The 5 Things That Are Ruining Your Meditation (and Your Life) – And How to Handle Them | Bonnie Duran
Bonnie Duran, Director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research at the University of Washington, discusses the Buddha's five hindrances—greed, aversion, sloth/torpor, restlessness/worry, and doubt—which obstruct meditation and daily life. She shares antidotes, including the RAIN technique, cultivating opposite mental states, and a sky-like attitude, emphasizing their role in well-being.
Deep Dive Analysis
18 Topic Outline
Introduction to Buddha's Lists and the Five Hindrances
Context: The Five Hindrances within the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness
Defining 'Dhammas' and their Significance
Overarching Importance and Overview of the Five Hindrances
First Hindrance: Greed or Sensual Desire and Wholesome Desire (Chanda)
General Principles and Antidotes for Working with Hindrances
Specific Strategies for Addressing Greed and Desire
Connection Between Rushing and Careless Attention
Second Hindrance: Aversion, Ill Will, Hatred, and Anger
Indigenous Wisdom, Interconnectedness, and Humor as Antidotes
Third Hindrance: Sloth and Torpor (Heaviness, Laziness, Sleepiness)
Antidotes to Sloth and Torpor: Body Scans and Breath Counting
Fourth Hindrance: Restlessness and Remorse/Anxiety
Antidotes to Restlessness and Remorse: Persistence and Positive Intentions
Fifth Hindrance: Doubt and Indecision
Applying the Hindrances Checklist in Daily Life
The Uprooting of Hindrances and Stages of Awakening
Buddhist Psychology and Resources for Mental Well-being
8 Key Concepts
Five Hindrances
Five unwholesome mental qualities (greed, aversion, sloth/torpor, restlessness/worry, doubt) that obstruct clear seeing and progress in meditation and daily life by preventing one from being present and seeing clearly.
Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness
A part of the Buddha's seminal discourse, it involves establishing mindfulness of 'dhammas,' which are universal human experiences and teachings, including the five hindrances and seven factors of awakening, to wake up to what's happening now.
Dhammas (Dharmas)
A Pali term translated as truth, teaching, path, phenomena, or law; in meditation, it refers to common mental, emotional, and physical experiences and clusters that all humans share, such as the five hindrances and seven factors of awakening.
RAIN Formula
A systematic approach to investigate and work with arising experiences: Recognize what's happening, Accept/Allow it, Investigate it (physically, emotionally, energetically, cognitively, motivationally), and Non-identify with it, realizing it's a universal human experience.
Chanda
A Pali term for wholesome desire, referring to the wanting to ensure well-being for oneself and others, such as wanting everyone to have enough to eat or to be healthy and bring happiness to one's community.
Sky-like attitude
A mental model where one imagines thoughts as clouds passing through an empty blue sky, focusing on the gaps between thoughts and realizing that thoughts are not one's true identity but rather habits arising in the moment.
Watering the seeds of negativity
An analogy describing how indulging in unwholesome mental factors (like ill will or desire) strengthens them, making them stronger and more likely to arise in many more places in one's life if not kept in check.
Four Stages of Awakening
In the Theravada tradition, these are progressive levels of spiritual realization (Stream Entry, Once-Returner, Non-Returner, Arhatship) where specific hindrances are gradually weakened or entirely eradicated, leading to freedom from suffering.
15 Questions Answered
The five hindrances are greed/wanting, aversion/not wanting, sloth/torpor, restlessness/worry, and doubt, which are unwholesome mental qualities that prevent clear seeing and progress in meditation and daily life.
The fourth foundation of mindfulness, or mindfulness of dhammas, is a list of lists within Buddhist teachings that helps us understand common human experiences, particularly the five hindrances and the seven factors of awakening.
Dhammas refer to universal human experiences, phenomena, and teachings that are not personal to any individual but are experienced by every human being, such as the five hindrances, the seven factors of awakening, and the six sense doors.
Understanding the five hindrances helps listeners become aware of the unwholesome mental states that determine their level of happiness and well-being, allowing them to weaken these states and cultivate wholesome ones instead of being governed by them.
Yes, there is a concept called Chanda, which is wholesome desire, such as wanting to ensure everyone has enough to eat, or wanting to be healthy and bring happiness to family, friends, and community.
The general principles include recognizing and acknowledging the hindrance, considering the consequences of dwelling in it, cultivating its opposite, adopting a sky-like attitude, and applying effort to stop the unwholesome mental factor.
To deal with greed or desire, one should recognize and acknowledge it, resist indulging in it, consider the long-term consequences of following it, cultivate attention to the well-being of self and others, and apply effort to stop the unwholesome desire.
Rushing often leads to 'careless attention' to attractive objects, which can be a condition for hindrances like sensual desire or greed to arise, preventing careful attention to what is happening in the moment.
To deal with aversion, one should develop its opposite, such as loving kindness (metta), compassion, and joy for others, and recognize one's interconnectedness to all beings, avoiding actions that 'water the seeds' of negativity.
