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The 'three poisons', or three 'unwholesome roots' (akusala-mūla), are named as ignorance, attachment, and aversion — and the "wholesome roots" are their opposites:
Opposite wholesome qualities
The three wholesome mental factors that are identified as the opposites of the three poisons are:
- amoha (non-bewilderment); prajna (wisdom)
- alobha (non-attachment)
- adveṣa (non-aggression, lack of hatred); mettā (loving-kindness)
The principal aim of the Buddhist path is to cultivate these and related positive qualities.
They're mentioned in for example, the Sammaditthi Sutta:
- "And what is the root of the wholesome? Non-greed is a root of the wholesome; non-hate is a root of the wholesome; non-delusion is a root of the wholesome. This is called the root of the wholesome.