#505. The 5 Things That Are Ruining Your Meditation (and Your Life) – And How to Handle Them | Bonnie Duran

The Buddha was an inveterate list-maker who gave us easy to remember checklists to help us do life better. One of the handiest lists the Buddha made was called the five hindrances, which is a part of the fourth foundation of mindfulness. This list outlines the five things that mess us up when we’re trying to meditate — or, in fact, when we’re trying to do anything. If you’ve got issues right now, odds are pretty high that you are in the throes of one of the hindrances. The excellent news is that the Buddha not only made a taxonomy of the hindrances but also a long list of antidotes. We’re going to run through all of this today with Bonnie Duran, a great dharma teacher who is making her second appearance on the show.

Duran is a teacher and member of the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research at the University of Washington’s Indigenous Wellness Research Institute. She combines extensive research and practice of Buddhism with her deep understanding of indigenous spiritual practices.

This episode is the fourth installment of a series we've launched on the four foundations of mindfulness.

In this episode we talk about: 

• How the five hindrances manifest in our daily lives
• Using the RAIN technique to investigate the 5 hindrances
• Whether there is any type of desire that is helpful
• Cultivating a sky-like attitude
• How to not water the seeds of negativity 
• The similarities between Indigenous beliefs and what the Buddha taught
• How body scans can be an antidote to sleepiness
• And whether you can ever uproot the hindrances entirely

Where to find Bonnie Duran online: 

Website: bonnieduran.academia.edu

Social Media:

• Twitter
• Facebook

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Bonnie Duran’s first appearance on TPH
• Bonnie Duran on Dharma Seed
• Ajahn Sucitto on TPH 
• First Foundation of Mindfulness: What "Getting Out of Your Head" Actually Means | Dawn Mauricio 
• Second Foundation of Mindfulness: Unhappiness Is Not a Life Sentence | Christina Feldman
• Third Foundation of Mindfulness: The Mental States That Steal Your Calm | Bhikkhu Bodhi
• Nature Scientific Journal
• Joseph Goldstein
• Reservation Dogs
• The Night Watchman
• Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center
• David R. Loy
• Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
• Bhikkhu Anālayo
• Jack Kornfield
• Insight Meditation Society
• More on Abhidharma
• Forest Refuge - Insight Meditation Society
• William Edelglass

Additional Resources:

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