Monday 14 March 2011

DHAMMA AND THE TEN KILESAS



The list of ten kilesas comes from the Visuddhimagga.  Kilesas are mentioned often in the suttas but not as a list.

The ten are: (1) greed (lobha) (2) hate (dosa) (3) delusion (moha) (4) conceit (māna) (5) view points (ditthi) (6) doubt (vicikicchā) (7) mental torpor (thīna) (8) restlessness (uddhacca) (9) shamelessness (ahirika) (10) moral recklessness (anottappa).

Kilesa means defilement or poison. It is the mental equivalent of a physical disease. Kilesas can be suppressed if one has good concentration and determination. But they will remain latent. Or they can be uprooted by investigation and understanding.

Buddhadhamma provides information about kilesas and also methods to deal with them individually or as a group. If you practice dhamma all the time, it is the mental equivalent of keeping yourself physically healthy so that you don't catch the disease. Otherwise, having caught it, you need to spot the symptoms early and do something before it develops. Once it becomes chronic, great efforts may be needed to overcome it. Self awareness is essential.


Looking at the world situation, vast clouds of kilesas are drifting around the planet, infecting the vulnerable, who become infectious themselves and pass on these mental diseases just as they pass on physical diseases.



(Carry a list of the kilesas with you for reference. Watch out for the appearance of kilesas in yourself and others.  Become a Kilesa Spotter!)




PROJECT CONTINUES...




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