Dear Teacher David,
Based on your teaching experience what are like the top 3 or 5 factors that hinder students’ progress?
Thank you.
Hello Hela…sure, I will help you.
The Buddha taught The Five Hindrances, which are obstacles or obstructions to Enlightenment.
What he shared is “the truth” and what one needs to learn and understand.
The Five Hindrances are sensual desire, ill will, complacency, restlessness and worry, and doubt.
I would also share, based on observation, that complacency and conceit are the top reasons I see that people do not make it to Enlightenment, or even get on The Path to Enlightenment.
Conceit is one of the fetter/pollution of mind that we refer to as “the ego”. The ego is sabotaging to one’s ability to get onto The Path to Enlightenment and development on The Path to Enlightenment. It is a significant hindrance to one’s Enlightenment.
The hindrance of all hindrances is “ignorance” (unknowing of true reality). Due to the mind’s lack of wisdom, it struggles and has difficulties making it unable to attain Enlightenment. The Buddha also describes this as the most significant hindrance to one’s Enlightenment.
You can learn about The Five Hindrances and how to eliminate them using this recording of an online class where I have recently taught these….then, just let me know what questions you have.
Be well and enjoy your day…take care.
Hela asks David more questions.
Thank you.
The video is amazing and clear. However, I’d have a question related to conceit itself, please.
How is the fetter of conceit different from personal existence view? If there’s no self, then there seems to be no place for conceit to arise.
Because while one could conceitedly conclude that this being is better than other beings, one isn’t really this being either. So there’s no sense of ownership nor contribution to the individual qualities of the being…
Teacher David replies again.
Yes that is true but, with misunderstanding, confusion, and a lack of wisdom in the mind, the unEnlightened mind thinks there is a self. Thus, the mind accumulates conceit.
With the understanding that there is no self (i.e. having eliminated personal existence view), then the mind is more capable of eliminating conceit. But, as long as the mind holds on to the fetter/taint/pollution of mind described as personal existence view, the mind is unable to eliminate its conceit.
Personal Existence View and Conceit are two different fetters/taints/pollutions of mind but together, they comprise the ego.
I will be teaching this on Sunday but, if you would like to learn prior to Sunday, you could watch a recorded class of Chapter 16 from previous times that I have taught this topic.
From our YouTube channel or podcast, you could search for Chapter 16 and find a recent time that I have taught this topic about "Dissolving The Ego: Ego Serves No Purpose". Then, let me know what questions you have....be well and enjoy.
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