The following talk was given at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.

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So welcome on this Monday morning to a new week of, on a new theme for our practice together.

And it's not exactly a new theme since there have been times before that I've taught on this,

and it's a common topic for our Vipasna teachers to teach on and that is the five hindrances.

And I'll be teaching it differently than how it's normally taught perhaps.

And for one thing, I'll teach it in reverse order.

The five hindrance is the order is usually essential desire,

ill will, usually called sloth and torpor, the third one, the fourth one,

restlessness and regrets, and the last one is usually called doubt.

So I'll start with the last one.

And the reference point for all these hindrances

will have a common reference point and that is that of

wholesomeness and unwholesomeness skillfulness and unskillfulness. The topic of

my darma talk yesterday morning, Sunday morning at IMC, that maybe in some ways

was an introduction for this week.

And I'll be teaching the first three of these sessions this week and then I'm traveling Thursday morning and I'm very happy that Kim Allen will follow up and finish

the series.

And so, and then Kim will also be teaching next week while I'm way, so I'm delighted that this

wonderful teacher will be here with you. So the five, usually called the five hindrances.

The poly word for them are called the five coverings.

That's what their word means, literally.

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