三 毒(さんどく)

さんどく

noun

the three poisons (Buddhism)

1. the three poisons; greed, anger, and delusion

In Buddhism, the three root afflictions said to poison the mind and keep beings trapped in suffering: craving, hatred, and ignorance. In general writing it appears as a learned metaphor for the same three failings.

仏教(ぶっきょう)は三毒(さんどく)を戒(いまし)める。

Buddhism warns against the three poisons.

三毒(さんどく)とは貪(むさぼ)り・怒(いか)り・愚(おろ)かさのことだ。

The three poisons are greed, anger, and delusion.

住職(じゅうしょく)は、三毒(さんどく)から離(はな)れることが修行(しゅぎょう)の目的(もくてき)だと説(と)いた。

The head priest taught that freeing oneself from the three poisons is the purpose of practice.

A Buddhist term. The three are usually named as follows:

The three poisons

貪欲(とんよく): greed; craving
瞋恚(しんに): anger; hatred
愚痴(ぐち): delusion; ignorance

Common collocations

三毒(さんどく)を断(た)つ: to cut off the three poisons
三毒(さんどく)に囚(とら)われる: to be held captive by the three poisons
三毒(さんどく)を離(はな)れる: to become free of the three poisons

Mostly confined to Buddhist sermons and writing on Buddhism; a reader is unlikely to meet it in everyday conversation.

general

Added 2026.7.26 3:20 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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