Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Dvesha

Hindu and Buddhist concept of hatred and aversion

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Dvesha (Sanskrit: द्वेष, IAST: dveṣa; Pali: 𑀤𑁄𑀲, romanized: dosa; Tibetan: zhe sdang) is a Buddhist and Hindu term that is translated as "hate, aversion". In Hinduism, it is one of the Five Poisons or kleshas. Walpola Rahula translated it as "hatred", as did Chögyam Trungpa.

01In Buddhism

In Buddhism, Dvesha (hate, aversion) is the opposite of raga (lust, desire). Along with Raga and Moha, Dvesha is one of the three character afflictions that, in part, cause dukkha. It is also one of the "threefold fires" in Buddhist Pali canon that must be quenched. Dvesha is symbolically present as the snake in the center of Tibetan bhavacakra drawings. Dvesha (Pali: dosa) is identified in the following contexts within the Buddhist teachings:

Advesha or adveṣa (Sanskrit; Pali: 𑀅𑀤𑁄𑀲, romanized: adosa; Tibetan Wylie: zhes sdang med pa) is a Buddhist term translated as "non-aggression" or "non-hatred". It is defined as the absence of an aggressive attitude towards someone or something that causes pain. It is one of the mental factors within the Abhidharma teachings. The Abhidharma-samuccaya states:

What is advesha? It is the absence of the intention to harm sentient beings, to quarrel with frustrating situations, and to inflict suffering on those who are the cause of frustration. It functions as a basis for not getting involved with unwholesome behavior.

02In Hinduism

Yoga Sutras II.8 describes dvesha (aversion) as originating from encounters with pain. In his commentary, Vyasa explains that aversion manifests as resistance, anger, frustration, or resentment toward anything associated with past painful experiences. Aversion is also closely related to attachment, as both are rooted in past experiences.

Watch videos about DveshaExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Dvesha, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.