Antidotes include recognizing and naming the hindrance, investigating its physical and mental sensations, practicing body scanning, counting breaths, and opening one's eyes to increase awareness.
A body scan meditation involves systematically bringing attention to different parts of the body, starting from the head and moving down, feeling whatever sensations are present, and anchoring attention there to increase awareness.
To deal with restlessness and anxiety, one should recognize it, try to understand its triggers, realize that it is a passing experience, consistently return to the breath, and set positive intentions for calm and concentration to arise.
Doubt is indecision about the practice itself, whether one can do it effectively, or whether the teaching is correct, often stemming from self-doubt, self-hatred, or cultural biases that prevent cultivating well-being.
Yes, hindrances can be entirely uprooted through the four stages of awakening in Buddhism; for example, doubt is eradicated at stream entry, and sensual desire and ill will are eradicated at the third level of awakening.
Absolutely, by understanding the intention behind actions (wholesome or unwholesome) and choosing to cultivate wholesome intentions, one can weaken and reduce the frequency of hindrances, as supported by Buddhist psychology and its impact on mental well-being.
36 Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Mindfulness for Well-being
Engage in mindfulness practice as it has been identified as the most impactful and successful mental health intervention for enhancing personal well-being.
2. Cultivate Virtuous Conduct
To make progress and see clearly, ensure your life is wholesome and virtuous by practicing proper conduct (sila).
3. Weaken Unwholesome States
Actively work to weaken the force of unwholesome mental states (the five hindrances) when they arise, while simultaneously cultivating and strengthening wholesome mental states (the seven factors of awakening) to enhance well-being.
4. Gain Awareness of Hindrances
Cultivate awareness of the five hindrances – unwholesome mental states – to prevent them from controlling your thoughts and actions, thereby regaining agency over your mind.
5. Meditate on Hindrances
When hindrances arise, make them the object of your meditation practice to weaken their power and cultivate greater well-being and happiness.
6. Apply the RAIN Technique
Use the RAIN technique (Recognize, Accept, Investigate, Non-identification) to systematically and wholesomely work with whatever arises in your heart, mind, and body, including the five hindrances, to defang their power.
7. Recognize & Name Hindrances
When struggling in meditation or daily life, recognize and acknowledge the specific hindrance that is arising by naming it.
8. Consider Hindrance Consequences
Non-judgmentally consider the potential negative consequences of continuing to dwell in a particular hindrance to understand its long-term impact.
9. Cultivate Opposing Qualities
Actively cultivate the mental factors that are the opposite of the hindrances; for example, bring loving-kindness to ill will or mindfulness to a wandering mind.
10. Cultivate Sky-like Attitude
Develop a ‘sky-like attitude’ by imagining thoughts as clouds passing through an empty blue sky, noticing the gaps between thoughts, and resting there to realize thoughts are not your true self.
11. Apply Effort to Stop Hindrances
Consciously apply effort to stop unwholesome mental factors like aversion, greed, sloth, torpor, or doubt by firmly acknowledging them and directing them to cease.
12. Choose Wholesome Responses
In daily life, when hindrances like anger, desire, or restlessness arise, pause to clearly see them, then consciously choose and cultivate the opposite, more wholesome mental response.
13. Assess Intentions for Wholesomeness
Before acting, identify the intention behind your action and assess whether it is wholesome or unwholesome, then decide whether to proceed based on this assessment.
14. Cultivate Wholesome Desire (Chanda)
Recognize and cultivate ‘Chanda,’ which is wholesome desire focused on ensuring well-being for yourself, your family, friends, community, and others, rather than self-serving greed.
15. Resist Unwholesome Desire
Recognize and acknowledge desires that are not true sources of well-being for yourself or others, and actively resist indulging in them.
16. Contemplate Desire’s Consequences
Before indulging in a desire (e.g., eating cookies late at night), pause to contemplate the specific negative consequences it will have on your well-being (e.g., lack of sleep).
17. Reflect on Past Indulgences
When experiencing negative outcomes (e.g., tiredness from lack of sleep), reflect on past indulgences (e.g., late-night cookies) to connect the action with its consequence and reinforce the wisdom of avoiding it in the future.
18. Identify Root of Desire
Become aware of the underlying reason for a desire, such as seeking pleasure due to an unpleasant mental state, and then choose more wholesome activities (e.g., yoga) to improve your mood.
19. Practice Non-Rushing
Make a vow to notice when you are hurrying or rushing and consciously choose not to obey that impulse, as rushing leads to careless attention and can contribute to the arising of all hindrances.
20. Recognize Interconnectedness
Counter aversion by recognizing your interconnectedness with all people, even those with whom you disagree, and strive to bring them towards a wholesome understanding rather than harboring hate.
21. Cultivate Loving-Kindness (Metta)
Actively develop mental factors opposite to aversion, such as loving-kindness (metta), compassion for self and others, joy for others’ happiness, and equanimity.
22. Notice Bodily Sensations of Aversion
Pay attention to bodily sensations like heating up or feeling averse, as noticing these physical manifestations can increase awareness of ill will as it arises, allowing you to cultivate its opposite.
