Kleshas (Buddhism)
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Kleshas ( sa, क्लेश, kleśa; pi, किलेस ''kilesa''; bo, ཉོན་མོངས། ''nyon mongs''), in
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
, are mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions. ''Kleshas'' include states of mind such as anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, desire, depression, etc. Contemporary translators use a variety of English words to translate the term ''kleshas'', such as: afflictions, defilements, destructive emotions, disturbing emotions, negative emotions, mind poisons, neurosis etc. In the contemporary Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions, the three kleshas of ignorance, attachment, and aversion are identified as the root or source of all other kleshas. These are referred to as the ''
three poisons The three poisons (Sanskrit: ''triviṣa''; Tibetan: ''dug gsum'') or the three unwholesome roots (Sanskrit: ''akuśala-mūla''; Pāli: ''akusala-mūla''), in Buddhism, refer to the three root kleshas: '' Moha'' (delusion, confusion), ''Raga'' ...
'' in the Mahayana tradition, or as the three ''unwholesome roots'' in the Theravada tradition. While the early Buddhist texts of the Pali canon do not specifically enumerate the three root kleshas, over time the ''three poisons'' (and the kleshas generally) came to be seen as the very roots of samsaric existence.


Pali literature

In the
Pali Canon The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During t ...
's discourses ('' sutta''), ''kilesa'' is often associated with the various passions that defile bodily and mental states. In the Pali Canon's Abhidhamma and post-canonical
Pali literature Pali literature is concerned mainly with Theravada Buddhism, of which Pali is the traditional language. The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pāli Canon, the authoritative scriptures of Theravada school. Pali literat ...
, ten defilements are identified, the first three of which – greed, hate, delusion – are considered to be the "roots" of suffering.


Sutta Piṭaka: mental hindrances

In the Pali Canon's Sutta Piṭaka, ''kilesa'' and its correlate ''upakkilesa'' are affective obstacles to the pursuit of direct knowledge (''
abhijñā Abhijñā ( sa, अभिज्ञा; Pali pronunciation: ''abhiññā''; bo, མངོན་ཤེས ''mngon shes''; ) is a Buddhist term generally translated as "direct knowledge", "higher knowledge"Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-5), pp. 64-65. o ...
'') and wisdom ('' pañña''). For instance, the Samyutta Nikaya includes a collection of ten discourses ( SN 27, ''Kilesa-sayutta'') that state that any association of "desire-passion" (''chanda-rāgo'') with the body or mind is a "defilement of mind" (''cittasse'so upakkileso''): :"Monks, any desire-passion with regard to the eye is a defilement of the mind. Any desire-passion with regard to the ear... the nose... the tongue... the body... the intellect is a defilement of the mind. When, with regard to these six bases, the defilements of awareness are abandoned, then the mind is inclined to
renunciation Renunciation (or renouncing) is the act of rejecting something, especially if it is something that the renunciant has previously enjoyed or endorsed. In religion, renunciation often indicates an abandonment of pursuit of material comforts, in t ...
. The mind fostered by renunciation feels malleable for the direct knowing of those qualities worth realizing." More broadly, the
five hindrances In the Buddhist tradition, the five hindrances ( Sinhala: ''පඤ්ච නීවරණ pañca nīvaraṇa''; Pali: ') are identified as mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in our daily lives. In the Theravada tradition, thes ...
– sensual desire (''kāmacchanda''), anger (''byāpāda''), sloth-torpor (''thīna-middha''), restlessness-worry (''uddhacca-kukkucca''), and doubt (''vicikicchā'') – are frequently associated with ''kilesa'' in the following (or a similar) manner: Additionally, in the Khuddaka Nikaya's
Niddesa The Niddesa (abbrev., "Nidd") is a Buddhist scripture, part of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. It is included there in the Sutta Pitaka's Khuddaka Nikaya. It is in the form of a commentary on parts of the Suttanipata. The tradition ascribe ...
, ''kilesa'' is identified as a component of or synonymous with craving ('' '') and lust (''rāga'').


