url:: https://spiritualessence.in/2021/05/25/nivarana/ # [[Nivarana|Nīvarana]] – Anumodana Sankalpa | by [[Vilas]] Posted by [Spiritual Essence](https://spiritualessence.in/author/spiritualessence2181/) [May 25, 2021](https://spiritualessence.in/2021/05/25/nivarana/) Posted in [Uncategorized](https://spiritualessence.in/category/uncategorized/) Tags:: #dhamma/practice, [[Nivarana|Nīvaraṇa]] This refers to curtains or obstacles or hindrances that torture the mind and does not allow it to see the reality “as it is” and gets distorted. Reading this [sutta](http://www.buddha-vacana.org/sutta/anguttara/01/an01-011.html) in **[Nīvaraṇappahāna Vagga](http://www.buddha-vacana.org/sutta/anguttara/01/an01-011.html)** (**AN 1.11-20**) would be of great benefit. This is also covered beautifully in Mahasatipatthana Sutta under Dhammanupassana. But then the question comes, why these 5 hindrances are there in the first place. Let us first put these 5 hindrances and look at the reason for their appearance and disappearance and what is the way of dealing with it. > [!tldr] 5 Hindrances > ***i. Sensual interest (Kāmacchanda) > ii. Ill-will (Vyāpāda) > iii. Sloth & Torpor (Thīna-Middha) > iv. Restlessness & Worry (Uddhacca Kukkucca) > v. Doubts (Vicikicchā)*** **Why these are there?** Because of personality view and creating expectations in the mind through emotions and different roles and designations. This then creates an urge to enjoy and if not coming through, suffers and puts the mind in these hindrances. **When it is not there?** When the mind does not make any personality view and creating expectations, these will vanish **How unrisen hindrances arise?** When one personifies with emotions and creates different level of expectations, then unrisen ones starts to arise taking the mind into spin. **How to give up unrisen hindrances?** By constantly watching the mind sense doors for any events that occur which creates a personality or an emotional upsurge and an uneasy expectations to possess or change or disassociate with that pain or pleasure. Once “watching” is done, these drop off automatically **How to make sure that it does not arise again?** Seeing everything in the light of 4 elements or loathsome & deteriorating nature of everything, investing time in dhamma and reflecting on ageing, death, sorrow, lamentation etc., makes one to let go of emotions and hence these do not arise again. ## Let us analyse this with some examples: While walking in a garden or a park, one sees a bird singing or making sound. Immediately, this event advertise to the appropriate sense door, here it is eye and ears which is doing seeing and hearing. These are process, however a person feels that he is seeing and hearing thus personifying the experience. This bird is known to him through naming and designating and in an instant the mind names it, sets it as “good sound” or “bad sound” and if that bird has some “omen” indicated to him by someone, then that also gets registered into it. Depending upon what his “vedana” or feeling is which is caused due to “phassa” or contact, that kind of hindrance arise. If he starts to like the bird much, enjoyment starts and wants to hear more of it and want to go near and say take photograph and publish as “his” photo. In this case, kamachanda has arisen and developed and is making him uneasy till he clicks the photo and does a video. If the bird flies away or someone standing near him were to shoo away the bird or throw stone at it which makes the bird fly away, he gets completely agitated and ill-will comes to him in that very instant. Where he was enjoying the bird is now replaced by frustration and anger. It takes a while for him to get back to his senses and in the meanwhile, he has hurled abuse at that person who threw the stone and might also get into arguments. Now, let us see the other 3 hindrances of: 1\. Sloth and Torpor 