The Canal: Unhindered & Undrained ... !!!
Bhikkhu Samahita
Friends:
The Mental Hindrances Blur, Block & Weaken Knowledge:
The Blessed Buddha once said:
There are five
obstructing obstacles and hindrances of the mind, which weakens knowledge.
What five?
The mental hindrance of Sense-Desire
is
an overgrowing of the mind that shuts out insight.
The mental hindrance of Evil-Will
is
a mental stumbling block that blocks any understanding.
The mental hindrance of Lethargy
& Laziness is an interruption that
slows down all knowing.
The mental hindrance of Restlessness
& Regret is a disturbance that
disables comprehension.
The mental hindrance of Doubt &
Uncertainty is an embankment that holds
back knowledge.
Without having overcome these
Five Mental
Hindrances, it is impossible for any Bhikkhu whose
knowing thus
lacks strength and power, to understand what is to his own advantage, to
others
advantage, or to the advantage of both. That he should be capable of
attaining any supra-human
state: Noble Vision and Wisdom, that is indeed
impossible...
But if a Bhikkhu has overcome these Five Mental
Hindrances, these five obstructing impediments,
these overgrowths
of the mind that dampen and diminish any understanding, then it is very likely
that he will understand what is to his own advantage, others advantage,
& the advantage of both.
Thus unhindered is he quite capable
of attaining any supra-human state: Noble Vision &
Wisdom...
It is like a fast flowing canal where a man opens up 5
draining side-channels, which then weakens,
and diverts the
strong midstream. Similarly is the understanding stream of insight weakened
and
diluted in anyone who have not yet overcome these
Five Mental
Hindrances, which
block knowing.
However, if the man closes down all the 5 draining
side-channels, one by one, then the midstream
becomes stronger
and can carry anything with it. Similarly with one unhindered by these
5
mental
hindrances, his understanding
stream of insight is neither weakened, nor polluted, nor diluted
any,
so he can easily recognize what is good for himself, others
and both. That such unhindered one
should be capable of the state of
noble supra-human Vision & Wisdom, that is indeed
possible...
Source (edited extract):
The Numerical Sayings of the Buddha. Anguttara Nikaya.
The Book of Fives 51: Unhindered... [III: 63-4]
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Bhikkhu Samahita, Sri Lanka.
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