Kleshas: Part 1

In this episode we begin a discussion on the Kleshas - impediments, obstacles of inflictions that inhibit our spiritual growth. We decided to discuss them backwards - starting with abhiniveśāḥ, the fear of death. And after observing that we don't talk a lot about death in our cultures, we spend a considerable time talking about death...

dveṣa is aversion - or attachment to past pain. Not letting go of pain from the past can lead to a lot of unhappiness. Attachment is most often considered in the light of attachment to things we like, or experiences we have enjoyed so it's interesting to look at how we can become attached to the negative and how that plays out in life.

rāga is quite well known to yogis and others - attachment. We usually equate it to material objects, which we all know are not permanent. But the attachment to past pleasure is also raga and it's also not permanent. We could spend a lot of life trying to recreate past pleasures which is a fruitless exercise.