In Tibetan Buddhism, the Five Faults (ādīnava) are factors in Samatha (calmness and stillness of the mind) meditation. The Five Faults identify obstacles in the meditation practice, and the Eight Antitodes are applied to overcome these obstacles. Though mainly a Vajrayana practice, these still apply to everyone’s meditation practice and would be helpful to everyone to know, use, and overcome.
The five faults to be relinquished are:
1) Laziness (Kausīdya): not wishing to cultivate meditative stabilisation.
There are three types of laziness:
- Laziness of not wanting to do anything
- Laziness of discouragement (or feeling ourselves unworthy)
- Laziness of being busy with worldly things.
2) Forgetfulness (Avavādasammosa): not remembering the object of meditation, or a lack of mindfulness on how to do meditation properly.
3) Lethargy (or agitation: Auddhatya) and excitement (or dullness: Laya): interruptions of meditative stabilisation.
4) Non-application (Anabhisamskāra) of the antidotes: occurring when lethargy and excitement arise.
5) Over-application (Abhisamskāra) of the antidotes: continuing to apply the antidotes even though lethargy and excitement have been extinguished.
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