Suffering – Part I: क्लेश; Kleshas [Afflictions]

We all are in a quest for Happiness. Absolutely everything we do is for this quest for happiness. Eternal boundless happiness without a moment of suffering. However, on the way to achieving this happiness, we suffer. Why does this happen? In this series, lets try to understand what suffering is.

We often use the word suffering loosely. We confuse pain for suffering. Lets try to understand what the source of suffering is, why it arises and what can we do about it. Actually it is the Arishadvargas, the six negative characteristics of the mind: काम; kama (lust), क्रोध; krodha (anger), लोभ; lobh (greed), मोह; moha (attachment), मद; mada (pride) and मात्सर्य; matsarya (jealousy); that lead to suffering. They are also referred to as the षड्रिपु; Shadripus (the six enemies). But where do they come from?

It all begins with the 5 क्लेश; Kleshas [Afflications or Poisons]. Below is the shloka that describes the 5 Kleshas in Patanjali’s Yoga sutras.

अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः पञ्च क्लेशाः॥३॥
Avidyāsmitārāgadveṣābhiniveśāḥ pañca kleśāḥ.

These five kleshas [poisons/afflictions] are layered on top of each other. Just like a cake. Avidya [ignorance] the root of all, causes Asmita [“I”ness] and results in Raga and Dveshas [desires], finally causing Abhinivesha [fear]. A little more elaborately, ignorance about ourselves causes the feeling of “I”ness or separateness, which causes us to have likes/dislikes or desires, which finally causes fear of not satisfying these desires. These fears finally lead to the Arishadvargas, the six negative characteristics of the mind, that lead to suffering.

Let’s examine the five Kleshas briefly;

1. अविद्या; Avidya [Ignorance]. Avidyā, is a limitation to be overcome by each individual and does not imply a failure. The deep rooted misunderstanding of ourselves and the world is avidyā (false knowledge). This false knowledge gives rise to several root causes of misery or kleshas. It is essentially the ignorance about what you are, is what this ignorance is about. As we have seen earlier in other articles, you are NOT this body and you are NOT this mind. This ignorance about oneself is the basis for the next layer of Kleshas. Lets look.
2. अस्मिता; Asmita [“I”ness or feeling of separateness]. This is the feeling of “I” that we all have. We all feel that we are separate from this universe and the things around us. Like Alan Watts used to say, we are not born in this universe, but we are born OUT OF this universe. We cannot be separate from this universe. This body is not “us” or “I”. It is simply an extension of this universe. This feeling of separateness further causes desires within our being.
3. राग; Raga [Attachments/Likes]. Raga  is the desire or attraction for things that bring satisfaction to oneself. We say “I like this food”. “I like this behavior”. “I like this look”. These desires for certain experiences creates actions and blind sighted vision.
4. द्वेष; Dvesha [Aversions/Dislikes].  We say things like “I do not like this person”. “I do not like how she looks”. These dislikes or aversions are similar opposites of Raga.
5. अभिनिवेश; Abhinivesah [Fear]. Finally, the desires introduce fear. The fear of not getting what we want or the fear of experiencing what we do not want to experience or want. This fear of not being able to satisfy these desires, further leads us to the path of the Arishadvargas, the six negative characteristics of the mind.

We will talk about the Arishadvargas in the next article. But such is the seriousness of ignorance about what you are. We are NOT this body or this mind, yet we believe it to be.