Abhidhamma: ten defilements and unwholesome roots

While the Sutta Pitaka does not offer a list of ''kilesa'', the Abhidhamma Pitaka's Dhammasangani (Dhs. 1229''ff''.) and Vibhanga (Vbh. XII) as well as in the post-canonical
Visuddhimagga The ''Visuddhimagga'' (Pali; English: ''The Path of Purification''), is the 'great treatise' on Buddhist practice and Theravāda Abhidhamma written by Buddhaghosa approximately in the 5th century in Sri Lanka. It is a manual condensing and sys ...
(Vsm. XXII 49, 65) enumerate ten defilements (''dasa kilesa-vatthūni'') as follows: # greed (''
lobha Raga (Sanskrit: राग, IAST: ; Pali ; Tibetan: ) is a Buddhist and Hindu concept of character affliction or poison referring to any form of "greed, sensuality, lust, desire" or "attachment to a sensory object". Raga is represented in the Budd ...
'') # hate (''
dosa Dosa may refer to: People * Bogoljub Mitić Đoša, Serbian actor * Csaba Dosa (born 1951), Romanian athlete * Dosa ben Harkinas * Dosa ben Saadia (935 - 1018), Talmudic scholar and philosopher * Dosa or Dossa Júnior * Edward Dosa-Wea Neufville ...
'') # delusion ('' moha'') # conceit (''
māna Māna (Sanskrit, Pali; Tibetan: ''nga rgyal'') is a Buddhist term that may be translated as "pride", "arrogance", or "conceit". It is defined as an inflated mind that makes whatever is suitable, such as wealth or learning, to be the foundation of ...
'') # wrong views ('' micchāditthi'') # doubt (''
vicikicchā Vicikitsa (Sanskrit, also ''vicikitsā''; Pali: ''vicikicchā''; Tibetan Wylie: ''the tshom'') is a Buddhist term that is translated as "doubt" or "indecision". It is defined as being of two minds about the meaning of the Four Noble Truths; it fun ...
'') # torpor (''
thīna Thīna (Sanskrit styāna, स्त्यान​; pi, थीन) is a Buddhist term that is translated as "sloth". ''Thīna'' is defined as sluggishness or dullness of mind, characterized by a lack of driving power. In the Theravada tradition, ' ...
'') # restlessness (''
uddhacca Auddhatya (Sanskrit; Pali: ''uddhacca''; Tibetan phonetic: ''göpa '') is a Buddhist term that is translated as "excitement", "restlessness", etc. In the Theravada tradition, ''uddhacca'' is defined as a mental factor that is characterized by disq ...
'') # shamelessness ('' ahirika'') # recklessness ('' anottappa'') The Vibhanga also includes an eightfold list (''aha kilesa-vatthūni'') composed of the first eight of the above ten. Throughout Pali literature, the first three ''kilesa'' in the above tenfold Abhidhamma list (''lobha dosa moha'') are known as the "unwholesome roots" (''akusala-mūla'' or the root of akusala); and, their opposites (''alobha adosa amoha'') are the three "wholesome roots" (''kusala-mūla'' or the root of
kusala Kusala may refer to: * Khutughtu Khan Kusala Khutughtu Khan ( mn, Хутагт хаан; Mongolian script: ; ), born Kuśala (Mongolian: Хүслэн ; , sa, कुशल means virtuous/wholesome), also known by the temple name Mingzong (Emper ...
). The presence of such a wholesome or unwholesome root during a mental, verbal or bodily action conditions future states of consciousness and associated mental factors (see
Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
).


