The veils that over one's direct perception of the nature of mind. In the general Buddhist teachings several types are mentioned; the obscuration of karma preventing one from entering the path of enlightenment, the obscuration of disturbing emotions preventing progress along the path, the obscuration of habitual tendencies preventing the vanishing of confusion , and the final obscuration of dualistic knowledge preventing the full attainment of buddhahood.

There are two primary obscurations: the first is the obscuration of conflicting emotions (belief in a "self") and the second is the misconception of the nature of reality (belief in "other," objects external to self).

Any phenomenon in the atmosphere, other than precipitation, that reduces the horizontal visibility in the atmosphere.