The Kleśas - The Afflictions - Part 1
The Kleśas
The Afflictions - Part 1
Building upon my previous blog article on Kriya Yoga, where Patañjali explains that we, ourselves, cause most of our own problems and suffering as a result of old, senseless, and sometimes harmful patterning. He then gives a methodology to help us both identify and escape this cycle of suffering — Kriya Yoga.
Kriya Yoga means Yoga in or Yoga through Action. It is what Yoga looks like when it’s happening in someone’s actions. In other words, whatever someone is doing is or is not Yoga. Furthermore, Kriya Yoga is composed of and dependent upon three qualities: svādhyāya (self-study), tapas (effort in the moment), and īśvara pranidhānā (faith or trust). If our actions have these three qualities, what we are doing is Yoga. If they do not, it is not Yoga.
Patañjali expands upon our practice of self-study (svādhyāya), and offers a way to identify whether or not our actions will cause us problems or suffering. He explains that as we observe our actions, we need to ask ourselves “why am I doing this?”
If the answer to “why am I doing this?” is one of five specific answers, known as the kleśas (pronounced: kleshas, meaning: afflictions), then problems will arise.
The five kleśas are:
Avidyā: Misperception or wrong knowing
Asmitā: Wrong Identity
Rāga: Desire
Dveśa: Aversion
Abhiniveśah: Fear
The kleśas cause self-inflicted suffering.
Think about your actions: Your actions are a result of some perception.
Now, think about a situation in which you acted and then experienced some regret: If you had perceived the situation differently, you would have acted differently, correct? Further, think of a time you entered into a situation nervously because something inside you perceived some sort of danger: How did you act? Would you have acted differently if you were not nervous?
Kleśas are perceptual errors. They are the foundations that cause inaccurate actions, or actions that do not match the actual situation. In other words, the kleśa we may experience when we have a perceptual error causes us to act or behave in a manner which is not appropriate to the situation.
When we perceive something, and how we perceive it, determines how we act in a situation.
For example, if you ever hold a position of authority, you may notice people responding to you with unusual or awkward behaviors. This is not because of you; it is because of the position you hold in the situation. Moreover, if you are perceived as someone who has power or poses a threat, that can factor into how people read (or perceive) you and the situation they are in with you. That perception may result in different or inappropriate behavior — this is a kleśa.
Circling back to Kriya Yoga, Patañjali explains in sūtra 2.2 (Samādhi-bhāvana-arthah kleśāh tanu-karana-arthas ca) that by practicing Kriya Yoga two results will happen:
1. We will move towards samadhi. Kriya Yoga takes us toward the acquisition of a very deep perceptual capacity. It furthers us down the path, and will deepen and refine our capacity to operate in a state of Yoga.
2. We will reduce the kleśas. Kriya Yoga helps to reduce or remove the afflictions that cause us problems.
By practicing Kriya Yoga and reducing or eliminating the kleśas, by becoming aware of and looking out for them, we reduce the problems and suffering in our lives. This creates more balance within our systems so that we have a greater capacity to be in a state of Yoga and can more accurately align with and act from our Knowing (Viveka Khyati).
A note for context: My perspective is based in the Viniyoga/Desikachar lineage. Viniyoga is a traditional Indian lineage of Yoga taught by TKV Desikachar, who was the son of Krishnamacharya. My teacher, Chase Bossart, was a 20+ year private student of Mr. Desikachar. I have studied this text with Chase, word for Sanskrit word, consistently for the past four years.
Stay tuned to learn more about each of the kleśas (afflictions) in my upcoming blog articles.
Namaste,
Kelly