The next question under the lens is the heart of the Dharma: what afflictions are, why we hide from them, how to transform them, and why deliberate awareness—not unconscious habit—determines whether we wander in samsara or awaken. The following is a clear, structured way to understand this from a Tibetan Buddha Dharma perspective.
1. What the afflictions are (kleshas)
In Tibetan Buddha Dharma, kleshas are the mental-emotional forces that disturb the mind and drive samsaric action. The classical list includes:
- Ignorance (ma rigpa) — not seeing reality as it is; the root of all other afflictions.
- Attachment / craving (dod chags) — grasping at what we think will complete us.
- Aversion / anger (zhe sdang) — pushing away what we dislike or fear.
- Pride (nga rgyal) — exaggerating the self.
- Jealousy (phrag dog) — agitation when others have what we want.
- Confusion / dullness (gti mug) — mental fog, inertia, avoidance.
These are not “sins.” (but are cause for the mind to be in a negative state and cling to these conceptions as if they are real due to self-grasping). They are misunderstandings of reality that create suffering because they distort perception.
2. Why we hide from the afflictions
We hide from the afflictions because:
- The ego is built from them. To see them clearly feels like the self is being threatened.
- They operate pre‑consciously. Most kleshas arise before we even notice them.
- They promise relief. Craving promises satisfaction; anger promises protection; ignorance promises comfort.
- They are familiar. Habit feels like identity, even when it hurts.
In Tibetan teachings, this hiding is called ma rigpa—a basic not-knowing that keeps us looping through the same patterns.
3. How to transform the afflictions
Transformation is not suppression. It is recognition, allowing, and releasing. Tibetan Buddha Dharma offers three complementary methods:
A. Insight (lhag mthong / vipashyana)
Seeing the affliction directly as a momentary mental event, not “me.” When seen clearly, it loses its power.
B. Stabilizing awareness (shamatha)
Training the mind to stay present so that afflictions can be recognized early, before they take over.
C. Alchemical transformation (lojong, tantra)
Using the energy of the affliction itself as fuel for awakening. For example:
- Anger → clarity
- Desire → appreciation
- Ignorance → spaciousness
This is why Tibetan Buddha Dharma often says: “The afflictions are the wisdoms, once recognized.”
4. Why we continue to wander in samsara
We wander because:
- We act from habit, not awareness.
- We mistake the impermanent for permanent.
- We believe the self is solid.
- We chase pleasure and avoid discomfort. (Instead of practicing a mindful habit and facing suffering with awareness and liberating it).
- We don’t examine the mind deeply enough to see its nature.
Samsara is not a place; it is a momentum of unexamined reactions.
5. The difference between unconscious habit and deliberate awareness
There is a core distinction that is pointed to.
Unaware, habituated pattern
- Automatic
- Driven by kleshas
- Feels like “just how I am”
- Reinforces samsara
- No freedom of choice
Deliberate awareness (rigpa, mindfulness, presence)
- Conscious
- Sees the affliction as it arises
- Connected to natural law (interdependence, impermanence, emptiness)
- Creates space for choice
- Leads to liberation
In Tibetan terms, this is the difference between karma (habitual reactivity) and path (deliberate awareness).
6. Why awakening is not accidental
Here this is drawing attention to something essential: Awakening requires intentional practice.
Even though the nature of mind is already pure, we do not recognize it without training. Tibetan Buddha Dharma emphasizes:
- Deliberate attention
- Deliberate ethical action
- Deliberate cultivation of compassion
- Deliberate recognition of awareness itself
This is why teachers say: “The path is walked step by step, but the nature is recognized in a single moment.”
Both are necessary.
7. Awareness of “the indoor room as we go”
This points to key practice:
- Bringing practice into ordinary life
- Recognizing awareness in the midst of daily activity
- Not waiting for special conditions
- Seeing the mind in real time
This is the essence of Mahamudra and Dzogchen: Awareness is not created; it is uncovered in the middle of experience.
8. A practical way to integrate this
A simple Tibetan-style sequence:
- Pause — feel the body, breathe once.
- Recognize — “A klesha is arising.”
- Allow — don’t fight it; don’t feed it.
- Look directly — what is its texture? where is it? what is its nature?
- Release — let it dissolve in awareness.
- Act deliberately — choose the next step consciously.
This is the shift from samsara to path, moment by moment.
(to be continued…)