The Buddha in his Four Noble Truths stated:
- Life is suffering (Dukkha)
- There is a cause for this suffering
- We can put an end to this suffering
- Here is the eight-fold path to follow to end suffering
The Yoga system of Patanjali has a very similar concept of suffering or pain. In modern terminology, ‘stress’ is another name for this suffering. Patanjali uses the term ‘klesha’ to denote afflictions or suffering. He talks about five different kleshas, their cause and the remedy. These keshas are:
- Ignorance (Avidya)
- Ego (Asmita)
- Attachments (Raaga)
- Aversions (Dvesha)
- Fear of death (Abhinivesha)
Fear of Death (Abhinivesha)
Let us start with a discussion on fear since fear is the most easily noticeable form of the kleshas. The term ‘abhinivesha’ is usually translated as ‘fear of death’ which further translates to ‘instinctive clinging to worldly life and physical enjoyments and the fear that one might get cut off from all of them due to death’. Fear of death is something that is common to everybody, including even the most ‘learned’ person. In our life, we develop all kinds of fear – fear of losing what we already possess, fear of not being able to get what we desperately seek, fear of not being able to get rid of what we totally dislike etc. We seem to be living in a constant state of fear. This, of course, is the most common form of suffering that we all have all the time.
Raaga (Attachment) and Dvesha (Aversion)
What causes fear? Fear is the result of non-acceptance of reality as is. The reason why we are afraid of losing something that we possess is because we are too attached to it. Attachment comes from a previous pleasurable experience. Similarly, aversion comes about after an unpleasant experience. It is these strong likes and dislikes that create an environment of fear because we are too attached to the things that we like and have aversion to things that we don’t like.
Asmita (Ego)
The Sanskrit word ‘asmi’ means ‘I am ‘. Asmita means ‘I am-ness’ – identifying things with the ‘self’. It is this sense of "I am" and "mine" that makes us put labels on everything and also makes us judge everything. Asmita (ego) either lives in the past or the future. It is very uncomfortable in the present. It is the ego which creates the sense of attachment (raaga) and aversion (dvesha) based on a pleasant or an unpleasant experiences from the past. It is the ego which labels these experiences as such. Since the ego cannot live in the present, it does not allow us to accept things as they are. The acceptance comes only when we are able to live in the present moment.
Avidya (Ignorance)
The term ‘Avidya’ is used to denote not just a lack or absence of knowledge but also "wrong knowledge". The example most commonly used to explain ‘Avidya’ is mistaking a rope for a snake in dim light and being afraid of it. As soon as proper light is brought to the area, the rope is revealed, the ‘avidya’ is removed and the fear is gone. In a similar manner, the darkness of ignorance clouds our view and we mistakenly identify the material aspect of our being, which includes the mind-body complex, as the true Self. It is this ignorance which gives rise to the ego and all the remaining kleshas as mentioned above.
In summary, Patanjali, through the theory of kleshas, provides us with an understanding of why and how we develop mental stress which leads to pain and suffering. In practical terms, as long as our actions are prompted by the ego and not by a pure intellect, we continue to suffer. As a remedy to end this ignorance, Patanjali prescribes the “eight limbs of yoga” which will lead to a sharp and pure intellect and consequently an end to the suffering.
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Hi, interesting about suffering and fears, I recently read a statement that makes much sense to me, “there are only two emotions, love and fear”, so I think if we can take a moment when we feel an afflictive emotion begin and find what fear it is, it becomes easier to find a little space for love to enter and ease return, its like being in a difficult pose on the mat and to just stop grasping at some imagined perfection and making the posture an offering as we are, it changes the dynamic and returns us to our original nature, which is calm and loving
thanks Subhash for your good works
Hi Michael,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I like your example of being on the mat in a relatively challenging pose and developing fear of not ‘reaching perfection’. Just recognizing the existence of fear and trying to trace it back to the ego – that itself can be very rewarding.
Dear Sunil,
thanks for your feedback. The audio tracks of ysp are available here – http://yogasutrastudy.info/ysp-multi-track.html; and the ysp text in Devanagari here – http://yogasutrastudy.info/yoga-sutra-translations/ysp-in-devanagari-sanskrit/. Let me know if you have any trouble accessing these pages.
Subhash
Hi Subhash:
This article is very interesting as I relate it to my own life. Most of my stress comes from fearing the unknown ie..the downturn of the economy and how it has affected my lifestyle and the fear of what will be in the future. These are things that can not be controlled and not worth the worry or stress.
Thanks for posting the article
best,
Lorie
Hi Lorie,
I think you are echoing the fears that most of us face all the time. It is always the fear of the unknown, things that are beyond our control. The other side is equally true – connecting with some negative emotion from the past and getting stressed out about it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lorie.
Hi Subhash. Very concise and informative, specially the way it brings Budha’s and Patanjali’s teachings together. I stumbled upon this article because I was searching for the audio of Patanjali yoga sutras that you have somewhere on your website. Can you please point out how to get to it ? Thanks. Sunil
Thanks, Subhash. I found this particularly interesting: “Asmita (ego) either lives in the past or the future. It is very uncomfortable in the present.” Where does it come from?
Hi Dean,
I picked that statement from the book “Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle (p.22) “To the ego, the present moment hardly exists. Only past and future are considered important. It is always concerned about keeping the past alive, because without it – who are you? It constantly projects itself into the future to ensure its continued survival…”.
Very informative and thought provoking artical. I have learnt a lot , Thanks.
Dear Shobha ji,
It is so nice to see your feedback here. I am glad that you enjoyed reading this article.
Subhash