His Eminence Lama zopa rinpoche

Day 246

Holding any deluded view is a mistaken mind that leads to suffering.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Of the six root delusions, the final one is divided into the five extreme, or deluded, views. The first of these, the view of the changeable aggregates, is the foundation of the others. It is the view that although our five aggregates are changing all the time we don't see them as such. We superimpose a solid, permanent sense of I onto the aggregates.

The second deluded view, the view of extremes, is also very subtle and pervasive. It is our view of things and events as being either permanent and independent, which is called eternalism, or not existing at all, which is called nihilism. Thirdly there is the view of holding deluded views as supreme through believing that any of the other four deluded views are the correct viewpoint. Fourthly, we can have the view of holding our own misguided moral and religious discipline as supreme. This deluded view is the cause of enormous conflict in the world. Our culture or religion might encourage actions that don't accord with moral conduct but we still think it to be acceptable.

The final deluded view is simply called wrong views. This is any mistaken view but in particular the belief that there is no such thing as karma, that all the universes, worlds, environments and sentient beings are not products of karma but of a divine creator. It also includes seeing things as existing from their own side. This deluded view is the very root of cyclic existence and when we live with this hallucination it gives rise to all the other delusions.