23. Avoid Watering Negative Seeds
Refrain from acting on inclinations to be hateful or strike out, as doing so ‘waters the seeds’ of negative mental factors, making them stronger and more prevalent in your life.
24. Meet Hindrances with Humor
Approach the arising of hindrances like aversion with a sense of humor, recognizing that these are universal human experiences and not unique to you.
25. “High-Five” Your Inner Demons
When negative emotions like anger arise, acknowledge them without taking them too seriously or identifying with them; instead, ‘blow them a kiss’ or ‘high-five your demons’ as a conditioned response and move towards a saner state.
26. Universalize Personal Struggles
When experiencing personal struggles like self-doubt, remind yourself that countless others are experiencing the same, thereby depersonalizing the struggle and fostering self-compassion.
27. Recognize Sloth & Torpor
The first step to addressing sloth and torpor is to recognize and name its presence, then investigate its physical, mental, and energetic manifestations using the RAIN method.
28. Practice Body Scanning
Engage in body scanning meditation, starting from your head and moving down to your feet, feeling whatever sensations the body offers, as this practice can increase awareness and counteract sloth and torpor.
29. Count Your Breaths
To counteract sloth and torpor, try counting your breaths, for example, from one to ten and back down, to anchor your attention.
30. Open Eyes While Meditating
If experiencing sloth and torpor during meditation, open your eyes and look at a light for a while to help increase awareness and reduce sleepiness.
31. Identify Restlessness Triggers
When experiencing restlessness and worry, first recognize its presence, then persistently look into the immediate past to identify what conditions or triggers caused it to arise.
32. Recognize Impermanence of Restlessness
Understand that restlessness and worry are impermanent, passing experiences, and consistently return your attention to your meditation practice.
33. Set Positive Intentions
To counter restlessness, keep returning to your breath and set positive intentions, such as ‘May calm and concentration arise,’ saying it once or twice during meditation and then returning to the practice.
34. Observe Doubt Internally
When doubt arises, observe it within yourself, recognizing it as an unwholesome quality, and refrain from actions that would hinder your cultivation of inner beauty and well-being.
35. Address Self-Doubt with Love
When doubt arises about your ability or a teacher’s efficacy, question the underlying self-doubt, self-hatred, or ill will, acknowledge the hindrance, and respond with self-love and compassion.
36. Utilize Free Dharma Resources
Access the vast amount of free resources available online, such as Buddhist psychology PDFs or talks on Dharma Seed, to deepen your understanding of Buddhist teachings and practices.
6 Key Quotes
What's your choice? Do you want to be aware of these things and learn about them, or do you want to just be governed by them?
Bonnie Duran
Lust cracks the brain.
Joseph Goldstein (attributed)
Aho.
Bonnie Duran
You are absolutely not ridiculous, Dan Harris.
Bonnie Duran
May, calm, and concentration arise right now.
Jack Kornfield (attributed by Bonnie Duran)
I see you, ill will. I see you, delusion. You cannot keep this man from becoming full enlightened because he's been born many times and done a lot of work to be fully enlightened. And he deserves to be fully enlightened right now. And his awareness saw the Mara, saw the ill will, saw the delusion, and it disappeared and he became fully enlightened. And it was earth mother that did that.
Earth Mother (as told by Bonnie Duran)
3 Protocols
RAIN Formula (for investigating experiences)
Bonnie Duran- Recognize what's happening in the moment (e.g., 'Oh, I'm greedy right now').
- Accept/Allow it, realizing it's a universal human experience and not personal.
- Investigate it physically (how it feels in the body, if it's pleasant/unpleasant, how it changes), emotionally (arising feelings), energetically (rushing, sinking, lifting), cognitively (associated thoughts, beliefs, stories), and motivationally (what it urges you to do, cling to, or be averse to).
- Non-identify with it, realizing it's not just you, but something all humans deal with.
General Principles for Working with Hindrances
Bonnie Duran- Recognize and acknowledge what's happening in the moment, naming the hindrance.
- Consider the consequences of actually doing this or continuing to dwell in this hindrance.
- Cultivate the opposite of the hindrance or any unwholesome mental factor (e.g., bring loving kindness to ill will, mindfulness to a wandering mind).
- Cultivate a sky-like attitude, imagining thoughts as clouds passing through an empty blue sky, looking at gaps between thoughts and resting there.
- Apply effort to stop the unwholesome mental factor, asserting 'no, I see you [hindrance], you can go away for now'.
Body Scan Meditation (Antidote to Sloth and Torpor)
Bonnie Duran- Start with your head and just feel your face, the sides of your head, the back of your head, noticing whatever sensations the body is offering.
- Go down to your neck, then to one shoulder and down your arm, feeling your upper arm, elbow, lower arm, and hands.
- Repeat for the other shoulder, arm, and hands.
- Move to your upper torso, then lower torso, and pelvic area, feeling whatever body sensations are being offered.
- Continue to your upper legs, knees, lower legs, ankles, and feet, bringing some awareness and benevolence to each part.