KILESA

Kilesa (meaning ‘defilements’ in Pali) signifies impurity or delusion. According to Buddhist psychology, the mind is fundamentally pure but it is defiled by unwholesome qualities that stand in the way of spiritual practice and obstruct wisdom. They are like little clouds that descend on the head and when you look through them, you see everything in a different colour, blurred or distorted. 

 

When we feel anger, greed or delusion we experience turbulence inside of ourselves, as if there were a fire burning. Kilesa influences our minds and changes the way we think and act. The burning then manifests itself through verbal and/or physical expression. When Kilesa takes over us it lights a fire that becomes all-consuming and is difficult to extinguish.