Kleshas (Buddhism)
Translations of kleshas | |
---|---|
English | afflictions, destructive emotions, disturbing emotions, negative emotions, mind poisons, etc. |
Tibetan | ཉོན་མོངས། (Wylie: nyon mongs; THL: nyönmong) |
Tagalog | kilsha |
Thai | กิเลส (RTGS: Kilet) |
Vietnamese | phiền não |
Glossary of Buddhism |
Kleshas (
In the contemporary Mahayana and
While the early Buddhist texts of the Pali Canon do not specifically enumerate the three root kleshas, the three poisons (and the kleshas generally) came to be seen as the very roots of samsaric existence.
Pali literature
Pāli Canon |
---|
1. Vinaya Piṭaka |
2. Sutta Piṭaka |
3. Abhidhamma Piṭaka |
In the
Sutta Piṭaka: mental hindrances
In the Pali Canon's
For instance, the
- "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 qualities worth realizing."[3]
More broadly, the five hindrances – 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:
[A]ll those Blessed Ones had first abandoned the five hindrances, defilements of the mind that weaken wisdom ...[4] |
sabbe te bhagavanto pañcanīvaraṇe pahāya cetaso upakkilese paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe ... .[5] |
Additionally, in the
Abhidhamma: ten defilements and unwholesome roots
While the Sutta Pitaka does not offer a list of kilesa, the
- greed (lobha)
- hate (dosa)
- delusion (moha)
- conceit (māna)
- wrong views (micchāditthi)
- doubt (vicikicchā)
- torpor (thīnaṃ)
- restlessness (uddhaccaṃ)
- shamelessness (ahirikaṃ)
- recklessness (anottappaṃ)[7]
The Vibhanga also includes an eightfold list (aṭṭha kilesa-vatthūni) composed of the first eight of the above ten.[8]
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
Visuddhimagga: round of defilements
12 Factors
|
3 Rounds | |
aging-death | aspects of vipāka
(results)[11] | |
↑ | ||
birth | ||
↑ | ↑ | |
becoming | kamma | |
↑ | ↑ | |
clinging | kilesa | |
↑ | ||
craving | ||
↑ | ↑ | |
feeling | vipāka (results) | |
↑ | ||
contact | ||
↑ | ||
sense bases | ||
↑ | ||
name-form | ||
↑ | ||
consciousness | ||
↑ | ↑ | |
formations | kamma | |
↑ | ↑ | |
ignorance | kilesa | |
Figure: The "three rounds" of Dependent Origination (Vsm . XVII, 298).
|
The 5th-century CE
- the "round of defilements" (kilesa-vaṭṭa)
- the "round of kamma" (kamma-vaṭṭa)
- the "round of results" (
In this framework (see Figure to the right, starting from the bottom of the Figure), kilesa (
(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.[12]
As can be seen, in this framework, the round of defilements consists of:
Elsewhere in the Visuddhimagga (Vsm. XXII, 88), in the context of the four noble persons (ariya-puggala, see
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 Theravada 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: pañca kleśaviṣa; Tibetan-Wylie: dug lnga).
The five poisons consist of the three poisons with two additional poisons: pride and jealousy. Altogether, the five poisons are:[15][16]
Poison/Klesha | Sanskrit | Pali | Tibetan[15] | Description | Alternate translations |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ignorance | avidya
|
moha avijja |
gti mug ma rig pa |
Lack of discernment; not understanding the way of things | Confusion, bewilderment, delusion |
Attachment | rāga
|
lobha | 'dod chags | Attachment or desire for what we like | Desire, passion |
Aversion | dvesha
|
dosa | zhe sdang | Aversion for what we don't like, or for what prevents us from getting what we like | Anger, hatred |
Pride | māna | māna | nga rgyal | Having an inflated opinion of oneself and a disrespectful attitude toward others | Arrogance, Conceit |
Envy | irshya
|
issā | phrag dog | Being unable to bear the accomplishments or good fortune of others | Jealousy |
Six root kleshas of the Abhidharma
The
- Attachment (raga)
- Anger (pratigha)
- Ignorance (avidya)
- Pride/Conceit (māna)
- Doubt (vicikitsa)
- Wrong view/False view/Opinionatedness (dṛiṣṭi)[17]
In the context of the
Mahaparinirvana Sutra
The
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).[19]
Contemporary glosses
Contemporary translators have used many different English words to translate the term kleshas,[20] 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:
English/Sanskrit term used[21] | Description | Source |
---|---|---|
Afflictive emotions | ... those mind states that cause suffering, such as depression, fear, hatred, anger, jealousy and so on – it's a long list! | Joseph Goldstein. The Emerging Western Buddhism: An Interview with Joseph Goldstein. |
Afflictive emotions | In general, any defilement or emotion which obscures the mind. They are often summarized as three: ignorance, attachment and aversion. All other negative predispositions are produced on the basis of these three. | Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen (2009). A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path. p. 451 (from the glossary) |
