Grammatical Analysis
Upakkilesa: [m.] minor defilement; impurity; stain; corruption. Formed by prefix upa (minor, secondary, close to) + kilesa (defilement). Represents the secondary or derivative corruptions of the mind.
Orthodox Definition
While the Kilesas refer to the major psychological roots and primary defilements (like greed, hatred, and delusion), the Upakkilesas represent a broader array of derivative emotional and psychological stains that flare up to defile the mind’s natural radiance.
In the Vatthūpama Sutta, the Buddha maps a list of sixteen upakkilesas, which include: Covetousness (abhijjhā-visamalobha), ill-will (byāpāda), anger (kodha), resentment (upanāha), contempt (makkha), insolence (paḷāsa), envy (issā), avarice (macchariya), deceit (māyā), fraud (sāṭheyya), obstinacy (thambha), rivalry (sārambha), conceit (māna), arrogance (atimāna), vanity (mada), and negligence (pamāda).
Additionally, in advanced meditation (vipassanā), practitioners encounter the Ten Imperfections of Insight (vipassanūpakkilesa)—such as brilliant light, extreme rapture, or excessive energy—which are not inherently evil, but become “defilements” if the meditator falsely grasps them as enlightenment.
Textual References
- Sutta: Vatthūpama Sutta (MN 7) – The simile of the cloth, demonstrating that just as dye only takes cleanly to a washed cloth, the Dhamma only takes to a mind cleansed of the 16 minor defilements.
- Canonical: Upakkilesa Sutta (MN 128) – Discussing the specific mental stains that block meditative light and vision.
- Commentary: Papañcasūdanī – Detailed clinical diagnostics on how each specific stain degrades consciousness.