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The Five Hindrances are as follows :-
1. Desire for sense pleasures (Kamacchanda) For the five hindrances to be tranquilized, any meditator must also establish certain conditions. There are four qualities that one must practice and develop. 1. Virtue - at the very minimum one must safeguard the five precepts. However, one must also strive to undertake the eight precepts with right livelihood as the eighth. 2. Guarding the doors of the senses - one must exercise restraint in seeking the pleasures of the senses. One must control greed and sorrow towards the world. 3. Mindfulness and awareness - as far as possible one must always live in mindfulness, one must carry out one's actions mindfully, one must be aware of what one does at all times. When one is standing, sitting, walking or lying down; When one is speaking or is silent; when one is eating or defecating; during all these actions, one must carry them out with mindfulness and awareness. 4. Contentment - one must be pleased with what one has. Ideally one should practice some degree of austerity and be pleased with little. When these four qualities get developed, the mind very easily goes into concentration, |