The Buddha taught that certain mental states ... - Dhamma by Ajahn Jayasāro

The Buddha taught that certain mental states rob the mind of its peace and clarity, and obscure the true nature of things. He called these states 'kilesa', usually translated as 'defilement'.

However, although this word may be quite easily grasped as a concept it is only truly understood when the mind has experienced the non-defiled state of samādhi

Just as we can only fully understand the meaning of 'dirty' when we have had an experience of 'clean', so we can only realise how mental states defile the mind when we have an experience of calm and clarity to compare it to.

Seeing clearly the effect that defilements have on our mind, and how much suffering they cause us, enthusiasm for practice arises naturally.

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