Visuddhimagga: round of defilements

In the 5th-century CE commentarial
Visuddhimagga The ''Visuddhimagga'' (Pali; English: ''The Path of Purification''), is the 'great treatise' on Buddhist practice and Theravāda Abhidhamma written by Buddhaghosa approximately in the 5th century in Sri Lanka. It is a manual condensing and sys ...
, in its discussion of "Dependent Origination" (Pali: '' paticca-samuppada'') ( Vsm. XVII), it presents different expository methods for understanding this teaching's twelve factors (''
nidana ''Nidāna'' () is a Sanskrit and Pali word that means "cause, motivation or occasion" depending on the context. The word is derived from the Sanskrit prefix ''ni-'' (; "down", "into") plus the root ''dā'' (; "to bind"), forming the verb ''nidā'' ( ...
''). One method (Vsm. XVII, 298) divides the twelve factors into three "rounds" (''vaa''): * the "round of defilements" (''kilesa-vaa'') * the "round of
kamma Kamma may refer to: *Kamma (caste), a caste or social group found largely in Southern India *Kamma, India, village in Punjab, India *The Pali and Ardhamagadhi term for karma *Bava Kamma, a traditional Jewish civil law procedure (1st volume of Nezi ...
" (''kamma-vaa'') * the "round of results" ('' vipāka-vaa''). In this framework (see Figure to the right, starting from the bottom of the Figure), ''kilesa'' ( "ignorance") conditions ''kamma'' ( "formations") which conditions
results A result is the outcome of an event. Result or Results may also refer to: Music * Results (album), ''Results'' (album), a 1989 album by Liza Minnelli * ''Results'', a 2012 album by Murder Construct * "The Result", a single by The Upsetters * "The ...
( "consciousness" through "feelings") which in turn condition ''kilesa'' ( "craving" and "clinging") which condition ''kamma'' ( "becoming") and so on.Strictly speaking, in this framework the
Visuddhimagga The ''Visuddhimagga'' (Pali; English: ''The Path of Purification''), is the 'great treatise' on Buddhist practice and Theravāda Abhidhamma written by Buddhaghosa approximately in the 5th century in Sri Lanka. It is a manual condensing and sys ...
(Vsm. XVII, 298) does not ''explicitly'' identify "birth" (''
jāti ''Jāti'' is the term traditionally used to describe a cohesive group of people in the Indian subcontinent, like a tribe, community, clan, sub-clan, or a religious sect. Each Jāti typically has an association with an occupation, geography or t ...
'') and "aging-death" ('' jarāmaraa'') with results ('' vipāka''). Nonetheless, in the preceding paragraph (Vsm. XVII, 297), Buddhaghosa writes: "''And in the future fivefold fruit'': the five beginning with consciousness. These are expressed by the term 'birth'. But 'ageing-and-death' is the ageing and the death of these ivethemselves" (Ñāamoli, 1991, p. 599, v. 297; square-brackets in original). Thus, "birth" and "ageing and death" become correlates or expressions of the five-fold "results" sequence.
Buddhaghosa (Vsm. XVII, 298) concludes: :So this Wheel of Becoming, having a triple round with these three rounds, should be understood to spin, revolving again and again, forever; for the conditions are not cut off as long as the round of defilements is not cut off.Ñāamoli (1991), p. 599, v. 298. As can be seen, in this framework, the round of defilements consists of: * ignorance ('' avijjā'') * craving ('' '') * clinging ('' ūpādānā''). Elsewhere in the Visuddhimagga (Vsm. XXII, 88), in the context of the four noble persons (''ariya-puggala'', see
Four stages of enlightenment The four stages of awakening in Early Buddhism and Theravada are four progressive stages culminating in full awakening (''Bodhi'') as an Arahant (SN 22.122). These four stages are Sotāpanna, Sakadāgāmi, Anāgāmi, and Arahant. The oldest ...
), the text refers to a precursor to the attainment of
nibbana Nirvana (Sanskrit: निर्वाण, '; Pali: ') is "blowing out" or "quenching" of the activities of the worldly mind and its related suffering. Nirvana is the goal of the Hinayana and Theravada Buddhist paths, and marks the soteriologica ...
as being the complete eradication of "the defilements that are the root of the round" (''vaa-mūla-kilesā'').


Sanskrit Sravaka and Mahayana literature


Three poisons

The three kleshas of ignorance, attachment and aversion are referred to as the ''three poisons'' (Skt. ''triviṣa'') in the Mahayana tradition and as the ''three unwholesome roots'' (Pāli, ''akusala-mūla''; Skt. ''akuśala-mūla'' ) in the Therevada tradition. These three poisons (or unwholesome roots) are considered to be the root of all the other kleshas.


Five poisons

In the Mahayana tradition, the five main kleshas are referred to as the ''five poisons'' (Sanskrit: ; Tibetan- Wylie: ). The five poisons consist of the ''three poisons'' with two additional poisons: pride and jealousy. The five poisons are:Padmakara (1998), p. 336, 414. (from the glossary)


Six root kleshas of the Abhidharma

The '' Abhidharma-kośa'' identifies six root kleshas (''mūlakleśa''): * Attachment ( ''raga'') * Anger (''
pratigha Pratigha (Sanskrit; Pali: paṭigha; Tibetan Wylie: ''khong khro'') is a Buddhist term that is translated as "anger". It is defined as a hostile attitude towards sentient beings, towards frustration, and towards that which gives rise to one's frust ...
'') * Ignorance ('' avidya'') * Pride/Conceit (''
māna Māna (Sanskrit, Pali; Tibetan: ''nga rgyal'') is a Buddhist term that may be translated as "pride", "arrogance", or "conceit". It is defined as an inflated mind that makes whatever is suitable, such as wealth or learning, to be the foundation of ...
'') * Doubt ('' vicikitsa'') * Wrong view/False view/Opinionatedness ( ''dṛiṣṭi'')Guenther (1975), Kindle Location 321. In the context of the
Yogācāra Yogachara ( sa, योगाचार, IAST: '; literally "yoga practice"; "one whose practice is yoga") is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through t ...
school of Buddhism, Muller (2004: p. 207) states that the Six Klesha arise due to the "...reification of an 'imagined self' (Sanskrit: ')".