Afflictions | Mental factors that produce states of mental torment both immediately and in the long term. The five principal kleshas, which are sometimes called poisons, are attachment, aversion, ignorance, pride, and jealousy. | Longchen Yeshe Dorje (Kangyur Rinpoche) (2010). Treasury of Precious Qualities. p. 492 (from the glossary) |
Conditioning Factors or Mental Afflictions | The processes that not only describe what we perceive, but also determine our responses. | Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (2008). The Joy of Living. p. 115 |
Mental afflictions | In Tibetan a mental affliction is defined as a mental process that has the function of disrupting the equilibrium of the mind. They all have that in common, whether or not there is a strong emotional component to it. | Goleman, Daniel (2008). Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Kindle Locations 2553–2555. |
Destructive emotions | Fundamentally, a destructive emotion—which is also referred to as an ‘obscuring’ or ‘afflictive’ mental factor—is something that prevents the mind from ascertaining reality as it is. With a destructive emotion, there will always be a gap between the way things appear and the ways things are. | Goleman, Daniel (2008). Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Kindle Locations 1779–1781. |
Defilements | These are unskilful factors such as greed, hate, delusion, opinionatedness and lack of moral concern. Whereas the term ‘hindrance’ refers to five sticking points, ‘defilement’ is often used without any definite list, but to refer to any function of the mind which is led by unskilful factors. | Ajahn Sucitto (2011). Meditation, A Way of Awakening. Amaravati Publications. p. 263. (from the glossary) |
Kleshas | Kleshas are the strong conflicting emotions that spin off and heighten when we get caught by aversion and attraction. | Pema Chodron. Signs of Spiritual Progress . Shambhala Sun.
|
Kleshas | Kleshas are properties that dull the mind and are the basis for all unwholesome actions. The three main kleshas are passion, aggression, and ignorance. | Chögyam Trungpa. The Truth of Suffering and the Path of Liberation. Edited by Judy L. Lief. Shambhala. p. 134 (from the glossary) |
Kleshas | The basic idea is that certain powerful reactions have the capacity to take hold of us and drive our behavior. We believe in these reactions more than we believe in anything else, and they become the means by which we both hide from ourselves and attempt to cope with a world of ceaseless change and unpredictability. The three poisons of greed, hatred, and ignorance are the classic Buddhist examples, but others include conceit, skeptical doubt, and so-called "speculative" views ... | Mark Epstein. Going on Being: Buddhism and the Way of Change, a Positive Psychology for the West. http://www.quietspaces.com/kleshas.html |
Kleshas | The emotional obscurations (in contrast to intellectual obscurations), usually translated as "poisons" or "defilements." The three main klesas are ignorance, hatred, and desire. The five klesas include these three along with pride and envy. |
Thrangu Rinpoche (1993). The Practice of Tranquility & Insight: A Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Mediation (p. 152). Snow Lion. Kindle Edition. p. 152 (from the glossary) |
Overcoming the kleshas
All Buddhist schools teach that through Tranquility (
Alternative 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 desires[22]
See also
- Āsava
- Five hindrances
- Mental factors (Buddhism)
- Ten fetters (Buddhism)
- Three poisons (Buddhism)
- Bhavacakra
- Maya (illusion)
- Buddhism and psychology
- Kleshas (Hinduism)
- Six Enemies (Hinduism)
- Five Thieves (Sikhism)
- Kashaya (Jainism)
- Seven deadly sins
References
- Samyutta Nikayacollection entitled "Kilesa-saṃyutta" (SN 27) does not use kilesa in its actual suttas but, in fact, upakkilesa. Bodhi (2000), pp. 1012–14, 1100 n. 273, specifically makes note of the lexical differences between these two Pali words and chooses to translate kilesa as "defilement" and upakkilesa as "corruption." Similar, in Bodhi (2000), p. 1642, SN 47.12, upakkilesa is translated as "corruption" whereas, as indicated below, in Bodhi (2005), p. 416, this same Pali word in the same sutta is translated as "defilement." Consistent with Bodhi (2005), as seen below, Thanissaro (1994) also translates upakkilesa as "defilement." The related correlate sankilesa (or saṅkilesa) is also translated as "defilement" by Bodhi (e.g., 2000, pp. 903–4; 2005, pp. 55–6), Thanissaro (2004) and Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-5, entry for "Sankilesa"). InSN22.60 (Bodhi, 2000, pp. 903–4), sankilesa is contextualized by: "By being enamoured with [form], [beings] are captivated by it, and by being captivated by it they are defiled." In this sutta, sankilesa is juxtaposed with purification (visuddhi) which is contextualized by: "Experiencing revulsion [in the impermanence of form's pleasure], [beings] become dispassionate, and through dispassion they are purified."
