Doubt is the fifth hindrance or difficult energy that we encounter in practice and life. We know when it arrives as a hindrance: the mind says, “What am I doing here? Does this mindfulness stuff really work?”  “I can’t do this—others are sitting still like Buddhas, not me; maybe belly dancing would be better.” With fear and resistance, the mind flickers, is indecisive.  What makes doubt particularly insidious is that it saps our energy—we stop looking and the light seemingly goes out of practice.

One antidote to the hindrance of doubt is re-awakening faith that first brought you to practice. Remember the motivations of finding peace, wisdom and compassion. They were good reasons then and still are now.  To strengthen faith, reflect on the teachings and revisit what inspires you—those before us who pursued this path to awakening, books, teachers. Ask questions of your teachers for different perspectives. Doubt is natural—not something to be ashamed of or to keep hidden away.

Another antidote is resolutely re-establishing loving awareness. If we pay attention with non-identification to the words in the mind, without being overwhelmed by their content, we can learn about the ungraspable and impermanent nature of mind.  We can see how not being caught in various moods and states of mind, they come and go without our drowning in them.  Doubt itself becomes the source of awareness.

The heart that doubts has the seed of knowing that great wisdom and compassion are possible for anyone who undertakes this invaluable training of the heart-mind.  Nurture that seed.

The fourth hindrance of restlessness and worry, encountered in meditation and in daily life, is nervous unsettled physical energy, characterized by quickly changing thoughts, anxiety, agitation and worry in the mind, and difficulty sitting still.

As with sleepiness, often when this hindrance appears, it may indicate that something unpleasant or difficult is arising that we might prefer not to encounter. And there is often a reaction of judgment, resistance or even condemning ourselves, which may increase the very restlessness we’re trying to push away.

Recognizing that this hindrance is present, it takes wisdom and courage to meet it with acceptance, mindfulness and investigation, understanding it is not who we are, knowing that like all other phenomena, it is a constellation of transitory conditions that are expressed in the up and down cycles of life and is bound to change.

My teacher invited me to be willing, with kindly resoluteness, to be the first meditator to actually die of restlessness—instructing me to see that through building acceptance of this energy, I could become free in the midst of it, not pushing it away or resisting.  This acceptance can create ease, a powerful antidote to anxiety.

We can use sound or the sky as our object of meditation, that can lead to a greater sense of spaciousness, or build greater concentration through paying more focused attention to the breath, softening and collecting the mind.  We might also investigate if there’s an attitude of striving to get somewhere. If so, we can remind ourselves that there is nowhere but here.

 

leepiness, a/k/a sloth and torpor (the phrase admirably describes the state)—is the third of the five hindrances or difficult energies that arise in practice.  Training the mind to work with them in meditation is a template for arousing energy for quotidian tasks.

There are many causes for the arising of sleepiness: we’re just tired; concentration brings peace and calm but energy and clarity are low; or the sluggish state comes out of a habit of avoidance—an unpleasant or difficult physical or emotional state is arising and we recoil or fall asleep. Sleepiness can be so seductive.

We do not need to so much to declare sleepiness the enemy or to analyze it, as to remember and realize the goal of practice—to awaken.  We can apply loving and compassionate awareness to the lack of energy itself.  How does it feel in the body, in the mind?  What preceded it?  Is there hostility?  Is there boredom? The very act of arousing interest can be the antidote itself.

Working in meditation, we can meditate with open eyes, stand up or do walking meditation briskly (or backward). To balance and enliven the mind, we can revivify our focus, refresh and expand the mind by staying with this moment.

We can remember that we have the tools for awakening in this moment and gently restore energy and balance to all aspects of our life. And, as the texts remind us, when all else fails, we can gently surrender to rest.

The first hindrance is desire for sense pleasure—pleasant sounds, sights, tastes, smells and bodily sensations.  Desire in itself is not wrong or a problem—it is the concomitant mentality in which we believe that if we can string together enough pleasant experiences—the right job, relationship, personality, looks, amount of money, etc.,  we will have a permanently happy life without cease—the “if only…” mentality.

The arising of the five hindrances in practice or in daily life can be the cause of struggle, or the growth of insight.  These energies can teach, rather than overwhelm us, through mindful awareness.

Neither the desire itself nor the object of the desire is to be demonized.  Rather, applying mindfulness, we see the energy of desire keeps us scanning the horizon for the ultimate solution; through the habit of wanting mind, we believe we are incomplete.   This perpetuates discontent, leaving us grasping for that thing elsewhere that obscures the joy of contentment and wholeness.  The wanting and consuming in the mistaken belief that security and final happiness are thus achievable move us away from the natural perfection of here and now.

Instead of believing in its siren call, we can see how desire interferes with our ability to relate wisely to what is here.  We see clearly how the object of desire, once attained, inevitably loses its sheen.  How many previous “must haves” are now buried in your closet or long ago discarded?  Was it getting the object that quenched your thirst, or extinguishment of the flame of wanting, that returned you to the cool shade of contentment?

