The History of Buddhist Thought c12.38

c12.38

But he still has to expel those hindrances (*nīvaraṇa*), tendencies of mind which prevent him from attaining clear knowledge. He begins to meditate, and practises concentration. Going to a secluded spot, in the forest, at the root of a tree, on a hill, in a mountain cave or cemetery, after having begged his alms, he sits down cross-legged and upright, setting up mindfulness before him. He purifies his mind of the five hindrances : longing for the world, malice, sloth and torpor, istraction and agitation, and doubt. This is the beginning of the concentration of mind (*samādhi*) which leads him through four stages of trance¹ (*jhāna*, Skt. *dhyāna*).