The Hindrances, Part 1

Good Morning,

Some of you may have recently heard me speaking of the five hindrances. You may have even heard me noting them quietly on occasions. Many of you no doubt know them first hand while others may have never heard of them (at least not in a formal sense). So just what are these "hindrances"? Well in the course of training our mind we take on an incredibly difficult task, one that requires tremendous courage, steadfastness and perseverance. The difficulties that arise are very much a part of that training and ultimately life itself. The things that throw us or cause us distractions or suffering are called hindrances and there are five root hindrances.

Now think about that for a moment. All of life's seemingly endless array of problems can be boiled down to only five basic causes. Now that is much more manageable than what can often seem like thousands upon thousand of compounded complex emotions and situations! For the rest of this week here within the daily buddha, I would like to shed a little more light on these hindrances so that we may all understand them and the ways in which we may recognize and deal with them.

The five hindrances as they have been identified for us are: Desire, Aversion, Laziness, Restlessness, and Doubt. I feel it is important to share and understand our experiences as we all move through life and as you come to understand these hindrances feel free to share your personal stories with me through emails or through this blog for no one lives alone and everyone can use a hand.

Have a beautiful day and carry this thought: The greatest hindrances to realizing your true potential are those that are within you.

Peace and Love, Jim