Giving Up the Five Hindrances (sutra)

Ven. Sujato (trans.), Numerical Discourses (AN 1.11–20), Nīvaraṇa-ppahānavagga, suttacentral.net; edited by Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

The Chapter on Letting Go of the Five Hindrances

11. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that gives rise to sensual desire (craving, tanha) or, when it arises, makes it increase and spread like the feature of beauty. When one applies the mind (heart) irrationally to the feature of beauty, sensual desire arises, and once arisen it increases and spreads.”

• What are the Five Hindrances that obsess the mind?

12. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that gives rise to ill will (aversion, dosa) or, when it arises, makes it increase and spread like the feature of harshness. When one applies the mind irrationally to the feature of harshness, ill will arises, and once arisen it increases and spreads.”

13. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that gives rise to dullness and drowsiness (sloth and torpor) or, when they arise, makes them increase and spread like discontent, sloth, yawning, sleepiness after eating, and mental sluggishness. When one has a sluggish mind, dullness and drowsiness arise, and once arisen they increase and spread.”

14. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that gives rise to restlessness and remorse (scatteredness and scruples) or, when they arise, makes them increase and spread like an unsettled mind. When one has no peace of mind, restlessness and remorse arise, and once arisen they increase and spread.”

15. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that gives rise to doubt (skepticism) or, when it arises, makes it increase and spread like irrational application of mind. When one applies the mind irrationally, doubt arises, and once arisen it increases and spread.”

Solutions

16. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that prevents sensual desire from arising or, when it arises, abandons it like the feature of [turning attention to the repulsive aspect or] ugliness. When one applies the mind rationally to the [inherent] feature of ugliness, sensual desire arises not or, if it has already arisen, it is given up [let go of, abandoned, dropped].”

17. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that prevents ill will from arising or, when it arises, abandons it like the heart’s release by love (metta, friendliness). When one applies the mind rationally on the heart’s release by love, ill will arises not or, if it has already arisen, it is given up.”

18. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that prevents dullness and drowsiness from arising or, when they arise, gives them up like the elements of initiative, persistence, and vigor. When one is energetic, dullness and drowsiness do arise not or, if they have already arisen, they are given up.”

19. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that prevents restlessness and remorse from arising or, when they arise, gives them up like peace of mind. When the mind is peaceful, restlessness and remorse arise not or, if they have already arisen, they are given up.”

20. “Meditators, I do not see a single thing that prevents doubt from arising or, when it arises, gives it up like rational application of mind. When one applies the mind rationally, doubt arises not or, if it has already arisen, it is given up.” Source