Mahaparinirvana Sutra

The
Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing br ...
lists approximately 50 kleshas, including those of attachment, aversion, stupidity, jealousy, pride, heedlessness, haughtiness, ill-will, quarrelsomeness, wrong livelihood, deceit, consorting with immoral friends, attachment to pleasure, to sleep, to eating, and to yawning; delighting in excessive talking and uttering lies, as well as thoughts of harm.


Two obscurations

Mahayana literature often features an enumeration of "two obscurations" (Wylie: ''sgrib gnyis''), the "obscuration of conflicting emotions" (Sanskrit: ''kleśa-avaraṇa'', Wylie: ''nyon-mongs-pa'i sgrib-ma'') and the "obscuration concerning the knowable" (Sanskrit: ''jñeya-avaraṇa'', Wylie: ''shes-bya'i sgrib-ma'').


Contemporary glosses

Contemporary translators have used many different English words to translate the term ''kleshas'', such as: afflictions, passions, destructive emotions, disturbing emotions, etc. The following table provides brief descriptions of the term kleshas given by various contemporary Buddhist teachers and scholars:


Overcoming the kleshas

All Buddhist schools teach that through Tranquility (
Samatha ''Samatha'' (Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' (Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of the ...
) meditation the kilesas are pacified, though not eradicated, and through Insight (
Vipassana ''Samatha'' (Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' (Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of the ...
) the true nature of the kilesas and the mind itself is understood. When the empty nature of the Self and the Mind is fully understood, there is no longer a root for the disturbing emotions to be attached to, and the disturbing emotions lose their power to distract the mind.


Alternate translations

The term ''kleshas'' has been translated into English as: * Afflictions * Mental afflictions * Mental disturbances * Afflictive emotions * Conditioning factors * Destructive emotions * Defiled emotions * Defilements * Dissonant emotions * Disturbing emotions * Disturbing emotions and attitudes * Negative emotions * Dissonant mental states * Kleshas * Passions * Poisons * Mind poisons * Worldly desiresTranslation of the Japanese the term ''Bonno'':


See also

* Āsava *
Five hindrances In the Buddhist tradition, the five hindrances ( Sinhala: ''පඤ්ච නීවරණ pañca nīvaraṇa''; Pali: ') are identified as mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in our daily lives. In the Theravada tradition, thes ...
*
Mental factors (Buddhism) Mental factors ( sa, चैतसिक, caitasika or ''chitta samskara'' ; pi, cetasika; Tibetan: སེམས་བྱུང ''sems byung''), in Buddhism, are identified within the teachings of the Abhidhamma (Buddhist psychology). They are d ...
* Ten fetters (Buddhism) *
Three poisons (Buddhism) The three poisons (Sanskrit: ''triviṣa''; Tibetan: ''dug gsum'') or the three unwholesome roots (Sanskrit: ''akuśala-mūla''; Pāli: ''akusala-mūla''), in Buddhism, refer to the three root kleshas: '' Moha'' (delusion, confusion), ''Raga'' ...
*
Bhavacakra The bhavacakra (Sanskrit: भवचक्र; Pāli: ''bhavacakka''; Tibetan: སྲིད་པའི་འཁོར་ལོ, Wylie: ''srid pa'i 'khor lo'') is a symbolic representation of saṃsāra (or cyclic existence). It is found on the ...
*
Maya (illusion) ''Maya'' (; Devanagari: , IAST: ), literally "illusion" or "magic", has multiple meanings in Indian philosophies depending on the context. In later Vedic texts, connotes a "magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not ...
*
Buddhism and psychology Buddhism includes an analysis of human psychology, emotion, cognition, behavior and motivation along with therapeutic practices. Buddhist psychology is embedded within the greater Buddhist ethical and philosophical system, and its psycholo ...
*
Kleshas (Hinduism) Kleśa ( sa, क्लेश, also ''klesha'') is a term from Indian philosophy and yoga, meaning a "poison". The third of the second chapter of Patañjali's '' Yoga sūtras'' explicitly identifies Five Poisons (): Translated into English, th ...
* Six Enemies (Hinduism) * Five Thieves (Sikhism) *
Kashaya (Jainism) In Jainism, ''Kashaya'' (loose translation: ''Passion'') are aspects of a person that can be gained during their worldly life. According to the Jaina religion as long as a person has Kashayas, they will not escape the cycle of life and death. ...
*
Seven deadly sins The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...


