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## Five Defilements of Rightness
**Yoga Shastra, Second Light, Verse 17, 73**
Doubt, desire, uncertainty, praise of false views, and close association with them - these five completely defile rightness.
**Explanation:**
Doubt, desire, uncertainty, praise of false views, and close association with them are called defilements because they greatly corrupt pure rightness. Here is a description of each:
**Doubt:**
Doubt is to question. Doubt can be universal (regarding everything) or specific (regarding a particular aspect). Universal doubt is like, "I don't know if this is the right religion or not?" Specific doubt is related to a particular aspect of religion, like, "This being exists, but is it omnipresent or not? Is it localized or not?" Both types of doubt, being a form of disbelief in the teachings of the liberated ones, defile rightness, creating impurities, blemishes, or deep flaws.
Presenting a doubt to someone in the form of an inquiry is not a fault, but doubting with a desire to win or out of disbelief is a fault. If doubt arises due to delusion, one should hold onto it like a burning ember with faith and humility, and reveal it to knowledgeable and noble individuals when appropriate.
If one cannot understand a profound subject due to their weak intellect, or due to not finding teachers who can explain it, or due to the rise of their knowledge-obscuring karma, or because the subject is too deep to understand, or because examples are not available, then a wise and faithful person should think: "The liberated, omniscient Lord speaks the truth. They are free from any desire for reward, selfless and dedicated to the welfare of others, the greatest renunciants in the world, conquerors of attachment, aversion, and delusion. They never speak falsely." (Dhyan Shatak 47-48-49) Therefore, it is not appropriate to doubt the words of such a trustworthy person. Their words are absolutely true, but I cannot understand them due to my limited intellect or ignorance. I should accept this truth with patience and faith. We ordinary people cannot test the truth of things that can be known through the scriptures. Therefore, we should not be skeptical of the truth revealed in the scriptures. Skepticism leads to false views. Therefore, the scriptures spoken by the Jinas are our proof.
**Desire:**
Desire is to accept a view due to someone's showmanship or allure. This is also of two types: universal and specific. Universal desire is to desire all views or religious communities. Specific desire is to desire a particular view, sect, or community. For example, "Someone might say that the Sugata taught a religion free from hardship for monks. There, monks have bathing, delicious food, drinks, and fine clothes, and there is a provision for soft, comfortable beds. They have made the path of religion easy by providing all kinds of comforts. Their scriptures say, 'Sleeping on a soft bed, drinking sweet beverages upon waking, eating delicious food at noon, drinking again in the evening, and eating grapes and sugar at midnight - these are the results that led Shakyasingha to liberation.' This is appealing to the common people, so they quickly lean towards it. The Parivajakas, Bhauts, Brahmanas, etc., say in their teachings, 'Those who enjoy sensual pleasures in this life will enjoy pleasures in the afterlife.' Therefore, one should also try practicing this view." This kind of desire, being the source of disbelief in the scriptures revealed by the liberated Lord, defiles rightness.
**Uncertainty:**
Uncertainty is to doubt the fruits of religious practice. Due to the instability of the mind, one might think, "The great austerities, right conduct, right faith, or right knowledge described in the scriptures are very harsh, tasteless like a grain of sand, and dull. I don't know if I will get the fruits of all this great hardship. Oh! This austerity is very..."