Meet Your Six Old Friends

You have six old friends.

They've been with you since birth. They know your weaknesses better than anyone. They're there when you're happy, there when you're in pain. You think you've shaken them off — turn around, and there they are.

Buddhism calls them the "root afflictions" (mūla-kleśa): greed, aversion, delusion, pride, doubt, and wrong views.

"Root" means every other affliction grows from these six. The twenty secondary afflictions — resentment, jealousy, spite — are all descendants. Deal with the roots, branches fall naturally. Ignore the roots, cutting branches is pointless.

But this article is not about eliminating them. Buddhism's approach goes deeper: first, know them. Seeing them is where transformation begins.

Greed: The Honey on the Blade

There's something you can't let go of — a person, money, a position, recognition. You believe getting it will make things right. But think carefully: the last time you got what you wanted, how long did the satisfaction last?

Greed (rāga) is not the problem of wanting itself. Thirst for water is a natural need. Greed is the compulsive clinging — the mind stuck to its object, like licking honey off a blade, tasting sweetness while already being cut.

The first step: next time "I want" arises, don't suppress it. Just see it. Seeing it already weakens it by one degree.

Aversion: The First Person It Burns Is You

There's a fire in your chest. Maybe someone wronged you, betrayed you, disrespected you. The anger feels justified.

But the first person hatred burns is always yourself. The person who angered you may have forgotten the whole thing. But every time you replay it, you cut your own field one more time.

The root isn't what the other person did. It's the feeling that "I" has been violated. Next time anger comes, don't think about what they did. Observe your body — is your chest tight? Is your breathing fast? When you can observe the body's anger, you are already not entirely controlled by it.

Delusion: The Deepest Layer

Greed and aversion are easy to spot. But delusion (moha) is different. Delusion is not seeing that you're not seeing.

It is fundamental ignorance — unable to see cause and effect, unable to perceive reality, unable to foresee consequences. The greatest delusion is believing you see everything clearly.

Every affliction, traced to its source, comes from delusion — because you can't see clearly, you cling; because you can't see clearly, you resist.

The entry point: take something you consider self-evidently true and sincerely ask — "Is this really the way things are? Could I be wrong?" Being able to ask that is prying loose the first brick of ignorance.

Pride: The Subtlest Comparison

Pride (māna) is not simply arrogance. Buddhism identifies seven types, and the hardest to detect is: "I'm more humble than others."

Pride is a comparison engine running constantly in the background. It never stops, because its source is the seventh consciousness's inherent self-grasping. As long as there is "I," there is comparison.

The method: notice when, in conversation, a quiet voice is making comparisons. Catch it, and smile — "There it is again."

Doubt: Not Thinking — Avoiding

Doubt (vicikitsā) in Buddhism is not rational inquiry — that's welcome. The doubt Buddhism addresses is avoidance of truth: you sense the right direction but refuse to acknowledge it, because acknowledging it means you have to change.

Doubt keeps you trying everything and committing to nothing. Overcoming it doesn't require blind faith — it requires careful reasoning and direct experience.

Wrong Views: Certain of the Wrong Thing

If doubt is "afraid to commit," wrong views (mithyā-dṛṣṭi) is "committed to the wrong thing." And because it's committed, it's harder to dislodge.

The most dangerous thing about wrong views is you don't know they're "views" — you take them as facts. When a false belief is treated as truth, every judgment built on it goes astray.

The entry point: take one absolute conviction. Try standing on the opposite side for three minutes. Not to change your mind — but to practice setting down "I am right."

Know Them — Don't Kill Them

After meeting these six, you might think: "Right, eliminate all of them."

Buddhism's approach is not that blunt. These six are energies in your mind. Misdirected, they are afflictions. Redirected, they become fuel for awakening.

Greed's energy, turned around, becomes aspiration for virtue. Aversion's energy becomes courageous confrontation of injustice. Delusion transforms into wisdom. Pride into equanimity. Doubt into careful inquiry. Wrong views into right understanding.

Buddhism doesn't say "destroy afflictions." It says "transform afflictions into awakening." The first step is recognition.

See them, and transformation has already begun.

Today's Practice

Notice today: which of the six is most active in your mind?

No judgment. No suppression. Just nod like recognizing an old friend — "I see you."

That's enough.