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Grammatical Analysis

Akusalamūla: [nt.] Unwholesome root; Root of evil. Formed by akusala (unwholesome, unskillful, karmically unprofitable) + mūla (root).

Orthodox Definition

The Akusala-mūlas are the three toxic, fundamental mental factors that poison consciousness. They are the ultimate psychological source of all unwholesome karma, suffering, and continued rebirth in saṃsāra.

The three unwholesome roots are:

  1. Lobha (Greed): Craving, attachment, lust, and the desire to acquire or hold onto objects.
  2. Dosa (Hatred): Anger, aversion, ill-will, depression, and the desire to destroy or push away objects.
  3. Moha (Delusion): Ignorance (avijjā), blindness to reality, and the inability to perceive the Three Characteristics (impermanence, suffering, non-self).

Moha is present in absolutely every unwholesome mind-moment. An action can be rooted in Greed and Delusion, or Hatred and Delusion, or just Delusion alone, but Greed and Hatred can never exist in the exact same microscopic mind-moment. The destruction of these three roots is the functional definition of Nibbāna.

Quote

Tikaṃ.
The Threes.

‘‘Atthi kho, āvuso, tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena tayo dhammā sammadakkhātā.
‘‘There are, friends, three things rightly expounded by that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Awakened One.

Tattha sabbeheva saṅgāyitabbaṃ…pe… atthāya hitāya sukhāya devamanussānaṃ.
Concerning them, all should recite in concord… for the good, welfare, and happiness of devas and humans.

Katame tayo?
Which three?

‘‘Tīṇi akusalamūlāni – lobho akusalamūlaṃ, doso akusalamūlaṃ, moho akusalamūlaṃ.
‘‘Three roots of unwholesome states: greed is a root of unwholesome states, hatred is a root of unwholesome states, delusion is a root of unwholesome states.

‘‘Tīṇi kusalamūlāni – alobho kusalamūlaṃ, adoso kusalamūlaṃ, amoho kusalamūlaṃ.
‘‘Three roots of wholesome states: non-greed is a root of wholesome states, non-hatred is a root of wholesome states, non-delusion is a root of wholesome states.

— Dīgha Nikāya (Pāthikavagga)

Textual References

  • Sutta: Mūla Sutta (AN 3.69) – The Buddha explains that actions born of these three roots bind a person to the cycle of rebirth, like seeds planted in a fertile field.
  • Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī – The meticulous categorization of the 12 specific types of unwholesome consciousness rooted in greed, hatred, and delusion.

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