What causes suffering? (theory of Kleshas)

The Buddha, in his Four Noble Truths, stated:

1. Life is suffering (Dukkha)
2. There is a cause for this suffering
3. We can put an end to this suffering
4. Here is the eight-fold path to follow to end suffering

Five Kleshas

The Yoga system of Patanjali presents a concept of suffering, or pain, which is very similar to the one mentioned above from Buddha. In modern terminology, ‘stress’ is another name for this suffering. Patanjali uses the term ‘klesha’ to denote afflictions, pain or suffering. He talks about five different kleshas, their cause and the remedy. These keshas are:

Sutra 2.3

अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः क्लेशाः॥३॥
avidyā-asmitā-rāga-dveṣa-abhiniveśaḥ kleśāḥ ॥3॥

1. Avidya (Misapprehension About The Real Nature Of Things)
2. Asmita (Egoism)
3. Raga (Attachmant
4. Dvesha (Aversion)
5. Abhinivesa (Fear Of Death)

Avidya (Ignorance)

Sutra 2.4

अविद्याक्षेत्रमुत्तरेषां प्रसुप्ततनुविच्छिन्नोदाराणाम्॥४॥
avidyā kṣetram-uttareṣām prasupta-tanu-vicchinn-odārāṇām ॥4॥

Ignorance is the field for the others mentioned after it, whether they be dormant, feeble, intercepted, or sustained.

Sutra 2.5

अनित्याशुचिदुःखानात्मसु नित्यशुचिसुखात्मख्यातिरविद्या॥५॥
anityā-aśuci-duḥkha-anātmasu nitya-śuci-sukha-ātmakhyātir-avidyā ॥5॥

Ignorance is regarding the impermanent as permanent, the impure as pure, the painful as pleasant, and the non-Self as Self.

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.

Asmita (Ego)

Sutra 2.6

दृग्दर्शनशक्त्योरेकात्मतेवास्मिता॥६॥
dr̥g-darśana-śaktyor-ekātmata-iva-asmitā ॥6॥

Asmita (Egoism) is the identification, as it were, of the power of the Seer (Purusha) with that of the instrument of seeing [body-mind].

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.

Raaga (Attachment) and Dvesha (Aversion)

Sutra 2.7

सुखानुशयी रागः॥७॥
sukha-anuśayī rāgaḥ ॥7॥

Attachment is that which follows identification with pleasurable experiences.

Sutra 2.8

दुःखानुशयी द्वेषः॥८॥
duḥkha-anuśayī dveṣaḥ ॥8॥

Aversion is that which follows identification with painful experiences.

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.

Abhinivesha (Fear of Death)

Sutra 2.9

स्वरसवाही विदुषोऽपि तथारूढो भिनिवेशः॥९॥
svarasvāhi viduṣo-‘pi samārūḍho-‘bhiniveśaḥ ॥9॥

Clinging to life, flowing by its own potency [due to past experience], exists even in the wise.

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.

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.