Friends:
The 5 Impurities block the Lucidity of Mind:
The Blessed Buddha once said:
There are five impurities of gold impaired by which it becomes
neither pliant
nor wieldy, it lacks radiance, is weak & easily broken and
cannot be formed...
What are these five impurities? They are: Iron, copper, tin,
lead and silver.
But if the gold has been purified from these five impurities,
then it will indeed
be pliant and wieldy, radiant and firm, and can be formed
well. Whatever kind
of jewellery one wishes to make from it, be it a diadem,
earrings, a necklace or
a golden chain, it will easily serve that purpose well.
Similarly, there are five impurities of the mind impaired by
which the mind is
neither pliant nor wieldy, it lacks radiant lucidity and
stability, and cannot
concentrate well upon the eradication of the mental
fermentations (āsava).
What are these five impurities? They are:
Sense-Desire,
Evil-Will,
Lethargy & Laziness,
Restlessness & Regret,
Doubt & Uncertainty...
But if the mind is freed of these five mental hindrances, then
it will be plastic,
flexible, and wieldy, will be of radiant lucidity and firm
calm stability, and will
concentrate well upon the elimination of the mental
fermentations. Whatever
supra-human state realizable by these higher mental abilities
one may pursue,
one will in each case be able to directly experience it, as an
eye-witness...
Mind is naturally radiant!
but
veiled by mental hindrance!
Hindrances
More on these 5 Mental Hindrances
( Nīvaranas):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_5_Mental_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Feeding_the_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Starving_the_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/How_5_Become_10.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Canal.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Naturally_Radiant.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suitable_Substitution.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/AN.I.3-4.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/AN.I.3-4c.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Fire_of_Sense-Desire.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Colourful_but_Muddy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Anger_and_Irritation.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Lethargy_and_Laziness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Restlessness_and_Regret.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Doubt_and_Uncertainty.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Causes_of_Ignorance.htm
Source (edited extract):
The Numerical Sayings of the Buddha. Anguttara Nikaya.
The Book of Fives 23: Four deeds of Merit... [III: 16-7]
Comments:
The 4 mental fermentations
are wrong, false & hidden assumptions associated with:
1: Sense-desire (kāmāsava).
Ex: "Sensing is only & always pleasant. Pain exists not!"
2: Desiring becoming into new existence
(bhavāsava): Ex:
"All life is good, Death exists not!"
3: Wrong views (ditthāsava):
Ex: "I am better, know better & what I think is thus never
wrong!"
4: Ignorance (avijjāsava):
Ex: "Suffering, craving, ending craving & the Noble Way exists
not!"
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