The 5 Kleshas
The 5 Kleshas prevent us from seeing our true self clearly. When we are born we are pure but gradually we forget this purity, as other people alter us and we start to think and form ideas we move off the path and our minds become clouded. To regain our pure self we need to remove the obstacles in our pathway.
The obstacles are kleshas: Ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion and fear.
All negative emotions such as anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, envy, arrogance, depression, cause suffering and need to be cured to reveal our pure self. The antidote to negative emotions are positive emotions, especially love, kindness and compassion. You can't feel a negative emotion at the same time as a positive emotion. When you feel positive emotions of generosity, goodness, happiness, joy, and harmony you can have peace in your mind.
The obstacles are kleshas: Ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion and fear.
All negative emotions such as anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, envy, arrogance, depression, cause suffering and need to be cured to reveal our pure self. The antidote to negative emotions are positive emotions, especially love, kindness and compassion. You can't feel a negative emotion at the same time as a positive emotion. When you feel positive emotions of generosity, goodness, happiness, joy, and harmony you can have peace in your mind.
Connected with everything, seperate from nothing = Bliss
Avidya (Veiling, Ignorance): "The failure to see or know".
People mistake the world of their senses for the real world. This world has substance but it is transitory, nothing lasts, it is forever changing. True reality is insubstantial, it is energy, spiritual knowing is true reality. Vidya is knowledge of truth, spiritual realization beyond the mind.
Avidya is the process of veiling or forgetting our connection to the universe and God, while awareness is remembering our divinity. When the wave forgets that it is part of the ocean, that forgetting process is Avidya or Illusion or Maya. The wave thinks it is standing alone, believing that it is independent. It is Ignorance, not meaning stupid or uneducated. The root of the word Ignorance is "Ignore". It is a process of not seeing or observing anything other than what is being observed by the five senses. This leads to us to form ideas, or samskaras about our world. When we become attached to these ideas, our thoughts obscure our true nature.
It is The false perception that everything is permanent ,that the real is solid. But everything changes, even the pyramids are slowly disintegrating, Uluru is gradually eroding. It is the soul or spirit or true self that is truly real, it cannot be touched or seen with the 5 senses.
In the Buddhist sense, ignorance is equivalent to the identification of a self as being separate from everything else. It consists of the belief that there is an "I" that is not part of anything else. On this basis we think, "I am one and unique. Everything else is not me. It is separate from me."... From this identification stems the dualistic view, since once there is an "I," there are also "others." I is me. The rest is they. As soon as this split is made, it creates two opposite ways of reaction: "This is nice, I want it!" and "This is not nice, I do not want it!"
Asmita is the ego:
“I-am-ness” or the identification of ourselves as our ego. The problem with ego is not the fact that we have one; it is useful and even necessary to have an ego in order to function and live. The problem arises when the ego believes it is the Self. If all we do is in service of the this false self, our life will be sorrowful. When we serve our higher Self, liberation becomes possible.
We tend to create a self-image of ourselves that we believe is us, but in fact, it is not us. This self-image can contain both external (eg. “I am poor”) or internal (“I am a bad person”) false projections, I am a particular emotion instead of I feel a particular emotion. The more we feed these false projections, the more we become trapped within the projections that we have created of our life.
One of the biggest misconceptions we have is our tendency to view ourselves as separate to other beings. If we actually really believed and lived our lives as though we all share the same nature as all living beings, our projections of ourselves and the world would be quite different.
Attachment - Raga
Raga is excessive attachment to pleasurable things and is based on the assumption that this pleasure will contribute to your everlasting happiness. But this is entirely untrue! Excessive attachment to pleasure only causes us more suffering.
If I asked you to hand me your mobile phone or another object that you are very attached to, like a special necklace and said you couldn’t have it back for a day (or even an hour!), how does this make you feel? What is your initial reaction? We may even get to a point where we convince ourselves that we cannot live without certain things…(I can’t live without my phone or my necklace is my lucky charm)
When something brings us pleasure, our brain wants to feel that pleasure over and over. This brings us to expect that the things that bring us pleasure will make us happy. But things are only objects and they cannot make us truly happy. The reverse is the case, objects cause suffering when we are concerned that we may lose them. Perhaps intellectually we know that seeking happiness outside ourselves doesn’t work, but that doesn’t stop us from acting as if it did…. How many of us can honestly say that we live without raga in our lives?
So what is it that you’re attached to for pleasure? Latest gadget? Car? Or are you attached to knowledge or even gossip? We become so habituated or identified with the things we love or are attached to, that we rationalise or don’t question our desires.
A quote from the film ‘Fight Club’ where Tyler Durden says “the things you own, start owning you…it’s only after we have lost everything that we are free to do anything”.
So what are your ragas? What is it that you feel that you cannot perhaps “live without”? Observe them… maybe start to make some small changes in your daily life to lessen this excessive attachment and have more control over your desires.
Aversion - Dvesa;
On the flip side, our egoism (asmita) not only creates attachment to pleasure, but it also creates dvesa which is aversion or repulsion. When something displeases or distresses us, this can lead to aversion or hate.
