From a Buddhist perspective, we all have a personality type—one of three kinds.

How that personality type comes about—whether it’s karmic (based on past lives) or conditioned (based on experiences we have in this life)—is debatable.

For now, I will simply investigate the truth of our personality tendencies and how we can diagnose ourselves and others, and ultimately how we can use the information we have about ourselves and others to create more harmony and less suffering in our lives.

Traditionally, Buddhism classifies personalities into three categories, each one based on one of the three root causes of suffering: greed, hatred, and delusion.

Most likely we all have a bit of all three tendencies—moments of greed, moments of hatred, and periods of delusion. Although it is true that all un-enlightened beings do suffer all three of these experiences, it is thought that each of us has a core operating tendency toward one or another. Some people react with desire to most situations, some with aversion, and some without noticing what’s going on. You may have noticed that Buddhism diagnoses the personality based on the negative traits, but we don’t stop there. There’s also a positive side to each of these personality types: confidence, discernment, and serenity:

• Greedy/craving/confident type

• Hating/aversive/discerning type

• Deluded/spaced-out/serene type

All of these personality types need to be met with the appropriate heart-response. People of the greedy type will need to put great effort into becoming generous and nonattached to getting more. Those of the hatred-based type will need to focus intensely on forgiveness and compassion. The delusional types will need, through mindfulness, to come into contact with their greed and hatred so that they can offer the antidotes of forgiveness and generosity as their wise heart-response.

I encourage you to diagnose yourself, if you haven’t already. I believe that such diagnosis can be a skillful tool in the process of awakening the heart.