Kleshas are a state of mind.
Kleshas -LRB- -LSB- कलश , klesa -RSB- किलस kilesa ; ཉ ན མ ངས nyon mongs -RRB- , in Buddhism , are mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions .. Buddhism. Buddhism. Kleshas include states of mind such as anxiety , fear , anger , jealousy , desire , depression , etc. .. Contemporary translators use a variety of English words to translate the term kleshas , such as  : afflictions , defilements , destructive emotions , disturbing emotions , negative emotions , mind poisons , etc. .. In the contemporary Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions , the three kleshas of ignorance , attachment , and aversion are identified as the root or source of all other kleshas .. These are referred to as the three poisons in the Mahayana tradition , or as the three unwholesome roots in the Theravada tradition .. three poisons. Three poisons ( Buddhism ). While the early Buddhist texts of the Pali canon do not specifically enumerate the three root kleshas , over time the three poisons -LRB- and the kleshas generally -RRB- came to be seen as the very roots of samsaric existence .. three poisons. Three poisons ( Buddhism ). samsaric existence. Samsara ( Buddhism )