You’re welcome to work through this material at your own pace, but be sure to practice with the material before moving on to the next unit. The videos, meditations and slides cover the core content for the course while the articles and podcasts are extras.

I would love to hear what you learn so feel free to email me when you finish the course.

As always, this course is offered in the spirit of dana, or generosity. If you’re moved to make a donation to allow me to keep offering courses like these, you can donate here.

Unit 1

Week 1 Slides

Meditation - You might want to start by practicing this Total Relaxation/Body Scan practice in order to get used to tuning into bodily sensations with kindness.

Article: What are the Five Hindrances?

Unit 2

I accidentally left the whole recording on me, rather than on “speaker view.” It’s an awkward video! You might prefer listening to the audio track, below.

Week 2 Slides

Practice - In formal meditation and informal moments throughout your day, check-in to see if sensual desire or aversion is present. See what happens when you notice and stay with it. What do sensual desire and aversion feel like in your body? Does one tend to show up more than the other? Do you find them showing up together?

Larry Yang - In the Moments of Non-Awakening - This article touches on the Hindrances and includes the honest metta practice shared at the end of this week’s session. It’s a short read and very well worth the time.

DaRa Williams - Hanging with the Hindrances - This Dharma Talk is here for those who want to go deeper.

Unit 3

Slides

Sona Sutta - The Lute Player Sutta

Unit 4

Audio Recording (Separate files for the meditation, followed by the Dharma Talk)

Week 4 Slides



Video - Thich Nhat Hanh on “How Can I Trust Myself?”

Article - “The Hindrance of Doubt” by Gil Fronsdal

Unit 5

Week 5 Slides

Article - The Seven Factors of Awakening Explained

Dharma Talk - Thich Nhat Hanh on the Seven Factors of Awakening

Dharma Talk - The Hindrances and Awakening Factors from Ayya Anandabodhi

Guided Meditation on the Seven Factors from Plum Village

Guided Meditation on the Seven Factors from Gil Fronsdal

A poem Conqueror by Jenta

I was forever getting lost, until one day the Buddha told me: To walk this Path, you will need seven friends— mindfulness, curiosity, courage, joy, calm, stillness, and perspective. For many years, these friends and I have traveled together. Sometimes wandering in circles. Sometimes taking the long way around. There were days when I thought I couldn’t go on. There were days when I thought I was finally beaten. It’s scary to give all of yourself to just one thing. What if you don’t make it? Oh, my heart. You don’t have to go it alone. Train yourself to train just a little more gently. ~ from the first free women, Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns, Matty Weingast (Shambhala Publications, 2020)

All Pali and Sanskrit definitions come from https://www.wisdomlib.org