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afflictions are classed as peripheral mental factors and…

“afflictions are classed as peripheral mental factors and are not themselves any of the six main minds [eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mental consciousnesses]. however, when any of the afflicting mental factors becomes manifest, a main mind [a mental consciousness] comes under its influence, goes…” quote by Dalai Lama XIV
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““afflictions are classed as peripheral mental factors and are not themselves any of the six main minds [eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mental consciousnesses]. however, when any of the afflicting mental factors becomes manifest, a main mind [a mental consciousness] comes under its influence, goes wherever the affliction leads it, and 'accumulates' a bad action. there are a great many different kinds of afflictions, but the chief of them are desire, hatred, pride, wrong view and so forth. of these, desire and hatred are chief. because of an initial attachment to oneself, hatred arises when something undesirable occurs. further, through being attached to oneself the pride that holds one to be superior arises, and similarly when one has no knowledge of something, a wrong view that holds the object of this knowledge to be non-existent arises. how do self-attachment and so forth arise in such great force? because of beginningless conditioning, the mind tightly holds to 'i, i' even in dreams, and through the power of this conception, self-attachment and so forth occur. this false conception of 'i' arises because of one's lack of knowledge concerning the mode of existence of things. the fact that all objects are empty of inherent existence is obscured and one conceives things to exist inherently; the strong conception of 'i' derives from this. therefore, the conception that phenomena inherently exist is the afflicting ignorance that is the ultimate root of all afflictions.””

Dalai Lama XIV

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Attachment to a self‑concept fuels desire, hatred, pride, and wrong view, leading to negative actions; recognizing emptiness of self reduces suffering.

In simple terms: Clinging to “I” creates suffering; seeing emptiness eases it.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate awareness of self‑emptiness.

Themes

attachment ego afflictions

Mood

contemplative serene

Type

spiritual philosophical

When to use this quote

  • meditation
  • ethical decision making
  • psychotherapy

Key Concepts

Buddhist philosophy mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does the notion of “no‑self” affect my daily life?
  • What practices help dissolve self‑attachment?
A Different Perspective

Understanding emptiness can be intellectually challenging and emotionally unsettling.

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