2\. Restlessness and worry 3\. Skeptical doubt Taking the same example forward, he is yet to decide whether to take a photograph or not, is it near enough to take photograph or video, what if were to fly away etc., and can be called as doubt. Due to this, he might not take any action but feel very much restless and not able to ‘enjoy’ the bird singing, but lost in his own world of worry and restlessness. Since he is not able to take any action that might give him suitable decision, this turns into sloth and torpor. These hindrances can be found in mundane life and when a person is working on supramundane as in jhanas or understanding the teachings of Buddha or experiencing what has been learnt. Thus, one need to identify what is the curtain which is blocking him and take appropriate action. > [!note] Similes found in sutta for Nivarna — In Sāmaññaphalasutta ([DN2](https://suttacentral.net/dn2/en/sujato)) > 1. *Iṇa* – **Debt** – Kama chanda is like a debt > 2. *Roga* – **Disease** – Byapada is like a disease > 3. *Bandhana* – **Imprisonment** – Thina and Midha is like a imprisonment > 4. *Dāsabya* – **Slavery** – Kukkucca & Uddhacca is like Slavery > 5. Jaṅgalapatha – **Desert** – Vicikiccha is like desert ^744a2c > [!NOTE] Another simile — In Saṅgāravasutta ([SN46.55](https://suttacentral.net/sn46.55/en/sujato)) > 1. Kamachanda is like a bowl of water filled with **bright colored water** > 2. Byapada is like a bowl of **boiling water** > 3. Thina and Middha is like a bowl of **water with mossy plants** > 4. Kukkucca & Uddhacca is like a bowl of water **blown into ripples** by wind > 5. Vicikiccha is like **muddy** bowl of water > > Just like keen eyed person cannot see his reflection in the bowl and so a person with hindrance would not see the reality as it is. ^2907e9 ## The best would be to develop “brahma vihara” as follows: ### Metta bhavana – Developing good-will for all, benevolence and loving-kindness. This cuts vyapada which in extreme is kodha which is anger. Thus loving-kindness cuts this mental disease at root. Indirect enemy which gets eradicated is “pema” or personal love for someone dear, which is just bodily or verbal love. Metta is also of feeling contented of all 5 senses without which one will still be hankering on getting something or other including expectations from people and hence would not serve the actual purpose. ### Karunā (compassion) – Developing this will break violence (himsa) in heart as one can see the pain and sorrow everywhere irrespective of the personality. Its indirect enemy is domanassa which is mental pain defined in Mahasatipatthana sutta. With compassion, one gets rid of cruelty in his mind and does not appear in speech and body actions. ### Muditā – Is appreciative joy which happens when one is joyous. This gets developed when one has completely mastered loving kindness or metta and eliminates jealousy or issa and in its place feels so happy of someone’s achievement equivalent to his/her own achievement. One starts to wish for prosperity and success for others which is called as “anumodana”. After Muditā develops to a greater degree, it also cuts arati, which is dissatisfaction and one gets completely satiated in his heart. ### Upekkhā – Means seeing life in “equanimious” way as in getting rid of like/dislikes, rich/poor, small/big, strong/weak, pleasure/pain, healthy/unhealthy, gain/loss etc., These pairs take one side and leaves the other. Generally, all people want to take the best of these and leave the other one since they see “danger” or “pain” attached to it. This has to be mastered and can come only when the other 3 vihara’s are completely established in heart, which is the seat of mind. When the mind is equanimous, it immediately removes “raga” which then makes one let go of “dvesha” too and the moha has no place and drops off. This is when a person sees “nibbana” as raga, dvesha and moha are