6 roots of affliction

ThailandTom

Okay, hello again people.

I have recently moved house which had no funiture, thus no internet tv or things to distract me. I have done a lot of reading and practice with regards to buddhism, and I have some questions and discussions I would like to post.

This thread is to do with the Abhidharma literature and the 6 root afflictive emotions/thoughts out of which 20 secondary types of emotions/thoughts can arise.
However, in the Tantric Vajrayana literature there details 80 types of thoughts or concepts which are indicative of our being in an unenlightened state.

Does anybody know more about this in detail, i.e what are the 6 root afflictions or kleshas, the 20 secondary emotions/thoughts and what to go with as there are different interpratations.

Tosh

I think traditionally there are six main mental afflictions, which are:

1. Attachment
2. Aversion.
3. Ignorance.
--------------------------
4. Self-importance
5. Afflicted View
6. Afflicted indecision

But the last three all stem in some way from ignorance; so my book says we can set them aside for now.

The first three are also called the Three Poisons, because everything is poisoned by them, and suffering follows.

These afflictions are very deep-rooted; they are the main drive behind the functioning of all other negative mental states.

Behind them is self-centredness, behind self centredness is the ignorance of the most subtle relationship of the law of cause and effect, and beyond that is the fundamental confusion of self, things and events.

It's my current topic of study.

I don't know anything about the 80 types of thought or concepts from the Tantric Vajrayana literature, but from these three poisons stem a traditional list of 51 mental factors such as anger, vengeance, wrath, spite, envy, jealousy, cruelty, guilt, etc.

ThailandTom

Yes, I have come to study if you will, my mind set at any given moment. It changes so easily from happiness to pure anger depenedent on what influences it. I personaly think with time, one can control emotions through meditation rather than emotions control yourself