If we are in disharmony within ourselves, this creates a chain of negativity. We start creating this way of being that forms our reality – and we become bound by our own suffering.
You know how one thing can put you immediately in a bad mood? For example:
Your favourite meal at a restaurant is no longer being served
Your favourite yoga teacher has been replaced by a teacher you are not familiar with
Your favourite sport team loses a game
Someone walked by you and was rude and unapologetic
Your partner is rushing you to be ready on time
You are in the company of someone who you struggle to get along with
And plenty more.
The above examples give you an idea how we can allow our attachment to having things the way we want them (having our preferences catered for) to get in the way of our happiness. When we are confronted with something we don’t like or don’t want, how do you react?
Something to think about: When you are challenged out of your comfort zone, perhaps at work or home life… or even a difficult yoga pose that you don’t like…how do you react to this? Being taken out of your comfort zone is a great opportunity for growth.
To step out of a state of aversion (dvesa) is to step out of your ego’s comfort zone. Being pushed around by the ego (I want…I don’t want…) is a vicious, never ending cycle which creates suffering. When we are in control of our emotions and we are freed from their impact. We can live on the middle path (striking a balance between excessive attachment and aversion), we can then relieve our suffering. You have the power to break the cycle.
Fear - Abhinevesa:
Abhinivesha is fear of death and the fear of change. When we think that the world around is the true reality we try to keep it the same, but its nature is ephemeral, everything is atrophying. The body is going to die but often people fear this because they have not overcome the 5 obstacles.
"Fear of death” or “clinging to life”. Many psychologists and philosophers believe that this ‘fear of death’ is the one thing that we all have in common – whether we openly admit it or not. Abhinevesa can take the form as: a midlife crisis, extreme religiosity, fear of the unknown, a ny form of neurosis.
Patanjali suggests that we calmly accept that death is a natural process and the opposite side of the same coin that carries life. Death is a natural process and to fear it over life creates only more fear and more suffering than we need!
So how do we overcome Abhinevesa?
Live in the present moment – enjoy the HERE and the NOW!
Remember that everything is as it should be
Accept that the life we are living is a sacred gift
A Quick AAAA Recipe for what to do when any of the Kleshas arise:
Attention:
Pay attention to what arises in your mind. Observe, observe, observe! Notice your desires, aversions or if a klesha arises.
Acknowledge
Acknowledge what comes up. Don’t deny or push it away. Admit to yourself what it is that has come up for you (eg. Your cravings or aversions, your ego labels…)
Allow
Allow them to come and to go. Try not to struggle or prevent them. Instead, imagine your mind as an indoor/outdoor vessel. Keep both doors open and try and let go of your obstacles rather than fight or give into them. Allow them to come and go!
Accepting
Kleshas are part of being human. We all have days when we are full of aversion or desire or ego… the idea though is not necessarily to be free from them (although that would be nice), but rather to learn to coexist with them and not let the kleshas control or define you.
And of course the ultimate way to relieve the obstacles to your suffering is: Practice yoga!
People mistake the world of their senses for the real world. This world has substance but it is transitory, nothing lasts, it is forever changing. True reality is insubstantial, it is energy, spiritual knowing is true reality. Vidya is knowledge of truth, spiritual realization beyond the mind.
Avidya is the process of veiling or forgetting our connection to the universe and God, while awareness is remembering our divinity. When the wave forgets that it is part of the ocean, that forgetting process is Avidya or Illusion or Maya. The wave thinks it is standing alone, believing that it is independent. It is Ignorance, not meaning stupid or uneducated. The root of the word Ignorance is "Ignore". It is a process of not seeing or observing anything other than what is being observed by the five senses. This leads to us to form ideas, or samskaras about our world. When we become attached to these ideas, our thoughts obscure our true nature.
It is The false perception that everything is permanent ,that the real is solid. But everything changes, even the pyramids are slowly disintegrating, Uluru is gradually eroding. It is the soul or spirit or true self that is truly real, it cannot be touched or seen with the 5 senses.
In the Buddhist sense, ignorance is equivalent to the identification of a self as being separate from everything else. It consists of the belief that there is an "I" that is not part of anything else. On this basis we think, "I am one and unique. Everything else is not me. It is separate from me."... From this identification stems the dualistic view, since once there is an "I," there are also "others." I is me. The rest is they. As soon as this split is made, it creates two opposite ways of reaction: "This is nice, I want it!" and "This is not nice, I do not want it!"
Asmita is the ego:
“I-am-ness” or the identification of ourselves as our ego. The problem with ego is not the fact that we have one; it is useful and even necessary to have an ego in order to function and live. The problem arises when the ego believes it is the Self. If all we do is in service of the this false self, our life will be sorrowful. When we serve our higher Self, liberation becomes possible.
We tend to create a self-image of ourselves that we believe is us, but in fact, it is not us. This self-image can contain both external (eg. “I am poor”) or internal (“I am a bad person”) false projections, I am a particular emotion instead of I feel a particular emotion. The more we feed these false projections, the more we become trapped within the projections that we have created of our life.