eliminated. In the process, insensitive attitude or callousness is also removed. ### Nekkhama – By establishing non-sensuousness, one is removing sensual lust, unfavourable karma and parami factors that help one to move ahead in spiritual plane. For this to work, we have to establish the dana and sila which helps in strengthening nekkhama which is removal of “seeking sensual pleasures”. All the 6 senses would be in the midst of conscious awareness and does not cause it to go out and seek impressions as like/dislike from the objects. ## Let us further understand deeper meaning in each of these Nivarna ### Kamachando – Sensual intention *Tattha katama kamachando?* *Yo kāmesu kāmacchando, kāmarāgo, kāmanandi, kāma taṇhā, kāmasineho, kāma pariḷāho, kāma mucchā, kāmajjhosanā, idaṃ vuccati kāmacchandanivaraṇaṃ*  That sensual, sensual intent, sensual delight, sensual craving, sensual infatuation, sensual fever, sensual languishing, sensual rapacity which is excited by the pleasure of the senses – this is called the hindrance of sensual desire. ### Byāpādo – Ill-will / Hatredness / Agitation *Tattha katama byāpādanīvaraṇaṃ ? ‘Anatthaṃ me akarī’ti āghāto jāyati. ‘Anatthaṃ me caratī’ti āghāto jāyati. ‘Anatthaṃ me carissatī’ti āghāto jāyati. ‘Piyassa me manāpassa anatthaṃ acarī’ti…, anatthaṃ caratī…, anatthaṃ carissatī’ ti āgāto jāyati. ‘Appiyassa me amanāpassa atthaṃ acari…, attha carati…, attha carissati’ti āghāto jāyati. Ahāne vā pana āghāto jāyati. Yo evarūpo cittassa āghāto paṭighāto paṭighaṃ paṭivirodho, kopo, pakopo. sapakopo, doso, padoso, sampadoso, cittassa byāpatti, manopadoso, kodho, kujjanā, kujjitattaṃ, doso, dussanā, dussitattaṃ, byāpatti, byāpajjanā, byāpajjitattaṃ, virodho, paṭivirodho, caṇdikkaṃ, asuropo, anattamanatā cittassa idaṃ vuccati byāpādanīvarṇaṃ* What is the hindrance of ill will? When harm feeling takes shape of resentment: ‘He has done me harm, is doing, will do me harm, will do harm to someone dear and precious to me; he has conferred a benefit, is conferring, will confer a benefit on someone I dislike and object to; or when annoyance springs up groundlessly: all such vexation, indignation, hate, antipathy, abhorrence, mental disorder, detestation, anger, fuming, irascibility, hate, hating, hatred, disorder, getting upset, derangement, opposition, hostility, churlishness, abruptness, disgust of heart – this is called hindrance of ill-will. ### Thina and Middha – Sloth and Inactivity Tattha katama thīnamiddhanīvarṇaṃ? Atthi thīnaṃ, atthi middha. Tattha katama thīnaṃ? Yā cittassa akallatā, akammaññatā, oliyanā, sallīyanā, līnaṃ, līyanā, līyitattaṃ, thīnaṃ, thiyitā, thīyitattaṃ cittassa idaṃ vuccati thīna. Tattha katama middha? Yā kāyassa asallatā, akammaññatā, ānāho, pariyonāho, antosamorodho, middhaṃ, soppaṃ, pacalāyikā, soppaṃ, supanā, supitattaṃ, idaṃ vuccati middhaṃ. Iti idaṃ ca thīnaṃ, idaṃ ca middhaṃ. Idaṃ vuccati thīnamiddhanīvaraṇaṃ. What is the hindrance of stolidity \[sloth\] and torpor? First distinguish between stolidity \[sloth\] and torpor. In this connection, what is stolidity \[sloth\]? That which is indisposition, unwieldiness of intellect (citta) adhering and cohering, clinging, cleaving to, stickiness, stolidity \[sloth\], that is a stiffening, a rigidity of the intellect *–* this is called stolidity \[sloth\]. What is torpor? That which is indisposition and un-wieldiness of sense (lit. body), a shrouding, enveloping, barricading within, torpor that is sleep, drowsiness, sleep, slumbering, somnolence *–* this is called torpor. ### Uddhacca and Kukkucca – Restless and Worry/Anxiety Tattha katamaṃ uddhaccakukkucca nīvarṇaṃ? Tattha katama uddhaccaṃ? Ya cittassa uddhaccaṃ avupasamo cetaso vikkhepo bhantattaṃ cittassa. Ida vuccati uddhaccaṃ. Tattha katamam kukkuccaṃ? Akappiye kappiya saññitā, kappiye akappiya saññitā, avajje vajja saññitā; vajje avajja saññitā; ya evarupa kukkucca kukkuccāyanā, cetaso