Bhikkhuni Dhammadina | “The Five Hindrances as a Foundation for Mindfulness: A Practical Approach” (9:00 am – 12:00 pm; PT, US)

During this session Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā will present a practical approach to working with the so-called five hindrances (also knows as obstacles or impediments; nivāraṇa in Pāli and Sanskrit): sensual desire, malevolence, sloth-and-torpor, restlessness-and-worry, and uncertainty/doubt. The presentation is grounded in the teachings of early Buddhism. Together, we will explore resources—both meditative and related to daily life—aimed at cultivating awareness of how to work with the hindrances as one of the four establishments of mindfulness or presence (satipaṭṭhāna in Pāli, smṛtyupasthāna in Sanskrit). These five impediments to meditative practice are natural dimensions of experience and thus can serve as fields of presence, inner transformation, and liberation, starting with liberation from the grip of the hindrances themselves. We will also examine whether, and to what extent, various other difficulties on the path can be usefully understood through the framework of the five hindrances, and which additional conceptual models might or might not be profitably applied. Organized by Sati Center.

Sati Center Event