Work with the greatest defilments first
If we can hold craving gently, knowing it arises from a longing to be whole…
If we can sit with our deepest anger without feeding or fighting it…
If we can see our confusion, pride or self-doubt without collapsing into shame…
…then something begins to shift. We’re less activated by every surge of emotion.
Working with the greatest defilements first is both efficient and transformative. Addressing what’s most deeply tangled frees up space, energy, and ease in every direction, softening other struggles and revealing unexpected strengths—like resilience, honesty, patience, and the quiet confidence that we can meet life without running away.
What are the greatest defilements?
Buddha described three core tendencies—craving, aversion, and delusion—as roots from which all other defilements grow.
Craving is the pull toward what we want—pleasure, comfort, control.
Aversion is the push against what we don’t want—pain, fear, discomfort.
Delusion is the confusion that keeps us from seeing clearly—ourselves, others, and the nature of experience.
These three are considered the most fundamental defilements because they give rise to many other patterns of suffering—like conceit, jealousy, pride, clinging, restlessness, and doubt.
Notice the slogan doesn’t say “Eliminate them.” It says work with them.
We don’t fix or reject. Instead, we turn toward greed, hatred and confusion with embodied awareness—feeling their imprint in the breath, posture, and energy field. Not analyzing or managing them, but staying close. Attentive. Steady.
We begin to recognize the conditions that give rise to these states. And, as we stop identifying with them, they begin to loosen.
Sometimes, we’re not ready to go deep. That’s okay. It’s wise to begin where there’s more space—choosing calm, rest, or rhythm as a way to strengthen our capacity. This too is part of the path.
It’s a lifelong practice of remembering and returning.
Meeting what arises with depth and care.
Lojong slogan 27