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

Please visit our website at audioderma.org. So today the topic is the fifth hindrance which is usually referred to as doubt. As far as I know all

the English translators and teachers refer to this as doubt. The meaning of the ancient word is somehow a means to think in faulty ways, think in unskillful ways.

And that's how the ancient commentary understand it.

It's a way of thinking, it says, quoting them,

that knows the distinction between what is skillful and not skillful, what serves us,

and what doesn't serve us, or what should be served and what should not be served with our life energy.

And it's very useful to understand this fifth hindrance is doubt because it's an obstacle that many

people are struggling with especially I think maybe more so for practitioners in the West who come to Buddhism to meditate

because it's all a little strange.

We're doing something that is maybe different than what we grew up with, even the values we grew up with,

the religion we grew up with, and maybe it's also very different from the values of our society.

And so, and what we've been taught by

society about what's important and even what we thought by our society about

who we are and what we should be about with our desires or

our versions or wishes or way we think about ourselves and so when we start

settling in practice it's natural to have doubt, have uncertainty, and not

know how to go forward and not know where to commit ourselves, what activity to give ourselves to. And should I be doing this, should

I be doing that, should I be, you know, I can't let go of my, you know, my, the anger, resentment I've carried all my life and, but here

practicing and they're telling me to, you know, let go or to be mindful of it or

settled more deeply and I would all know who I am and what should I do. There can be

doubt about the practice, doubt about the teachings, doubt about oneself and one's ability to practice.

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