The Kilesas: Freeing the Heart from Obscuring Emotions
REPEATING SCHEDULE: Daily
START DATE: Friday, December 25, 2026
END DATE: Tuesday, December 29, 2026
TIME: 5:00 pm
REGION: Fort Steele, BC
ORGANIZATION: Clear Sky Meditation Center
TEACHER: Catherine Pawasarat Sensei
CONTACT PERSON: Duncan Cryle
CONTACT NUMBER: 2504649350
EMAIL: duncan@clearskycenter.org
WEBSITE
“The power of one person reducing the influence of the kilesas in their life is far greater than one in eight billion — because the effect is so pervasive.”
– Catherine Pawasarat Sensei
We spend a lot of energy learning to manage our emotions — naming them, regulating them, communicating them skilfully. That work matters. But Buddhism has always pointed to something underneath it: the kilesas, the obscuring states of mind that colour how emotion arises in the first place.
This retreat continues to build on Sensei’s 2026 teachings on emotional intelligence, bringing that work to a natural close by looking at the formal Buddhist teachings on emotion. Where this year’s work has helped us recognise and work skilfully with what we feel, the kilesa teachings show us what’s underneath the feeling. These classic Buddhist teachings offer a direct, practical remedy for dissolving it at the root.
with Catherine Pawasarat Sensei | December 25-29, 2026
Registration Deadline: for both in-person and online please register December 18, 2026
Keen Practitioner/Early Bird Rate: available until November 20, 2026
What Are the Kilesas and Upakkilesas?
Kilesa (Pali; kleśa in Sanskrit) is the traditional term for what are sometimes called the afflictive or destructive emotions — the mental states that cloud the mind and drive unskilful action. Buddhism has long focused on identifying what gets in the way of our well-being, and working to remove it. The main kilesas are greed, hatred and delusion — also described as clinging, aggression and confusion — along with pride and jealousy.
Alongside these, we’ll explore the upakkilesas: subtler defilements that can slip by unnoticed, or are even celebrated by our culture. Yet even (or especially) unnamed, they weigh heavily on us, quietly disrupting our equanimity and dampening our energy.
The kilesas aren’t personal flaws to feel bad about — they’re universal patterns every human contends with on the path. They shape not just our own lives, but the society, systems and world around us.
Learning to recognise them clearly, rather than being run by them, is central to Buddhist practice. And by working to transform them in ourselves, we are also bringing healing to the world around us.
What We’ll Explore
Over four days of teaching, guided meditation and group inquiry, we’ll:
- Learn the main kilesas — greed, hatred and delusion, along with pride and jealousy — and the subtler upakkilesas or higher defilements.
- Explore how this traditional Buddhist map connects with modern emotional intelligence work, bringing a fresh, integrated view to classical teachings
- Draw on the book “Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them?” by Daniel Goleman and the Dalai Lama (Mind & Life Institute), and the Upakkilesa Sutta
- Practice recognising these patterns as they arise, both in meditation and in daily life
- Consider how reducing these defilements in ourselves ripples outward, offering a living example of non-duality — healing in ourselves as healing in society and on the planet
New to this year’s series? Working with the kilesas is always relevant, so you’re welcome to join even if you haven’t taken part in the earlier emotional intelligence sessions this year.
COST: See web page for details
SOME CITIES CLOSE BY: Kelowna, BC