The Three Roots

In early Buddhist teaching, the three roots are the deep motivations from which all our intentional thoughts, words, and actions grow. There are three unwholesome roots — greed, hatred, and delusion — and their healthy opposites, the wholesome roots: non-greed (generosity), non-hatred (kindness), and non-delusion (wisdom). It matters because every choice can be traced back to one of these roots, so a simple everyday practice is to pause and ask, "Is this coming from craving, irritation, or confusion — or from openness, goodwill, and clear seeing?"