{"id":300,"date":"2014-11-28T18:59:57","date_gmt":"2014-11-28T18:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/escrituras-eremitas.com\/english\/?p=300"},"modified":"2014-11-28T18:59:57","modified_gmt":"2014-11-28T18:59:57","slug":"defilements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/escrituras-eremitas.com\/english\/2014\/11\/28\/defilements\/","title":{"rendered":"What are defilements?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Defilements<\/h2>\n
\"Dhammapada<\/a>

Dhammapada<\/a> ilustration “conquer of oneself”, and the end of defilements<\/p><\/div>\n

The untrained mind is prey to many mental states (defilements) that sully its natural radiance. These include the various forms of greed, jealousy, anger, hatred and animosity, dullness and agitation, complacency, confusion, arrogance, contempt and conceit, and blind attachment to views and beliefs. Fortunately, none of these mental states is \u2018hard-wired\u2019 into the mind; every one may be eliminated through practice of the Eightfold Path. These negative, harmful mental states are called \u201ckilesa\u201d in the Pali language, usually rendered in English as \u201cdefilements\u201d<\/p>\n

In this [FAQ about Buddhism] the term \u201ctoxic mental states\u201d has been preferred to \u201cdefilement\u201d. The reasons for this somewhat unorthodox rendering are that firstly, defilement is generally perceived to be irreversible but kilesa are not; secondly, because toxic is a familiar and powerful contemporary word that illuminates heedless attitudes towards kilesa, and thirdly, because it admits of gradation: we can speak of something as being mildly and something else as seriously toxic.<\/p>\n

More questions and answers<\/span> HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Source:<\/span><\/p>\n