- khandha).
- SN 27.1 (trans. Thanissaro, 1994).Note that the phrase that Thanissaro translates as "defilement of awareness" here is cetaso upakkileso; Bodhi (2000), p. 1012, simply translates this as "mental corruption" (underlining added for clarity).
- DN16 and DN 28. A similar phrase can be found in DN 28, etc.
- ^ Pali, based on a search for "pahāya cetaso upakkilese," retrieved from "BodhgayaNews" at http://www.bodhgayanews.net/pitakaresults.php?title=&start=0&to=10&searchstring=pahāya%20cetaso%20upakkilese[permanent dead link] (32 matches found).
- ^ See Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–5), pp. 216–7, entry for "Kilesa," retrieved 2008-02-09 from "University of Chicago" at [2].
- ^ Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–5), p. 217; and, Nyanatiloka (1988), entry for "kilesa," retrieved 2008-02-09 from "BuddhaSasana" at http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/bud-dict/dic3_k.htm Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–25), p. 217.
- Sammādiṭṭhi Sutta ("Right View Discourse," MN 9); and, in the Itivuttaka, a brief discourse on three unwholesome roots starts off the "Section of the Threes" (Iti. 50). However, in none of these Sutta Pitaka texts are the three unwholesome roots referred to as kilesa. Such an association appears to begin in the Abhidhamma texts.
- ^ Nyanatiloka (1988), entry for "mūla," retrieved 2008-02-09 from "BuddhaSasana" at http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/bud-dict/dic3_m.htm.
- ^ a b Strictly speaking, in this framework the Visuddhimagga (Vsm. XVII, 298) does not explicitly identify "birth" (jāti) and "aging-death" (jarāmaraṇa) 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 [five] themselves" (Ñāṇamoli, 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.
- ^ a b c Ñāṇamoli (1991), p. 599, v. 298.
- Nettipakaraṇa's "round of suffering, round of action, round of defilements" (dukkhavaṭṭo kammavaṭṭo kilesavaṭṭo) (Nett. i.95)."Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2008-07-16.)
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link - ^ Ñāṇamoli (1991), p. 715.
- ^ a b Padmakara (1998), p. 336, 414. (from the glossary)
- ^ Longchen Yeshe Dorje (Kangyur Rinpoche) (2010). p. 492
- ^ Guenther (1975), Kindle Location 321.
- ^ Muller (2004).
- ISBN 0-86171-199-8, p. 107(Enumerations).
- ^ Epstein, Mark (2009) http://www.quietspaces.com/kleshas.html
- ^ This column indicates the English words used by each of these teachers as a translation for the term kleshas.
- ^ Translation of the Japanese the term Bonno: "WWWJDIC: Text/Word Translation". Archived from the original on 2010-10-24. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
Sources
- ISBN 0-86171-331-1.
- Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2005). In the Buddha's Words. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-491-1.
- 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)
- Ñāṇamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) (1991), The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga. Seattle: ISBN 1-928706-00-2.
- Nyanatiloka Mahathera (1988). Buddhist Dictionary. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. An on-line search engine is available from "BuddhaSasana" at http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/bud-dict/dic_idx.htm Archived 2013-12-06 at the Wayback Machine.
- Padmakara Translation Group (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. An on-line search engine is available from "U. Chicago" at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.
- 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.
- MN 26). Retrieved 2010-03-20 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html.
- Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (2007). The Joy of Living. Kindle Edition. Harmony.
External links
- The Demons of Defilement: (Kilesa Mara), by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo
- List of ten kilesa (palikanon.com)
- How to Cure 'Destructive Emotions' – an interview with Daniel Goleman