Boonkanjanaram Meditation Center

Vipassana
Unwholesome Roots: Roots of Bad Action (Kilesa)

There are three unwholesome roots: lobha (desire); dohsa (hatred); and moha (delusion). Abhijjha (like) is a form of lobha and domanassa (dislike) is a form of dohsa.

Abhijjha and domanassa cannot occur at the same time.

Lobha, dohsa and moha are commonly known as defilements (kilesa), but are actually unwholesome roots. Under these unwholesome roots are ten defilements - three under lobha, three under dohsa, and four under moha. The first defilement under each unwholesome root is also the unwholesome root - so that lobha, dohsa and moha are also defilements.

There are three types of kilesa:

Type I is obvious kilesa: actions, such as occur in body and speech.

Type II is mental kilesa: hindrances (nivarana), such as wandering mind (foong - Thai)

Type III is hidden kilesa.

Kilesa enters through the feeling. "You" are sitting and "you" feel that it is "you" that sits - not rupa. This is hidden kilesa.

The duty of Vipassana wisdom is to destroy kilesa, wherever it occurs.

Kilesa's friend is happiness. His enemy is suffering. Happiness makes panna forget the truth of suffering. Kilesa is like a robber. To apprehend him, you have to know his address. Then you have to know what he looks like. (If you don't know his characteristics and what he looks like, how can you get rid of kilesa?) You also have to know what time he will be home. Kilesa has six addresses: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind.

Either kilesa or panna can order nama to tell rupa what to do. Kilesa says, "Why don't we take a walk?" i.e., seek pleasure. Panna, knowing that the sitting position is suffering, orders rupa to "change position and walk to cure suffering". This is panna working correctly - because suffering forces rupa to change position.

Type I - Obvious: This is the type covered by the precepts, such as killing, stealing, etc. Sila destroys this type.

Type II - Hindrances (Nivarana): This is thinking about a person one hates; or wandering mind; or aversion, such as thinking one is fed up with Satipatthana, etc. Samadhi suppresses this. If hindrances become very strong, they can turn into action - obvious kilesa. Also, hidden kilesa can turn into thinking - hindrances.

There are five types of mental kilesa:

1) Sensual pleasure in the past, or future.

2) Being angry or upset in the past or future.

3) Going to other places - wandering mind (flurry and worry, etc.)

4) Sleepiness, laziness, or worrying about practice.

5) Doubts: doubt about Lord Buddha, truth of dhamma and truth of sangha. Doubt about the practice - if it is the right way to end suffering, etc.

Type III Hidden (Asavas): This is subtle kilesa, such as moha (wrong view). Only Vipassana panna destroys the hidden type. If type III is destroyed, types I and II are also destroyed.

Kilesa should be destroyed where it arises. For example, we mistakenly think pain is "us" - but it is rupa. So we destroy this wrong view at the body, by seeing that rupa suffers. But seeing and hearing are seen as nama, because we are liable to think "we" see and hear. So we destroy this kilesa (wrong view) at the mind. "Nama seeing", "nama hearing" is sabhava - seeing things as they are, or the true state of the nature - ultimate reality.

In this practice, the duty of the yogi is to destroy attachment and aversion (abhijjha and domanassa). Some practices "sit through" pain, until it goes away. This creates attachment. It also gives the false impression that we are "atta", or in control, and that we can sit through pain and make it disappear

Wandering mind should be treated in the same way. If the yogi tries to control wandering mind ("foong"), he wants concentration or tranquility, which is lobha. If the yogi fails to control foong, dohsa results. Wandering mind teaches us that there is no control - so no self. Foong is nama - it is not "we" that wanders, but nama (mental states).

Nimittas, or signs that appear in meditation, such as flashing lights, hallucinations, etc., are also kilesa. They draw you out of the present moment. They are not Vipassana, and indicate too much concentration. Similarly, a light and easeful feeling also indicates too much samadhi. Walking or exercise, is recommended to reduce excess samadhi.

If the yogi is doing samattha bhavana, he will not be able to see the characteristics of kilesa, since samattha tends to suppress lobha and dohsa.

The wrong reason to practice can be defilement. If one practices to end suffering and rebirth, this is right motive. But if one practices for some other reason, such as to reach attainment, it is defilement. If one perseveres in jhana - even though it is kusala - he cannot end suffering.

Kusala, Akusala and Abyakata

Kusala is defined as either a "wholesome" state or a "skillful" state.

Akusala is unwholesome or unskillful.

Abyakata is neither wholesome nor unwholesome: indeterminate, neutral (rupa, nibbana and vipakacitta are examples of abyakata). Rupa is abyakata, because it doesn't know anything.

Vipakacitta is abyakata, because it involves no judgment - no kusala or akusala. An example of vipakacitta is "nama hearing" in Vipassana. No involvement or judgment is made about the actual sound.

Kiriyacitta is also abiyakata. Kiriyacitta means inoperative consciousness, and is the state of the arahant.

Nibbana is abiyakata, because nibbana is the object of maggacitta and phalacitta, and all of these are in lokuttaradhamma - neither kusala nor akusala.

Two types of kusala:

a) Rebirth cycle

b) No rebirth cycle (no more nama and rupa)

a) Rebirth Kusala

Sila	Samadhi	Panna
(Precepts)	Samattha Bhavana	Wisdom is in lokiya
	(Jhana absorption)	(mundane)

b) No Rebirth Kusala

Sila	Samadhi	Panna
(Eight-Fold Path)	(Eight-Fold Path)	(Eight-Fold Path)

Sila, samadhi, and panna lead us to realize the Four Noble Truths. (See Wisdom Stages, 1.2; also Samattha / Vipassana, 1.9).