This website is the home of The Four Noble Truths on the web.

Sixteen Obstacles That Oppose Freedoms And Advantages

• Look at this from the perspective of cause and antidote. what is the cause of each? What is the antidote?
• Become completely aware of these. They can happen in the next moment of practice. Catch them immediately.
• Why we are subject to these? Because we are interdependent, not independent.
• Its not like “there are eight freedoms and ten advantages” so we can party. There are things that oppose.

8 intrusive circumstances

• 1. False teacher: How to investigate if teacher is authentic? Read the life stories of great masters. Check if you are going in the proper direction. Blind cannot lead the blind out of samsara. Someone who is not liberated cannot liberate us.
• 2. Five poisons: This is the defect of pot filled with poison. If you generate afflictions during practice, they exhaust virtue of the practice. Don’t lose practice to desire. Don’t be carried away. Look for antidote. Concentrate. We have eight freedoms and ten advantages, but they are mixed with afflictions.
• 3. Bad karma: “I practiced but nothing happened.” If there is doubt, this is an obstacle. Obscurations that obscure realization have been accumulated over many lifetimes. Practice day and night.
• 4. Laziness: “Later” is an obstacle. Antidote: Think about impermanence. Practice now, not later. Busy with mundane activities counts as laziness.
• 5. Dominated by others: Work for basic necessities only. Otherwise work is an obstacle. Antidote. Practice at least mentally, if you are not free physically.
• 6. Fear about what will happen in this life: Practice with right motivation. Don’t lose the purpose of dharma.
• 7. Practicing for this life’s benefits: Be convinced - even if you are reborn in god realms, happiness is not there. Don’t use dharma to get food. Get rid of worldly concerns and expectations. This means practicing dharma with a mind that is not turned to dharma. This means practicing dharma to benefit oneself. Pretending refers to motivation. The result is worldly.
• 8. Dullness - Antidote: Patience. Pray to Manjushri.

8 incompatible propensities in direction opposite to dharma

• 1. No revulsion: Teacher teaches on suffering and impermanence. It is our responsibility to give rise to renunciation.
• 2. Lack of faith: If one does not have faith, the door to liberation is closed.
• 3. Mundane activities: Accumulate dharma, not worldly life. Don’t have a mere human life. When we die, we die alone. There is suffering in accumulating, there is fear of losing, there is suffering in separating.
• 4. Inhumane character: Teacher can improve student, but not totally change.
• 5. Lack of interest - The teachings are precious. Appreciate qualities of virtue.
• 6. Interest in non-virtuous deeds: Practice mindfulness. Take corrective action as soon as affliction arises. Arise conviction in cause and effect.
• 7. Breaking vows will give rise to obstacles in dharma practice. It requires tremendous merit to come across bodhisattva vows. Exert for the benefit of others. Otherwise human life is meaningless.
• 8. Breaking samaya – examples: Seeing lama as ordinary. Going against his wishes. Arising desire. Arising dislike. These go against the nature of the vow. Even ordinary siddhis such as long life and freedom from sickness does not come with broken samaya. Seal the vow with commitment not to repeat.