vippaisāro, manovilekho, ida vuccati kukkuccaṃ. Iti ida ca uddhaccaṃ ida ca kukkuccaṃ ida vuccati uddhaccakukkuccanīvarṇaṃ. What is the hindrance of excitement \[restlessness\] and worry? What is excitement? That excitement of mind which is disquietude, agitation of heart, turmoil of mind: that is called excitement \[restlessness\]. What is worry? Consciousness of what is lawful in something that is unlawful; consciousness of what is unlawful in something that is lawful; consciousness of what is immoral in something that is moral; consciousness of what is moral in something that is immoral: all this sort of worry, fidgeting, over-scrupulousness, remorse of conscience, mental scarifying. ### Vicikiccha – Skeptic/ Doubting /Perplexity Tattha katama vicikicchānīvarṇaṃ? Satthari kaṅkhati vicikicchati; dhamme kaṅkhati vicikicchati; sanghe kaṅkhati vicikicchati; sikkhāya kaṅkhati vicikicchati; pubbante kaṅkhati vicikicchati; aparante kaṅkhati vicikicchati; pubbantāparante kaṅkhati vicikicchati; idappaccayatā paṭiccāsamuppannesu dhammesu kaṅkhati vicikicchati: sā evarūpā kaṅkha kaṅkhāyanā kaṅkhāyitattaṃ, vimati, vicikicchā, dvehakaṃ, dvedhāpatho, saṃsayo, anekamsaggāho, āsappanā, parisappanā, apariyodahanā, thambhitatthaṃ, cittassa mano vilekho, idaṃ vuccati vicikicchānīvarṅaṃ To doubt, to be perplexed about the Master… the Doctrine… the Order, about the Discipline, about the past, the future, about both the past and the future, as to whether there be an assignable cause of states causally determined – it is this kind of doubt, this working of doubt, this dubiety, puzzlement, perplexity, distraction, standing at cross-roads; collapses, uncertainty of grasp; evasion, hesitation, incapacity of grasping thoroughly, stiffness of mind, mental scarifying that is called perplexity. ## In conclusion, an individual would do the following: **1\. Sensual interest (Kāmachanda nīvaraṇaṃ):** Wrong reflection and accepting the sensual objects as beautiful, enjoyable, amicable, can be replenished and frequently giving “unwise” attention to them **2\. Aversion (byāpāda nīvaraṇaṃ)**: Wrong reflection and rejecting the sensual objects as “disliking”, “non favouring”, “non enjoyable”, “sickening”, “friction oriented” causing aversion or aversive and frequently giving “unwise” attention to them. **3\. Sloth and Torpor (thina·middha nīvaraṇaṃ)**: There comes disinterest, sluggishness, sleepiness, hardness of mind, heaviness, intent to take rest and leave what is being done on dhamma and all of these leading to not acting on dhamma and procrastinating to a future date, thinking consistently on the timings and place suitable and not able to finalise due to laziness, always feeling like snacking, drinking something or other, distracting oneself from what is being worked upon which then is an “unwise” attention towards what needs to be done at that moment. **4\. Restlessness and Remorse/worry/anxiety of consequences (uddhacca·kukkucca-nīvaraṇaṃ**): Unrest and unsettling of mind, fear and worry of consequences due to bad action being done through senses, restlessness feeling stirring as though “butterflies in stomach”, worry in protecting something that cannot be protected and letting go of that aspect which provides protection, falling prey to various ideas, opinions and comments to consistently think on what it would lead to. **5\. Skeptical doubt (vicikicchā-nīvaraṇaṃ)**: Not able to settle on Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, not able to identify a suitable dhamma teacher, not willing to workout due to skeptical doubt or not able to believe in attainment of others, not able to understand how one can attain due to differences in path, difference in teachers, difference in methodology and becoming obligated to find that it is not working and getting out of it. ## How to remove these hindrances? ### kāmachanda nīvaraṇaṃ For sensual interest, one has to see the