What are the three poisons?

The three poisons are greed, hatred and delusion. In the early texts they are called the three unskilful roots, because every harmful action grows from one or more of them. The Pali terms are lobha (greed), dosa (hatred) and moha (delusion).

The three roots

Greed covers every kind of grasping: wanting more, clinging to what we have, and the restless sense that something else will finally make us happy.

Hatred covers aversion in all its forms, from mild irritation to rage. It includes resentment, fear and the wish to push something or someone away.

Delusion is not seeing clearly. It means misunderstanding how things are, especially taking what is impermanent to be lasting and what is not-self to be a self. Delusion is often described as the deepest of the three, because the other two feed on it.

Why “poisons”

The word “poisons” is common in Mahayana and Tibetan teaching. It expresses how these states harm both the person who has them and those around them. In the traditional Tibetan picture of the wheel of life, the three are shown at the hub as a rooster, a snake and a pig, chasing one another round and keeping the wheel turning.

Their opposites

The early texts also name three skilful roots: non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion. In positive terms, these are generosity, loving-kindness and wisdom. In a well-known talk to the Kālāma people, the Buddha asked his listeners to notice for themselves that actions born of greed, hatred and delusion lead to harm and suffering, while their opposites lead to welfare and happiness.

Ending the poisons

When the disciple Sāriputta was asked what nirvana is, he answered that it is the ending of greed, the ending of hatred and the ending of delusion. So the three poisons are not just moral faults. Their complete ending is the goal of the path.

Working with them

You can start by recognising the three as they arise. A useful question when you notice a strong reaction is: is this wanting, pushing away or confusion? Naming the state, without judging yourself, already weakens its hold. Practices such as generosity, loving-kindness meditation and reflection on impermanence are traditional ways to counter greed, hatred and delusion respectively.