the mental impurities?
There are essentially ten elements which constitute the defilements. They belong to two categories: the one called the superior and the one called the inferior. There are five in each category. The first is having erroneous views, concepts, beliefs – whatever they are – in particular the belief in “I”, the belief in a self, or in “a soul”. It is the belief that there is somebody who lives in this body or who governs this mind. The second is doubt. Doubt with respect to the teachings of the theraváda, and in the capacity of this teaching to lead beings to awakening. Doubt on the law of action, of activity, doubts about the method to free oneself from suffering, etc. The third is faith in the efficacy of ritual, and therefore the need to practise certain religious rites, certain rituals, as seen in all religions. This is a defilement that is very active and very widespread in this world. These three defilements are eliminated when one experiences the awakening for the first time, when on