One of the biggest misconceptions we have is our tendency to view ourselves as separate to other beings. If we actually really believed and lived our lives as though we all share the same nature as all living beings, our projections of ourselves and the world would be quite different.
Attachment - Raga
Raga is excessive attachment to pleasurable things and is based on the assumption that this pleasure will contribute to your everlasting happiness. But this is entirely untrue! Excessive attachment to pleasure only causes us more suffering.
If I asked you to hand me your mobile phone or another object that you are very attached to, like a special necklace and said you couldn’t have it back for a day (or even an hour!), how does this make you feel? What is your initial reaction? We may even get to a point where we convince ourselves that we cannot live without certain things…(I can’t live without my phone or my necklace is my lucky charm)
When something brings us pleasure, our brain wants to feel that pleasure over and over. This brings us to expect that the things that bring us pleasure will make us happy. But things are only objects and they cannot make us truly happy. The reverse is the case, objects cause suffering when we are concerned that we may lose them. Perhaps intellectually we know that seeking happiness outside ourselves doesn’t work, but that doesn’t stop us from acting as if it did…. How many of us can honestly say that we live without raga in our lives?
So what is it that you’re attached to for pleasure? Latest gadget? Car? Or are you attached to knowledge or even gossip? We become so habituated or identified with the things we love or are attached to, that we rationalise or don’t question our desires.
A quote from the film ‘Fight Club’ where Tyler Durden says “the things you own, start owning you…it’s only after we have lost everything that we are free to do anything”.
So what are your ragas? What is it that you feel that you cannot perhaps “live without”? Observe them… maybe start to make some small changes in your daily life to lessen this excessive attachment and have more control over your desires.
Aversion - Dvesa;
On the flip side, our egoism (asmita) not only creates attachment to pleasure, but it also creates dvesa which is aversion or repulsion. When something displeases or distresses us, this can lead to aversion or hate.
If we are in disharmony within ourselves, this creates a chain of negativity. We start creating this way of being that forms our reality – and we become bound by our own suffering.
You know how one thing can put you immediately in a bad mood? For example:
Your favourite meal at a restaurant is no longer being served
Your favourite yoga teacher has been replaced by a teacher you are not familiar with
Your favourite sport team loses a game
Someone walked by you and was rude and unapologetic
Your partner is rushing you to be ready on time
You are in the company of someone who you struggle to get along with
And plenty more.
The above examples give you an idea how we can allow our attachment to having things the way we want them (having our preferences catered for) to get in the way of our happiness. When we are confronted with something we don’t like or don’t want, how do you react?
Something to think about: When you are challenged out of your comfort zone, perhaps at work or home life… or even a difficult yoga pose that you don’t like…how do you react to this? Being taken out of your comfort zone is a great opportunity for growth.
To step out of a state of aversion (dvesa) is to step out of your ego’s comfort zone. Being pushed around by the ego (I want…I don’t want…) is a vicious, never ending cycle which creates suffering. When we are in control of our emotions and we are freed from their impact. We can live on the middle path (striking a balance between excessive attachment and aversion), we can then relieve our suffering. You have the power to break the cycle.
Fear - Abhinevesa:
Abhinivesha is fear of death and the fear of change. When we think that the world around is the true reality we try to keep it the same, but its nature is ephemeral, everything is atrophying. The body is going to die but often people fear this because they have not overcome the 5 obstacles.
"Fear of death” or “clinging to life”. Many psychologists and philosophers believe that this ‘fear of death’ is the one thing that we all have in common – whether we openly admit it or not. Abhinevesa can take the form as: a midlife crisis, extreme religiosity, fear of the unknown, a ny form of neurosis.
Patanjali suggests that we calmly accept that death is a natural process and the opposite side of the same coin that carries life. Death is a natural process and to fear it over life creates only more fear and more suffering than we need!
So how do we overcome Abhinevesa?
Live in the present moment – enjoy the HERE and the NOW!
Remember that everything is as it should be
Accept that the life we are living is a sacred gift
A Quick AAAA Recipe for what to do when any of the Kleshas arise:
Attention:
Pay attention to what arises in your mind. Observe, observe, observe! Notice your desires, aversions or if a klesha arises.
Acknowledge
Acknowledge what comes up. Don’t deny or push it away. Admit to yourself what it is that has come up for you (eg. Your cravings or aversions, your ego labels…)
Allow
Allow them to come and to go. Try not to struggle or prevent them. Instead, imagine your mind as an indoor/outdoor vessel. Keep both doors open and try and let go of your obstacles rather than fight or give into them. Allow them to come and go!
Accepting
Kleshas are part of being human. We all have days when we are full of aversion or desire or ego… the idea though is not necessarily to be free from them (although that would be nice), but rather to learn to coexist with them and not let the kleshas control or define you.
And of course the ultimate way to relieve the obstacles to your suffering is: Practice yoga!
I looked and saw the sea sparkling with the rays of the morning sun as if it had been strewn with one thousand blue diamonds. I was the light, the sparkles were me, the water was the same as me, the air, the mountains, the sounds, the sand, we all were one in the same, possessed of and part of the one and the same energy. My mind, my body, my world, my time, my everything existed combined into one.