Kleshas and the Root of Human Suffering
Kleshas are the forms of suffering that make us live this wheel of Samsara. There are five, and when you are stuck with one of them, you cannot reach Moksha (liberation), which is the goal of every yogi or of those trailing the spiritual path of Self-Realization.
What are Kleshas?
Translated from Sanskrit as “Poison,” the Kleshas are like toxins from the different layers that we add to our personality.
“Avidya-asmita-raga-dvesa-abhinivesah klesa?”
The Kleshas are manifestations derived from identification with the ego, preventing our true self’s understanding of the perfection beneath the layers. In Buddhism, the Kleshas are mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions. Avidya is ignorance. Asmita is identification with the ego, Raga is desire, Dvesha is aversion, and Abhinivesha is fear of death.
In verse 2.3 of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes five Kleshas as the roots of all human suffering.
Some Kleshas are constantly subtly manifested in our lives, and others can cause significant pain. Regardless of the intensity of their manifestation, the kleshas prevent us from enjoying this life, realizing that we are not just this mortal body. Understanding the kleshas is essential if there is a change in how we deal with our automatic reactions from our ego.
They say that kleshas are overcome with meditation, Tapas (Tapas can be translated as austerities), and true knowledge.
Being in the present and accepting the flow of life is the recipe against this cycle of “suffering production,” so practice, breathe, smile, be grateful and enjoy each experience provided to you.
Ignorance – The First of the Kleshas
The first Klesha, Avidya, is considered by Patanjali as “… the fertile field for the other four …”
The prefix ‘a’ means ‘no,’ and “Vidya” means knowledge. It is not ignorance due to a lack of intellectual capacity but due to a lack of ability to see the truth. It acts like a veil in front of our eyes. It is as if something denies our authentic knowledge above all that baggage that forms our ego.
Because Avidya is ignorance of who we are when we are identified with the characters added by ourselves throughout our lives. We became the mother, the teacher, the daughter, the friend, the wife, and so on.
Our way of seeing the world is linked to our material experiences that are so personal that they shape different realities for each of us. When the mind dominates, we live in Maya, illusion, not distinguishing what is permanent and transitory, bringing up all the other afflictions, the other Kleshas. Within this “our individual reality,” we trust our thoughts as accurate and connect with the ego allowing the doors to the next kleshas to open.
Ego – The Second of the Kleshas
The second, Asmita, is this ego that I spoke of above, an identity that we create, who makes us believe that we are our body and ego. It provides a clear identification with the labels or characters we create for ourselves. This ‘identity” that is always trying to feel special and when that doesn’t happen gets frustrated. Sometimes we are moved by this ego, that is, by the results of our actions. If we are successful, we become proud. Otherwise, our life falls apart.
We tend to forget who we truly are (avidya). We seek this identification with what is fleeting. “If I am my body, I am finite, and I suffer as a result of Raga and Dvesha.”
Raga and Dvesha are related to ego desires and attachment to the result of our actions.
Attachment – The Third of the Kleshas
The third is called Raga, attachment, the need to have things to get pleasure. It can also be linked to a person, a kind of obsession with someone. It is everything that attracts us, distracts us, that we use to protect our individual existence. It can be power, love, security, or recognition. The danger is not to identify its transience.
As if Raga were our desire to obtain desire, satisfaction, and happiness and Dvesha was the fear of not getting it. So, I have passion and attachment for what my ego considers good and aversion for what it considers bad.
It is easy to feel attached to a pleasurable experience such as a sweet taste, the smell of coffee, or a drug’s effects. In relationships, we can get attached to people who offer a sense of security or affection.
But being connected to something is an indication that you are afraid of it being taken away from you, creating tension and anxiety. Developing this same fear through experiences that we find unpleasant causes the same state of stress.
Aversion – The Fourth of the Kleshas
Do you remember waiting for the result of a medical examination full of tension because of the possible outcome? This is a clear expression of dvesha. Dvesha, translated as aversion, is the fourth Klesha.
When we experience something that result is unwanted, our defense is to ward off any possibility of reviving, and, thus, we block other opportunities for fear of repeating.
We do not let go of this past makes it even more present and makes us create prejudices.
If You judge the experience as unfavorable and do not want it for your life (aversion) and, in this case, even more expressively, you are connected to Abhinivesha.
Fear of Death – The Last of the Kleshas
The last is the fear of death, Abhinivesha, the attachment to life, which makes us fear the end of it. This theme only Spirituality can help, believe that there is a greater purpose, thus, coming out of ignorance, Avidya!
We naturally have our survival instinct, and we are born and die with the fear of death.
The knowledge that in the material world, everything is transient, including life, makes us aware that suffering is only an illusion caused by ourselves.
Pranidhana
All 5 kleshas speak in some way about our need to control. We want to control actions and results, and realizing that we are not in control, we suffer. As a remedy against this “poison,” we can use “Pranidhana.”
Pranidhana is a spiritual practice to dedicate, devote, or surrender. It means that if we can completely surrender our individual ego identities to God (our own higher self), we can free ourselves from these Kleshas.
Everyone has that moment in their existence when we stop and analyze their life, what they are doing and where they intend to go.
It turns out that we often live in Maya. That is, we believe in a false illusion of the Universe, of life, and of ourselves, so we do not break free from this cycle of Samsara, where we spend our lives chasing something that we believe will make us happy.
Yoga believes that real happiness exists when we get rid of our need to be “special.”
Have you noticed how nice it is to receive a compliment? And when we do something good, how do we expect others to recognize it? And when it doesn’t, how do we feel frustrated?
You can’t stand waiting for the world to discover all this wonder you are!
But what if you try to get rid of all your roles and of all the judgments that these roles bring you?
Your role in your family, in your work, in your nucleus of friendships. Just be your essence, full of love, and open to all experiences. There you don’t need to be the best at anything, just be. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.
Then you will discover that being special is a prison, and to achieve freedom, Moksha, just be simple. And to be simple, you need to be present. We need to ground ourselves on the here and the now.
So, close your eyes and notice that you are not just this body, not just these thoughts, not just these emotions, get in touch with your essence. That is the essence of Spirituality.
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope on OMTimes!
Visit Our Astrology Store for Personalized Reports
About the Author
Humanity Healing Network is an Ageless Wisdom education outreach of Humanity Healing International. https://humanityhealing.net
OMTimes is the first and only Spiritually Conscious Magazine. Follow Us On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest, and Youtube
