venom, are yours. Time after time they must be lifted up, time after time they must be bathed, time after time they must be fed, time after time put to rest. And if any of these vipers ever gets angered with you, then you will meet with death or death-like suffering. Do what you think should be done.'

Then the man — afraid of the four vipers of utmost heat & horrible venom — would flee this way or that. They would tell him, 'Good man, there are five enemy executioners chasing right on your heels, [thinking,] "Wherever we see him, we'll kill him right on the spot." Do what you think should be done.'
Then the man — afraid of the four vipers of utmost heat & horrible venom, afraid of the five enemy executioners — would flee this way or that. They would tell him, 'Good man, there is a sixth executioner, a fellow-traveler, chasing right on your heels with upraised sword, [thinking,] "Wherever I see him, I'll kill him right on the spot." Do what you think should be done.'
Then the man — afraid of the four vipers of utmost heat & horrible venom, afraid of the five enemy executioners, afraid of the sixth fellow-traveling executioner with upraised sword — would flee this way or that. He would see an empty village. Whatever house he entered would be abandoned, void, & empty as he entered it. Whatever pot he grabbed hold of would be abandoned, void, & empty as he grabbed hold of it. They would tell him, 'Good man, right now, village-plundering bandits are entering this empty village. Do what you think should be done.'
Then the man — afraid of the four vipers of utmost heat & horrible venom, afraid of the five enemy executioners, afraid of the sixth fellow-traveling executioner with upraised sword, afraid of the village-plundering bandits — would flee this way or that. He would see a great expanse of water, with the near shore dubious & risky, the further shore secure & free from risk, but with neither a ferryboat nor a bridge going from this shore to the other. The thought would occur to him, 'Here is this great expanse of water, with the near shore dubious & risky, the further shore secure & free from risk, but with neither a ferryboat nor a bridge going from this shore to the other. What if I were to gather grass, twigs, branches, & leaves and, having bound them together to make a raft, were to cross over to safety on the other shore in dependence on the raft, making an effort with my hands & feet?' Then the man, having gathered grass, twigs, branches, & leaves, having bound them together to make a raft, would cross over to safety on the other shore in dependence on the raft, making an effort with his hands & feet. Crossed over, having gone to the other shore, he would stand on high ground, a brahman.

"Monks, I have made this simile to convey a meaning. Here the meaning is this: 'The four vipers of utmost heat & horrible venom' stands for the four great existents: the earth property, the liquid property, the fire-property, & the wind property. 'The five enemy executioners' stands for the five clinging-aggregates: the form clinging-aggregate, the feeling clinging-aggregate, the perception clinging-aggregate, the fabrications clinging-aggregate, the consciousness clinging-aggregate. 'The sixth fellow-traveling executioner with upraised sword' stands for passion & delight.
"'The empty village' stands for the six internal sense media. If a wise, competent, intelligent person examines them from the point of view of the eye, they appear abandoned, void, & empty. If he examines them from the point of view of the ear... the nose... the tongue... the body... the intellect, they appear abandoned, void, & empty. 'The village-plundering bandits' stands for the six external sense-media. The eye is attacked by agreeable & disagreeable forms. The ear is attacked by agreeable & disagreeable sounds. The nose is attacked by agreeable & disagreeable aromas. The tongue is attacked by agreeable & disagreeable flavors. The body is attacked by agreeable & disagreeable tactile sensations. The intellect is attacked by agreeable & disagreeable ideas.

"'The great expanse of water' stands for the fourfold flood: the flood of sensuality, the flood of becoming, the flood of views, & the flood of ignorance.

'The near shore, dubious & risky' stands for self-identification. 'The further shore, secure and free from risk' stands for Unbinding. 'The raft' stands for just this noble eightfold path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. 'Making an effort with hands & feet' stands for the arousing of persistence. 'Crossed over, having gone to the other shore, he would stand on high ground, a brahman' stands for the arahant."

Asivisa Sutta -Vipers

I followed that path...

"It is just as if a man, traveling along a wilderness track, were to see an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by people of former times. He would follow it. Following it, he would see an ancient city, an ancient capital inhabited by people of former times, complete with parks, groves, & ponds, walled, delightful. He would go to address the king or the king's minister, saying, 'Sire, you should know that while traveling along a wilderness track I saw an ancient path... I followed it... I saw an ancient city, an ancient capital... complete with parks, groves, & ponds, walled, delightful. Sire, rebuild that city!' The king or king's minister would rebuild the city, so that at a later date the city would become powerful, rich, & well-populated, fully grown & prosperous.

"In the same way I saw an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times? Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. That is the ancient path, the ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge of aging & death, direct knowledge of the origination of aging & death, direct knowledge of the cessation of aging & death, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of aging & death. I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge of birth... becoming... clinging... craving... feeling... contact... the six sense media... name-&-form... consciousness, direct knowledge of the origination of consciousness, direct knowledge of the cessation of consciousness, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of consciousness. I followed that path.

Nagara Sutta -The City

The Three Urgent Duties

There are three things a farmer should do in a hurry (urgently)

1. get the field well-plowed & well-harrowed.

2. plants the seeds

3. lets in the water & then lets it out.

Then you wait... results will come. You cannot rush it. You will reap the crops in time.

In the same way cultivate sila (morality), samdhi (concentration through meditation), panna (wisdom)... following this path (the noble eightfold path) ...apply the right technique...results will be there in time.

Just read the following sutta:

"There are these three urgent duties of a farming householder. Which three?"There is the case where a farming householder quickly gets his field well-plowed & well-harrowed. Having quickly gotten his field well-plowed & well-harrowed, he quickly plants the seed. Having quickly planted the seed, he quickly lets in the water & then lets it out."These are the three urgent duties of a farming householder. Now, that farming householder does not have the power or might [to say:] 'May my crops spring up today, may the grains appear tomorrow, and may they ripen the next day.' But when the time has come, the farming householder's crops spring up, the grains appear, and they ripen."In the same way, there are these three urgent duties of a monk. Which three? The undertaking of heightened virtue, the undertaking of heightened mind, the undertaking of heightened discernment. These are the three urgent duties of a monk. Now, that monk does not have the power or might [to say:] 'May my mind be released from fermentations through lack of clinging/sustenance today or tomorrow or the next day.' But when the time has come, his mind is released from fermentations through lack of clinging/sustenance."Thus, monks, you should train yourselves: 'Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened virtue. Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened mind. Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened discernment.' That's how you should train yourselves."

-AN 3.91Accayika Sutta (Urgent)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.091.than.html

Our six senses are responsible for our own existence

The goal of the Buddhist teaching is to put an end to this relentless cycle of birth, old age, sickness and death (samsara) and to reach ultimate freedom from suffering, the nirvana. Our six senses are primarily responsible for our own existence in this samsara. These very senses, when contemplated through the practice of vipassana (insight) meditation will liberate us from this same samsara. The path that lead to this liberation from suffering is The Noble Eightfold Path .