References


Sources

* Bodhi, Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). ''The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya''. Boston: Wisdom Publications. . * Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2005). ''In the Buddha's Words''. Boston: Wisdom Publications. . * ''Dictionary of Buddhism''. Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004. Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/kle-a (accessed: January 5, 2008). * Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse (2011). ''What Makes You Not a Buddhist''. Kindle Edition. Shambhala * Epstein, Mark (2009). ''Going on Being: Buddhism and the Way of Change, a Positive Psychology for the West''. Wisdom. * Goldstein, Joseph.
The Emerging Western Buddhism: An Interview with Joseph Goldstein
'. Insight Meditation Society website. * Goleman, Daniel (2008). ''Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama''. Bantam. Kindle Edition. * Guenther, Herbert V. & Leslie S. Kawamura (1975), ''Mind in Buddhist Psychology: A Translation of Ye-shes rgyal-mtshan's "The Necklace of Clear Understanding"'' Dharma Publishing. Kindle Edition. * Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen (2009). ''A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path''. Snow Lion. * Longchen Yeshe Dorje (Kangyur Rinpoche) (2010). ''Treasury of Precious Qualities''. Revised edition. Paperback. Shambhala. * Muller, Charles (2004). ''The Yogācāra Two Hindrances and Their Reinterpretations in East Asia''. Toyo Gakuen University. Source: http://www.acmuller.net/articles/reinterpretations_of_the_hindrances.html (accessed: January 5, 2008) * Ñāamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) (1991), ''The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga''. Seattle: BPS Pariyatti. . * Nyanatiloka Mahathera (1988). ''Buddhist Dictionary''. Kandy:
Buddhist Publication Society The Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) is a publishing house with charitable status whose objective is to disseminate the teaching of Gautama Buddha. It was founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1958 by two Sri Lankan lay Buddhists, A.S. Karunaratna and ...
. An on-line search engine is available from "BuddhaSasana" at http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/bud-dict/dic_idx.htm. *
Padmakara Translation Group Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...
(translator) (1998). ''The Words of My Perfect Teacher, by Patrul Rinpoche''. Altamira. * Patañjali (undated; author); Gabriel Pradīpaka & Andrés Muni (translators) (2007). ''Yogasūtra''. Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20071222115211/http://www.sanskrit-sanscrito.com.ar/english/sanskrit_pronunciation/pronunciation7.html (accessed: November 23, 2007). * Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). ''The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary''. Chipstead:
Pali Text Society The Pali Text Society is a text publication society founded in 1881 by Thomas William Rhys Davids "to foster and promote the study of Pāli texts". Pāli is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism are preserved. The ...
. An on-line search engine is available from "U. Chicago" at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/. * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1994). ''Upakkilesa Samyutta: Defilements'' ( SN 27.1-10). Retrieved 2008-02-10 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn27/sn27.001-010.than.html. * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2004). ''Ariyapariyesana Sutta: The Noble Search'' ( MN 26). Retrieved 2010-03-20 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html. *
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (Tibet: ཡོངས་དགེ་མི་འགྱུར་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།  Wylie: yongs dge mi 'gyur rin po che) is a Tibetan teacher and master of the Karma Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddh ...
(2007). ''The Joy of Living''. Kindle Edition. Harmony.


External links


Demons of Defilement: (Kilesa Mara)'', by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo



Kilesa, practical synopsis

ABHIDHAMMA IN DAILY LIFE by Janakabhivamsa, Ashin – Chapter 2: Akusala Cetasikas (Unwholesome mental factors)

Mind and Life Institute Conference VIII (2000) on Destructive Emotions

How to Cure 'Destructive Emotions'
– an interview with Daniel Goleman {{Authority control Buddhist philosophical concepts Unwholesome factors in Buddhism