“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
Khalil Gibran
In the second chapter of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras we go into detail about the 5 Kleshas which are the true origin of all our suffering and struggles. The word Klesha literally means poison. We all have to face them, some of them every day and others only sometimes. There are moments in our existence where we feel dejected, we don’t know how to get out of the suffering that afflicts our days. The first thing to do is to deeply understand the origin of our suffering. As Gibran reminds us, strong characters are seared with scars, so we must accept this to transcend it. In spirituality, in fact, the persons who suffers the most have the greatest chance of awakening because suffering itself is the push that leads them to understand the illusion of our life. Those who do not suffer particularly normally simply pass their existence from one distraction to another without realizing the illusion in which they live. So you can see this sufferings as the stepping stones to a higher state of consciousness. Let us now see the 5 Kleshas in detail:
1)Avidya: ignorance
The word Vidya in Sanskrit means knowledge, the suffix “a” makes the word negative, therefore literally “lack of knowledge” or ignorance. Ignorance is not that of the illiterate but refers to primary ignorance which is that of identification with the physical body and the mind. Your true nature is silence and peace and is an immutable nature or the Being that has always existed and will always exist. From an intellectual point of view what I am saying could be denied, but the mind cannot deny it because it is not a belief, it is not a philosophical speculation, nor a mental concept that can be discussed, but it is an experience that one have or doesn’t have, a bit like putting your hand in the fire and discovering that it’s hot: this is a fact, not a far-fetched idea. So if this peace is not part of your daily life it is because you are constantly lost in thoughts and as a result you will be suffering.
2) Asmita: Egoism
The word Smita in Sanskrit means to flourish and expand so once again the “a” negates making its meaning clear. The ego exists for our good, in fact it protects and defends us, without the sense of separation we could not survive in this system. Unfortunately it becomes a problem when the “I” becomes our only reason for living. In this situation of identification with thoughts and body, man continues to think only of himself, of his health, of his well-being, but in this way it is not possible to live happily nor to develop a sense of compassion for our similar, we will live constantly in struggle without ever being able to deeply relax within the flow of our life.
3) Raga: attachment
Every time we experience a pleasure in life, for example induced by the sight of a splendid landscape, by the company of a person, by a food or by a particular substance, the brain records the experience and when it ends it would like to return to feeling the same. This is why we become addicted to one or another form of pleasure. Once again, however, we must say that pleasure in itself is not bad, indeed it should be experienced with joy and totality, the problem is precisely the constant search for it. So it is not by running away from pleasure that the problem will be solved but only by living it conscientiously and keeping in mind that it is impermanent and will no longer be there tomorrow. If this desire recurs in your brain you can always ask yourself if you really need it at this precise moment in your life or is it just an attachment?
4) Dvesa: aversion
Raga and Dvesa are closely linked, in fact one is the opposite of the other and in our days we are always experiencing one or the other, in some way we either reject pain or seek pleasure. When we get sick why do we reject the illness? Why not instead welcome her as a teacher who is leading us towards change? Why do you refuse that your girlfriend or boyfriend left you? Why not accept that it’s time to continue your life without that particular person? Every situation can be addressed in two ways: one is by accepting the present moment as it is and if we have to react to a problem we do so otherwise we can also observe without doing anything, the other way, which is what we normally do, is to enter in a whirlwind of thoughts that overlap with the present situation, remember that your thoughts are not the situation, the situation exists without your thoughts! Instead of complaining about the present situation, try to see what it is teaching you so you can grow as a human being.
5) Abhinivesha: fear of death or attachment to life
Birth exists because death exists, and vice versa, they are two sides of the same coin which is our passage on this earth. Will there be a next life? Will there be a resurrection? I am open to any hypothesis, but if we go beyond our beliefs, only this eternal present remains that we constantly escape by clinging to memories or escaping into hope which is nothing more than a projection into the future. Death has always had a very bad reputation, especially in the West, while in the East we can talk about it more freely without having such negative meanings, even in the Tantric traditions of India it is called “the great orgasm”. The sad thing is not death but the life that people don’t live because they are afraid of changing and finally being themselves. The 5 Kleshas therefore bring clarity to our minds: by working on each of them we will slowly leave our suffering behind and live a more conscious and peaceful life.
