Kleshas (Buddhism)


Kleshas, in Buddhism, 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, 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 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 came to be seen as the very roots of samsaric existence.

Pali literature

In the Pali Canon's discourses, 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, ten defilements are identified, the first three of which – greed, hate, delusion – are considered to be the "roots" of suffering.

Sutta Pitaka: Mental hindrances

In the Pali Canon's Sutta Pitaka, kilesa and its correlate upakkilesa are affective obstacles to the pursuit of direct knowledge and wisdom.
For instance, the Samyutta Nikaya includes a collection of ten discourses that state that any association of "desire-passion" with the body or mind is a "defilement of mind" :
More broadly, the five hindrances – sensual desire, anger, sloth-torpor, restlessness-worry, and doubt – are frequently associated with kilesa in the following manner:
Additionally, in the Khuddaka Nikaya's Niddesa, kilesa is identified as a component of or synonymous with craving and lust.

Abhidhamma: Ten defilements and unwholesome roots

While the Sutta Pitaka does not offer a list of kilesa, the Abhidhamma Pitaka's Dhammasangani and Vibhanga as well as in the post-canonical Visuddhimagga enumerate ten defilements as follows:
  1. greed
  2. hate
  3. delusion
  4. conceit
  5. wrong views
  6. doubt
  7. torpor
  8. restlessness
  9. shamelessness
  10. recklessness
The Vibhanga also includes an eightfold list composed of the first eight of the above ten.
Throughout Pali literature, the first three kilesa in the above tenfold Abhidhamma list are known as the "unwholesome roots" ; and, their opposites are the three "wholesome roots". 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.

Visuddhimagga: "Round of defilements"

In the 5th-century CE commentarial Visuddhimagga, in its discussion of "Dependent Origination" , it presents different expository methods for understanding this teaching's twelve factors. One method divides the twelve factors into three "rounds" :
In this framework, kilesa conditions kamma which conditions results which in turn condition kilesa which condition kamma and so on. Buddhaghosa concludes:
As can be seen, in this framework, the round of defilements consists of:
Elsewhere in the Visuddhimagga, in the context of the four noble persons, the text refers to a precursor to the attainment of nibbana as being the complete eradication of "the defilements that are the root of the round".

Sanskrit Sravaka & Mahayana literature

Three poisons

The three kleshas of ignorance, attachment and aversion are referred to as the three poisons in the Mahayana tradition and as the three unwholesome roots in the Therevada tradition. These three poisons 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.
The five poisons consist of the three poisons with two additional poisons: pride and jealousy. The five poisons are:
Poison/KleshaSanskritPaliTibetanDescriptionAlternate translations
Ignorancemoha
avidya		moha
avijja		gti mug
ma rig pa		Lack of discernment; not understanding the way of thingsConfusion, bewilderment, delusion
Attachmentrāgalobha'dod chagsAttachment or desire for what we likeDesire, passion
Aversiondveshadosazhe sdangAversion for what we don't like, or for what prevents us from getting what we likeAnger, hatred
Pridemānamānanga rgyalHaving an inflated opinion of oneself and a disrespectful attitude toward othersArrogance, Conceit
Envyirshyaissāphrag dogBeing unable to bear the accomplishments or good fortune of othersJealousy

Six root kleshas of the Abhidharma

The Abhidharma-kośa identifies six root kleshas :
In the context of the Yogācāra school of Buddhism, Muller states that the Six Klesha arise due to the "...reification of an 'imagined self' ".

Mahaparinirvana Sutra

The Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra 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", the "obscuration of conflicting emotions" and the "obscuration concerning the knowable".

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:
English/Sanskrit term usedDescriptionSource
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. .
Afflictive emotionsIn 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. A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path. p. 451
AfflictionsMental 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 . Treasury of Precious Qualities. p. 492
Conditioning Factors or Mental AfflictionsThe processes that not only describe what we perceive, but also determine our responses.Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. The Joy of Living. p. 115
Mental afflictionsIn 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. Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Kindle Locations 2553–2555.
Destructive emotionsFundamentally, 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. Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Kindle Locations 1779–1781.
DefilementsThese 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. Meditation, A Way of Awakening. Amaravati Publications. p. 263.
KleshasKleshas are the strong conflicting emotions that spin off and heighten when we get caught by aversion and attraction.Pema Chodron. . Shambhala Sun.
KleshasKleshas 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
KleshasThe 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
KleshasThe emotional 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. The Practice of Tranquility & Insight: A Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Mediation. Snow Lion. Kindle Edition. p. 152

Overcoming the kleshas

All Buddhist schools teach that through Tranquility meditation the kilesas are pacified, though not eradicated, and through Insight 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: