Chapter 8
Transforming The Three Poisons:
Craving, Anger, and Ignorance
Gotama Buddha’s Teachings to eliminate craving, anger, and ignorance are known, for good reason, as The Three Poisons, The Three Unwholesome Roots, and The Three Fires. Also known as (greed, hatred, and delusion) or (desire, ill will, and confusion).
These are The Three Poisons that exist and are present in the mind as part of rebirth into the human realm. It is our goal, through these Teachings, to eliminate these three poisons through practice of non-craving or generosity, non-anger or loving-kindness, and non-ignorance or wisdom. To attain Enlightenment, one would need to completely eliminate The Three Poisons.
These metaphors suggest how dangerous afflictive thoughts and emotions can be if they are not understood and transformed. Craving (Greed/Desire) refers to our selfishness, desire, attachment, and grasping for contentedness and satisfaction outside of ourselves. Anger (Hatred/Ill Will) refers to our hostility and aggression, our aversion and repulsion towards unpleasant people, circumstances, and even towards our own uncomfortable feelings. Ignorance (Delusion/Confusion) refers to our dullness, confusion, and misperception; our unknowing or wrong views of reality misunderstanding the world around us as described as part of The Natural Laws of Existence in Gotama Buddha’s Teachings.
The poisons of craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) — mask our true nature, the awakened mind of wisdom and compassion. These poisonous states of mind then motivate non-virtuous and unskillful intentions, speech, and actions, which produces unwholesome Kamma so they need to be transformed, remedied and an antidote applied to experience the brightness of the Enlightened mind.
Craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) are deeply embedded in the conditioning of our personalities. Our behavior is habitually influenced and tainted by these three poisons, these unwholesome roots buried deep into the mind. Burning within us as craving (greed/desire), anger (hatred/ill will), and ignorance (delusion/confusion), these poisons lay to waste hearts, lives, hopes, and civilizations, driving us blind and thirsty through the seemingly endless round of birth and death - The Cycle of Rebirth.
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Gotama Buddha describes these defilements as bonds, hindrances, and knots; the actual root cause of unwholesome Kamma and the entire spectrum of human discontentedness. It is The Three Poisons, The Three Unwholesome Roots, or The Three Fires that keeps the mind in the unEnlightened state. It is only when a Practitioner deeply understands these and uproots them from the mind, that one can reside permanently peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy.
Although this Teaching may appear negative or unpleasant, indeed, a wise understanding of The Three Poisons of craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) is ultimately positive and empowering. With this superb understanding, we can clearly see and observe the factors that are causing discontentedness and suffering in our lives. And with this clarity and insight, we can make the choice to eliminate those factors.
The Teaching of The Four Noble Truths clearly explains that when we embrace and understand the exact causes of our discontentedness, suffering, and dissatisfaction, we can then take the necessary steps to extinguish those causes and liberate the mind. This is certainly positive and empowering.
In addition, it is important for us to realize that Gotama Buddha’s Teachings regarding defilement and purification are not just rigid, restrictive, or authoritarian theories regarding morality, but are real and solid truths essential to our correct understanding of reality and eventual awakening. Through learning these Teachings and the practice of these Teachings, we awaken to true reality, acquiring wisdom, eliminating the poison of ignorance/delusion or “unknowing” we have of true reality that keeps The Three Poisons well rooted into the mind causing us untold amounts of discontentedness and suffering.
Through learning, reflecting, and practicing these Teachings while seeking guidance with a Teacher, a Practitioner will independently observe the truth acquiring wisdom to liberate the mind removing these poisons to experience Enlightenment.
Craving
Our craving is a burning desire, a never ending thirst, yearning, and longing; we want the objects of our desire to provide us with lasting satisfaction so we feel fulfilled, whole, and complete.
The poison of craving creates an inner hunger so that we always seem to be chasing an unattainable object. We mistakenly believe our contentedness is
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dependent upon that object, but once we attain it, we get no lasting satisfaction. Then once again, our craving and desire will arise, looking outside of ourselves for the next thing that will hopefully bring satisfaction. Influenced by craving/greed, we are never content.
Another common face of our craving shows up as a lack of generosity and compassion towards others. Even a moment of honest and mindful reflection will reveal how deeply-rooted our craving can be. We can experience the symptoms of our craving appearing in even the most trivial instances, and of course, craving can manifest itself in even more compulsive and destructive ways as well
We always seem to want more, we want bigger and better, we want to fulfill our never ending inner hunger and thirst. This type of craving affects our personal lives, our professional lives, and the domain of international business and politics. Global conflict and warfare, as well as the destruction of our precious environment are obvious results of our corporate and political greed. Our craving, greed, and thirst affects each of us on a personal and global level. Our craving is an endless and destructive cycle that only causes discontentedness and suffering in its wake.
Anger
The symptoms of anger can show up as hatred, hostility, aggression, aversion, resentment or ill will; wishing harm or suffering upon another person. A mind being affected by the poison of anger reacts to insignificant circumstances with intentions, speech, and actions causing harm in our personal and professional relationships.
With aversion, we habitually resist, deny, and avoid unpleasant feelings, circumstances, and people we do not like. We want everything to be pleasant, comfortable, and satisfying all the time. As the unEnlightened mind experiences painful feelings, it will falsely attribute the painful feelings as being caused by someone else or something else. With an interest to eliminate the painful feelings, the unEnlightened mind will then push away the people and situations it mistakenly attributes as being the cause of the painful feelings. This behavior simply reinforces our perception of separation inhibiting one from being able to have healthy relationships with all people.
An individual can become isolated unable to interact with others who do not meet one’s criteria or conditions for a relationship. It is only a matter of time before the unEnlightened mind finds a problem with each individual in their life and then pushes them away erecting a wall between themselves and others, oftentimes, with anger, hatred, hostility, aggression, resentment, and ill will. This is referred to as aversion and only complicates one’s life with
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increased struggles where you will find relationships difficult, challenging, and unsuccessful.
Aversion would be to experience painful feelings caused by your own cravings/desires/attachments, falsely attribute the painful feelings as being caused by another person, push them away thinking that will solve the problem, and doing so with anger/frustration/irritation/annoyance, etc.
Anger or hatred thrusts us into a vicious cycle of always finding conflict and enemies everywhere around us. When there is conflict or perceived enemies around us, the mind is neurotic, never calm, and we are endlessly occupied with strategies of self-protection or revenge. We can also create conflict within ourselves when we have an aversion to our own uncomfortable feelings.
With anger and aversion, we deny, resist, and push away our own inner feelings of fear, hurt, loneliness, and so forth, treating these feelings like an internal enemy. With the poison of anger, we create conflict and enemies in the world around us and within our own being.
We cannot benefit from openness to all people and situations that could potentially be helpful in our life journey. We sabotage ourselves through the unwholesome mental state of anger and hatred caused by our own cravings. Anger coming into the mind degrades concentration and wisdom which often leads to leaving one to feel lost and confused.
No one can cause us anger or hatred, we cause it ourselves. Because we cause our own anger, hatred or ill will, through the pursuit of Enlightenment, we can eliminate 100% of our anger, hatred and ill will.
Ignorance
Ignorance (unknowing of true reality) is our wrong understanding or wrong views of reality. Ignorance is our misperception and misunderstanding of the way the world works; our inability to understand the nature of things exactly as they are, free of perceptual distortions.
The mind does not understand it causes its own discontentedness and how to eliminate the discontentedness (The Four Noble Truths), the way leading to the complete elimination of discontentedness (The Eight Fold Path), The Natural Law of Kamma, or how to significantly reduce one’s unwholesome Kamma (The Five Precepts), along with all the other wholesome Teachings from Gotama Buddha described as The Natural Laws of Existence.
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Influenced by ignorance, we are not in harmony with ourselves, others, or with life; we are not living in accordance with these Teachings.
Affected by the poison of ignorance, which arises from ignorance of our true nature, we do not understand the interdependent and impermanent nature of life. Thus, we are constantly looking outside of ourselves for contentedness, satisfaction, and solutions to our problems. The word ignorance/delusion was not used in a derogatory way by Gotama Buddha as this word is used today. Instead, Gotama Buddha was describing that the mind is “unknowing of true reality” and is not understanding The Natural Laws of Existence.
This outward searching of craving creates even more frustration, anger, and confusion. Because of our ignorance, we also do not understand the virtuous, life-affirming actions that can create contentedness, nor do we understand the non-virtuous, negative, and unwholesome actions that create discontentedness.
Wholesome actions are described as any actions that do not conflict with “The Eight Fold Path” or “The Five Precepts”. Again, our ignorance (unknowing of true reality) binds us to a vicious cycle where there does not appear to be any way out.
Transforming The Three Poisons
For countless eons we have been influenced and motivated by our craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) being reborn as various beings throughout The Realms of Existence. Therefore, this work of purification and transformation of the mind cannot be rushed, despite our impatient demand for quick results.
This work requires patience, care, persistence, and deep compassion for ourselves and others through a well developed “life practice”. Gotama Buddha taught us that the poisons of craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality), which cause so much suffering, can indeed be purified and transformed. We can break the chain of discontentedness and unwholesome Kamma and live a content, fulfilling life.
Gotama Buddha’s Teachings tell us that Enlightenment is our true nature, and will naturally shine forth through the purified mind. Therefore, the goal of our life practice is to liberate ourselves from the defilements that obscure the natural clarity, radiance, and joy of our Enlightenment.
So how do we encounter The Three Poisons and transform them in a way that leads to genuine liberation of the mind?
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We must begin this work of purification in the precise place where the poisons originate — in the mind itself (the conditioned mind or personality).
This purification and transformation begins with the challenge of calming the mind and seeing deeply into the mind. In other words, to eliminate the poisons of craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality), we must first learn to recognize them when they first appear. Being mindfully aware, we can then discern how these deep-seated poisons influence our everyday thoughts, feelings, perceptions, decisions, intentions, speech, and actions.
This mindfulness (awareness of mind), this seeing deeply into the mind, is the beginning of understanding; the beginning of our ability to transform these defilements.
To accomplish this awareness, we train the mind through Breathing Mindfulness Meditation. We learn to concentrate on our breathing through the nose, cutting off all thoughts and feelings that arise and let them go without evaluating them or reacting to them. Learning and practicing Breathing Mindfulness Meditation, we train the mind to become aware of the thoughts and feelings then “cut off the thoughts” and “let them go”. By training the mind to develop awareness (mindfulness) and let go, we learn how to control the mind in any and all situations.
Through this practice, we become much more aware of the mind in everyday situations. We are able to notice when thoughts, feelings, and emotions arise and begin to disturb us. In this way, we can become conscious of these thoughts, feelings, and emotions and work with them skillfully before they get out of control, causing harm to ourselves and others. Then, eventually we can eliminate disturbing thoughts entirely from the mind by attaining Enlightenment with a well developed life practice that is beyond just meditation alone.
The Antidotes
In addition to meditation practice, there are also the antidotes or alternatives to The Three Poisons. For every defilement, Gotama Buddha has given us the antidote, the method whereby we eliminate unwholesome mental qualities and replace them with virtuous, wholesome qualities which benefit ourselves and others.
Therefore, the entire aim of our life practice is to gradually subdue the poisons of craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) by cultivating the alternative mental factors that are directly opposed to them. These antidotes are called The Three Wholesome Roots: generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom.
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To overcome craving, is to cultivate selflessness, generosity, detachment, and contentment. If we are experiencing craving, strong desire, or attachment and we are interested to let it go, we can reflect on the impermanence or the disadvantages of the objects of our desire. We can practice giving away those things we would most like to hold on to. We can also practice acts of selfless service and charity, offering care and assistance to others in any way we can, free of all desire for recognition or compensation.
In truth, there is no objection to enjoying and sharing the beauty, pleasures, and objects of this material world. The problems associated with craving and attachment only arise when we mistakenly believe and act as if the source of our contentedness is outside of ourselves in impermanent conditions.
The antidote to craving/desire/attachment is Breathing Mindfulness Meditation and practicing generosity in daily life. Both of these practices train the mind to “let go”. Craving is how the mind wants to pull and chase after the objects of its affection and then holds on to them, thinking that is what will create contentedness and peacefulness in the mind.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation and a well developed practice of generosity in daily life will gradually transform the mind to train it to “let go” which becomes easier over time as the mind is more deeply trained through both of these methods. The mind needs to accumulate the benefits of this training over a consistent period of time through determination, dedication, and diligence of a well developed life practice. These techniques and practices will be shared later in this book and book series to help you cultivate a well developed practice of these Teachings.
To overcome anger, we learn to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, patience, and forgiveness letting go of any resentment or hostility that has accumulated in the mind. When we react to unpleasant feelings, circumstances, or people, with anger, hatred, ill will, or aversion, we can use these superb antidotes to counteract this poison.
Here we learn to openly embrace the entire spectrum of our experiences without anger or aversion. Just as we practice meeting unpleasant experiences in the outer world with patience, kindness, forgiveness, loving- kindness, and compassion, we must also practice meeting our own unpleasant feelings in the same way.
Our feelings of loneliness, hurt, doubt, fear, insecurity, inadequacy, depression, and so forth, all require our openness and loving-kindness. The challenge in our life practice is to soften our habitual defenses, open our
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heart, and let go of anger, hatred, ill will, aversion, hostility, aggression, resentment, and denial. In this way, we can meet and embrace ourselves, others, and all inner and outer experiences with great compassion and wisdom.
The antidote to anger is Loving-kindness Meditation and a well developed practice of loving-kindness in daily life which will gradually transform the mind developing deep interest to see all beings be well. Then, a Practitioner will need to practice loving-kindness in daily life through treating all beings polite, kind, friendly, and respectful without any interest in anything in return. These techniques and practices will be shared later in this book and book series to help you cultivate a well developed practice of these Teachings.
To overcome and antidote ignorance, we cultivate wisdom, insight, and “Right View” through learning, reflecting, and practicing The Teachings of The Buddha to discover The Natural Laws of Existence. Learning to experience reality exactly as it is, without the distortions of our self-centered desires, fears, and expectations, we free ourselves from ignorance (unknowing of true reality). Developing a comprehensive approach to acquiring wisdom while seeking guidance from a Teacher through practice of these Teachings will eliminate all ignorance.
Deeply sensing and acting in harmony with the interdependent, impermanent, and ever-changing nature of this world — realizing that all living beings are inseparably related and that lasting contentedness does not come from anything external — we free ourselves from ignorance.
As we develop a clear understanding of The Natural Law of Kamma, knowing the positive, wholesome actions that bring contentedness, and the negative, unwholesome actions that bring discontentedness, we cultivate the wisdom, insight, and “Right View” with wise decision making that free us from ignorance.
By studying The Teachings and applying The Teachings properly in our lives through a “life practice”, we will gradually wear away even the most stubborn habitual behaviors, fully liberating the mind from stress, discontentedness, and suffering. Gotama Buddha calls this the “taintless liberation of the mind.”
The superb peace, wisdom, limitless awareness, unity, and calmness of Enlightenment shines forth as our essential nature when The Three Poisons of craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) have finally been extinguished through our life practice with non-craving or generosity, non- anger or loving-kindness, and non-ignorance or wisdom.
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Simile of a Man Were Wounded by an Arrow Thickly Smeared with Poison Suppose, Mālunkyaputta, a man were wounded by an arrow thickly smeared with poison, and his friends and companions, his kinsmen and relatives, brought a surgeon to treat him. The man would say: ‘I will not let the surgeon pull out this arrow until I know whether the man who wounded me was a noble or a Brāhmin or a merchant or a worker.’ And he would say: ‘I will not let the surgeon pull out this arrow until I know the name and clan of the man who wounded me;…until I know whether the man who wounded me was tall or short or of middle height;…until I know whether the man who wounded me was dark or brown or golden-skinned;…until I know whether the bowstring that wounded me was fibre or reed or sinew or hemp or bark;…until I know whether the shaft that wounded me was wild or cultivated;…until I know with what kind of feathers the shaft that wounded me was fitted — whether those of a vulture or a heron or a hawk or a peacock or a stork;…until I know with what kind of sinew the shaft that wounded me was bound — whether that of an ox or a buffalo or a deer or a monkey;…until I know what kind of arrowhead it was that wounded me — whether spiked or razor-tipped or curved or barbed or calf-toothed or lancet-shaped.’ All this would still not be known to that man and meanwhile he would die. So too, Mālunkyaputta, if anyone should say thus: ‘I will not lead the holy life under the [Enlightened] One until the [Enlightened] One declares to me: ‘The world is eternal’ and ‘the world is not eternal’; ‘the world is finite’; and ‘the world is infinite’; ‘the soul is the same as the body’ and ‘the soul is one thing and the body another’; and ‘after death a Tathāgata exists’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata does not exist’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist’, that would still remain undeclared by The Tathāgata and meanwhile that person would die. Therefore, Mālunkyaputta, remember what I have left undeclared as undeclared, and remember what I have declared as declared. And what have I left undeclared? ‘The world is eternal’ and ‘the world is not eternal’; ‘the world is finite’; and ‘the world is infinite’; ‘the soul is the same as the body’ and ‘the soul is one thing and the body another’; and ‘after death a Tathāgata exists’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata does not exist’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist,’ — I have left undeclared. And what have I declared? ‘This is discontentedness’, 'This is the cause of discontentedness’, ‘This is the elimination of discontentedness’, ‘This is the way leading to the elimination of discontentedness’ — I have declared. Why have I declared that? Because it is beneficial, it belongs to the fundamentals of the holy life, it leads to liberation, to freedom from strong feelings, to elimination, to peace, to direct knowledge (experience), to Enlightenment, to Nibbāna. That is why I have declared it. (Gotama Buddha) (Reference: MN 63) |
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Simile of a Man Were Wounded by an Arrow Thickly Smeared with Poison (continued) Author’s Thoughts: This simile uses the “poisonous arrow” to represent “The Three Poisons” that we are all affected by “craving (greed/desire), anger (hatred/ill will), and ignorance (delusion/confusion)”. The Teachings of Gotama Buddha are represented by the surgeon. His Teachings are the medicine to remove “The Three Poisons”. But, if we expect to know all the answers that lead to the removal of “The Three Poisons” prior to practicing these Teachings, which would remove these poisons, then surely we will die before the poisons are removed. There is no way for you to know all the answers prior to learning and practicing these Teachings as you need to create a “life practice” to clearly see many of the answers to acquire wisdom. Each day you build more and more wisdom in your life practice to gradually attain Enlightenment. If you expect to know all the answers prior to practicing these Teachings, surely you will die before the poisons are removed and, thus, have continued discontentedness and be reborn to once again experience life in a new realm - most likely not the human realm. Gotama Buddha left certain questions undeclared because they do not lead to liberation of the mind. But The Teachings he did declare do lead to complete liberation of the mind, namely starting with “The Four Noble Truths” as mentioned in this simile. |
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Learning Resources for Further Exploration Audiobook (Audiobook) - (Volume 1 - Chapter 8) - Transforming The Three Poisons: Craving, Anger, and Ignorance (Read & Listen) Ep. 508 - (Audiobook) - (Volume 1 - Chapter 8) - Transforming The Three Poisons: Craving, Anger, and Ignorance Youtube Video(s) (Group Learning Program) - Chapter 8 - Transforming the Three Poisons: Craving, Anger, and Ignorance Why Do We Meditate and Developing Breathing Mindfulness Meditation - (Group Learning Program) Podcast(s) Ep. 444 - (Group Learning Program) - Chapter 8 - Transforming the Three Poisons: Craving, Anger, and Ignorance Ep. 164 - Why Do We Meditate and Developing Breathing Mindfulness Meditation - (Group Learning Program) Quiz Transforming The Three Poisons: Craving, Anger, and Ignorance (Confirm your understanding of this Chapter by completing this online quiz. You are the only person who will see the results of the quiz.) |
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