Grammatical Analysis
Kilesa: [m.] defilement; impurity; torment; affliction. From root klis (to torment, soil, stain, corrupt). Signifies that which burns, pollutes, or degrades the natural clarity of the mind.
Orthodox Definition
Kilesas are the negative, unwholesome psychological qualities that soil the consciousness, throwing it into a state of burning agitation. The orthodox Abhidhamma formalizes a strict directory of ten primary defilements:
- Lobha (Greed/Attachment)
- Dosa (Hatred/Aversion)
- Moha (Delusion/Ignorance)
- Māna (Conceit/Pride)
- Diṭṭhi (Wrong Views)
- Vicikicchā (Skeptical Doubt)
- Thīna (Sloth)
- Uddhacca (Restlessness)
- Ahirika (Shamelessness regarding wrongdoing)
- Anottappa (Fearlessness of karmic consequences)
The commentaries note that the mind is naturally radiant (pabhassara), but becomes obscured by these visiting defilements (āgantukehi kilesehi). They exist in three progressive layers: latent dormancy (anusaya), active obsessive pooling in the mind (pariyuṭṭhāna), and outward physical or verbal transgression (vītikkama).
Textual References
- Canonical: Dhammapada (v. 244) – Illustrating how life is difficult for a practitioner who seeks internal purity against the stains of defilements.
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Kilesasamaṭṭhāna section) – Scientific definitions of each structural contaminant.
- Commentary: Atthasālinī (The definitive analytical unpacking of mind-soiling properties).