Three Root Affliction

In life, many times we will experience things that make us feel uncomfortable or unhappy. Inevitably we will experience negative emotions, such as jealousy, anger, or frustration. We all get sick at some time or another, and we all experience loss and grief. Buddhists use the word ‘Dukkha’ to encompass all of these things that cause suffering to us. In his teachings, Buddha outlined the four noble truths, guaranteeing that it was at least possible for each of us to end Dukkha for ourselves, and urged us to do everything we could to end it for others. According to him, this should be the main goal in life, because in the absence of Dukkha, the world will be left to be happy. The Buddha gives guidelines for attaining this, which cumulatively

The first and most detrimental affliction is ignorance. To be ignorant is akin to living in darkness. Not knowing about the world or yourself can lead to myriad of problems, especially if you truly believe that you are not ignorant. If you do not understand something, then you have no hope of improving or helping it in any way. The second root affliction is attachment, which could give us dependence on physical pleasures or outer circumstances. The third root affliction is anger or aversion, which has the ability to completely take over our minds, pushing out every other thought. According to Buddhist teachings, all Dukkha, even our reaction to physical illness, can be attributed to these root

Ignorance, attachment and anger are all things that exist exclusively in our heads. This is important, because it means that they are all within our power to seek out and eradicate. I propose that with mindfulness alone, it is possible to get rid of the root afflictions and attain happiness. Mindfulness gives us the ability to be aware of our thoughts and regulate how they affect our consciousness. In essence, when you are practiced enough at mindfulness, your thoughts cease having such a strong control over your consciousness, and turn into a highly useful tool that you will be able to utilize as you wish. Though ignorance is a bit different, attachment and anger become easy to avoid once you are completely mindful, as you have the ability to disregard the impact of