Overview
The Yokes (Yoga) are the defilements that harness beings to the cycle of rebirth, just as a yoke harnesses an ox to a cart. While the suttas list four yokes (sensuality, existence, views, and ignorance), the Abhidhamma structural matrix isolates the specific ultimate realities (paramattha dhammā) that perform this harnessing function.
The List
- Yogā dhammā - States that are yokes: In ultimate terms, the four yokes are generated by only three specific unwholesome mental factors (cetasika). These are Greed (lobha - covering the yokes of sensuality and existence), Wrong View (diṭṭhi - covering the yoke of views), and Delusion (moha - covering the yoke of ignorance).
- No yogā dhammā - States that are not yokes: Every other phenomenon in the universe. This includes all wholesome states, all consciousnesses, physical matter, and Nibbāna.
Textual References
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Duka) – Consolidates the metaphorical teachings of the suttas into precise psychological elements.