The fifth precept is refraining from alcohol and drugs (authentic medical need excluded) “that cause heedlessness.”  I am inspired by this, as the last words of the Buddha are reputed to be “strive on with heedfulness.”  This is something upon which we can deeply reflect—the need for sobriety and clarity of mind as requisites for the heedfulness highlighted in the Buddha’s last injunction as he lay dying.  How can we practice heedfulness having ingested that which is designed to encourage heedlessness?

The Buddha in a sutta explains the reason for this precept: A man has a drink, spots a chicken in his neighbor’s backyard, steals it, kills the bird and lies about it.  Drugs and alcohol can have cascading negative consequences.

I recognize the difference between those who are struggling with physical addiction and psychological dependence and those who imbibe for “social purposes.”  I do not undertake to cover the complexities and nuances of this wise precept in this short column.  I am deeply sympathetic to the damage that alcohol has done to families and friendships and the havoc it wreaks internally, and also recognize the depth of the struggle.

How to practice?  We can recognize toxins already present in consciousness:  craving, anger, confusion, fear, hatred, and despair.  Our happiness and peace depend on our ability to transform them.  In addition to restraint from alcohol and drugs, we can be mindful of the qualities of what we habitually ingest: films, books, magazines; and our conversations. We can vow to ingest only that which reinforces clarity, kindness and heedfulness.

The fifth precept is refraining from alcohol and drugs (authentic medical need excluded) “that cause heedlessness.”  I am inspired by this, as the last words of the Buddha are reputed to be “strive on with heedfulness.”  This is something upon which we can deeply reflect—the need for sobriety and clarity of mind as requisites for the heedfulness highlighted in the Buddha’s last injunction as he lay dying.  How can we practice heedfulness having ingested that which is designed to encourage heedlessness?

The Buddha in a sutta explains the reason for this precept: A man has a drink, spots a chicken in his neighbor’s backyard, steals it, kills the bird and lies about it.  Drugs and alcohol can have cascading negative consequences.

I recognize the difference between those who are struggling with physical addiction and psychological dependence and those who imbibe for “social purposes.”  I do not undertake to cover the complexities and nuances of this wise precept in this short column.  I am deeply sympathetic to the damage that alcohol has done to families and friendships and the havoc it wreaks internally, and also recognize the depth of the struggle.

How to practice?  We can recognize toxins already present in consciousness:  craving, anger, confusion, fear, hatred, and despair.  Our happiness and peace depend on our ability to transform them.  In addition to restraint from alcohol and drugs, we can be mindful of the qualities of what we habitually ingest: films, books, magazines; and our conversations. We can vow to ingest only that which reinforces clarity, kindness and heedfulness.

The fourth precept is to refrain from false, harmful and reckless speech.  Speech is a primary way in which we relate to and communicate with each other.  It can enhance connection, or be the agent of disconnection.  In expressing our intentions and aspirations, our words, mindfully spoken, can remind us of what we hold most dear.

This precept is perhaps the most difficult to undertake, as it is truly a moment to moment, constant practice as we navigate and speak into our myriad relationships. It takes presence to notice the impulse to speak and before uttering, to pause, ask whether it is kind, true, necessary, useful and timely.  What would the world be like if everyone practiced in this way?  Imagine friends, family, even politicians, all practicing together, then decide how you want to speak.

Why do we lie?  Perhaps to aggrandize our sense of self-importance, or to avoid the consequences of our actions.  Of course, it simply overlays untrustworthiness on a difficult truth. Yet, honest speech without compassion can have the seductive power of self-righteousness and be cruel.  We see how subtle and nuanced this practice is.

Implicit in refraining from speech that is untrue, harsh, useless or judgmental, is our ability to see intention. We can pause and consider before we speak, uttering what is based on loving kindness, truth, helpfulness and timeliness.   Imagine how this will save energy for other endeavors!

It takes discipline, kindness and mindfulness.

When we observe the precepts, they have a humane effect on us and everyone affected by us. We align with the understanding of karma, that the most important powers shaping our experience are the thoughts, words, and deeds we choose in the present moment. Every choice of action, in every aspect of life, contributes to making the world.

The precepts do not invite guilt over past lapses, but to regard and commit to everyone’s desire for happiness as equal to our own, reflecting loving-kindness, mindfulness, generosity and ethics in our actions. Yet, it’s hard to be good-hearted, generous and restrained when the messages of the culture belittle and undermine fostering qualities of goodness and restraint and glorify such things as sexual prowess and success at any cost.

The third precept invites us “to refrain from sexual misconduct,”  to exercise responsibility, avoid creating harm through this powerful energy, avoiding sexual exploitation or relationships of a sexual nature outside the bounds of relationship commitments we or others have made. The text says:

“… abandoning illicit sex, the disciple … abstains from illicit sex. In doing so, the disciple gives freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings. In [this way] one gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, … from animosity, and … from oppression.”

Sexual energy, used responsibly, lovingly, appropriately and intimately can bring passion and compassion together in a skillful way, be a gateway to intimacy and yes, even a brief glimpse or experience of transformative unconditional love.