nīvaraṇa
Five hindrances
[ nee-VUH-ra-na ]
Seeing it in life
The hindrances obstruct concentration and insight; jhāna factors are their direct antidotes.
In short
Sensual desire, ill-will, sloth-torpor, restlessness-worry, doubt.
The analysis
The five hindrances — kāmacchanda (sensual desire), byāpāda (ill-will), thīna-middha (sloth and torpor), uddhacca-kukkucca (restlessness and worry), vicikicchā (doubt) — are the primary obstructions to both concentration and clear insight. Each has a specific antidote among the jhāna factors: vitakka opposes thīna-middha, vicāra opposes vicikicchā, pīti opposes byāpāda, sukha opposes uddhacca-kukkucca, ekaggatā opposes kāmacchanda.
Where it sits
The five hindrances are what jhāna attainment specifically overcomes — the presence of all five jhāna factors together is, structurally, the simultaneous suppression of all five hindrances.
Sitting down to focus and finding the mind pulled toward a craving, a low-grade irritation, dullness, scattered restlessness, or unresolved uncertainty — often more than one at once — is the five hindrances showing up in ordinary, unremarkable form.
Commonly mistaken for
Permanent character flaws. The hindrances are temporary obstructions with specific antidotes, arising under specific conditions.
Only relevant during formal meditation. They obstruct clarity in any context, meditation simply being where their presence becomes most noticeable.
Nīvaraṇa Saṃyutta (SN 46); Abhidhammattha Saṅgaha IX.
Related terms