loathsomeness of body which decays moment to moment. Charnel ground meditation is one of the best way to remove it. Also, watching a person in hospitals, remand homes, mental hospitals, ailing and begging, in a ragged condition. With this, for one who attends appropriately to a loathsome object, bhikkhus, non-arisen sense desire does not arise and arisen sense desire is abandoned. ### byāpāda nīvaraṇaṃ One need to establish loving kindness (metta) and keep on seeing the being all the time as yourself or oneself. The metta would be as follows: > **Ahaṁ avero homi** – May I have no enmity with anyone in the mind – why? because I’m conditioned by my own karma and should develop good karma > **Abyāpajjho homi** – May I have no malice or ill-will for anyone – why? because my actions are conditioned by my own karma and should develop good karma > **Anīgho homi** – May I have no spiritual defilements where in *nīgha* means rāgo, doso and moho which must be removed for attaining nibbana ^avero-homi Bhikkhus, there are these three kinds of spiritual defilement. What three? ☸ *Tayome bhikkhave nīghā. Katame tayo?* the spiritual defilement of attachment ☸ *rāgo nīgho* the spiritual defilement of hatred ☸ *doso nīgho* the spiritual defilement of delusion where one cannot see “as is” ☸ *moho nīgho* (*[Nīghasutta 45.168)](https://suttacentral.net/sn45.168/en/sujato)* Another sutta which is very important to understand *anigho* is *Paṭhamakāmabhūsutta*. Link to this sutta [here](https://suttacentral.net/sn41.5/en/sujato) > **Sukhī attānaṁ pariharāmi**. – May I resolve to achieve these in order to attain “sukha” which is nibbana > Once I’ve set this up, need to transfer to everyone around in all directions which then removes **byāpāda** easily. He has a benevolent mind(kindness filled with nibbana) and non-hateful thoughts. He thinks ‘May all beings develop themselves to experience ‘peace’, and be rid of unfriendliness, hostility/malice, and spiritual defilement.’ *☸ ime sattā averā avyāpajjhā anīghā sukhī attānaṃ pariharantū ti* I need to develop metta all the time which then helps in abandoning arisen byāpāda and unarisen byāpāda being removed completely. ### thina·middha nīvaraṇaṃ To get rid of thina and middha completely, I need to develop ārambha·dhātu, nikkama·dhātu, parakkama·dhātu which translates to – beginning of effort, development of effort and putting good amount of effort both physically and mentally in order to get rid of sluggishness and lazy feeling. Walking meditation would help in removing physical laziness and mental laziness is removed by listening to dhamma desana and starting the practice with effort. For one of resolved effort (vīriyassa), bhikkhus, non-arisen dullness and drowsiness does not arise and arisen dullness and drowsiness are abandoned. ### uddhacca·kukkucca-nīvaraṇaṃ To get rid of restless and worry/remorse/anxiety of past actions, one need to develop 1st Jhana and reach 2nd jhana which then helps in removing uddhacca·kukkucca-nīvaraṇaṃ while one gets into 3rd jhana where ‘sukha’ is felt. For one who has a calm mind, bhikkhus, non-arisen restlessness and worry does not arise and arisen restless and worry are abandoned. ### vicikicchā-nīvaraṇaṃ To get rid of skeptical doubt, *yoniso·manasikāro* need to be developed. For developing yoniso·manasikāro, one need to correctly understand Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha as in *[[{Vilas Blog} Vandana#^iti-pi-so|iti pi so bhagava]]* …. For one who attends appropriately, bhikkhus, non-arisen doubt does not arise and arisen doubt is abandoned. He who has abandoned these five hindrances, who is rid of spiritual defilement (**raga, dvesha and moha**), who has overcome uncertainty (about the excellence of the teaching), who is free of the arrow (of doubt and uncertainty about the excellence of the teaching), ☸ *yo nīvaraṇe pahāya pañca anīgho tiṇṇakathaṅkatho visallo*