Auxiliary afflictions in the Pali tradition

• Covetousness and greed, malice, wrath, resentment
• Three ways in which resentment grows
• Contempt, insolence, jealousy
• Identifying the mental states in our own mind
• Miserliness, deceit, obstinacy, competition
• Arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, heedlessness
• Seeing how these mental states are related

Samsara, Nirvana, and Buddha Nature 26: Auxiliary Afflictions in the Pali Tradition (download)

Contemplation points

1. Consider each of the 16 auxiliary afflictions according to the Pali tradition (covetousness and greed, malice, wrath, resentment, contempt, insolence, jealousy, miserliness, pretensions, deceit, obstinacy, competition, arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, and heedlessness). How do you see them operate in your own life? Be specific in your examples.
2. Some people have difficulty identifying emotions because when they were children, their parents did not name emotions or discuss them very much. Some ways to learn to identify your emotions are to become aware of (a) sensations in your body, (b) the flow or “texture” of your breath, and (c) the “tone” or mood in your mind. Using these techniques, try to identify instances of each of the auxiliary afflictions in your life.
3. What are the triggers that make these arise?
4. Examine the short- and long-term results of manifest auxiliary afflictions in your life.
5. Develop a strong determination to counteract these afflictions by cultivating mental states that see the object in the opposite way.