The Root of Misconception
Classical yoga refers to the teachings of Sri Patanjali’s, Yoga Sutras. The Yoga Sutras are a compilation of 196 aphorisms, or concise statements which are steeped with spiritual meaning. The Sutras weave a pathway to the Higher Self. It is within the classical teachings of yoga that we learn about the five afflictions, or causes of our suffering, known as the kleshas in Sanskrit.
“Ignorance, false sense of identity, attachment, aversion and fear of death are the afflictions.”
Avidya - The First Affliction
The first affliction, and the catalyst of the other four, is avidya or ignorance. Avidya is the mistake of identifying with our outer personality as the culmination of our being. This identification not only defines us, but it confines us as we mistakenly believe that it and the objective world is the source of our fulfillment. Yoga asserts, however, that in the depth of our being, hidden away by all the outer layers of our personality, lies an eternal and unchanging portion of our nature. This seed within us is called the Atman or the innermost soul.
Avidya is a creation of our mind and it asserts itself into every corner of our being and the world around us. The more that we identify with our limited sense of our self (asmita), the deeper avidya’s roots grow and we continue to perpetuate the cycle of suffering. In our ignorance, we look outwards for happiness and validation. Our conundrum is, the outer world and our limited identity are in a continual state of change and fluctuation and, therefore, can never bring us a lasting sense of satisfaction. What brought us joy one day, dissatisfies us the next. A pleasing pat on the back yesterday transforms into a harsh criticism today.
All of these temporary experiences support a continual cycle of grasping and clinging leaving us powerless and veil our higher potential, power and purpose. To end this cycle requires both an understanding of our mind, where avidya resides, and the purpose of the objective world.
Ending the Cycle of Suffering
When we become aware of our mind, we awaken to everything which inhabits in it, including our higher aspirations as well as our feeble prejudices. The mind only functions to the degree in which we understand its workings. If our mind is contracted into the limited lens of our small self, we see the world through a narrow and biased point of view. When the mind is expansive and harmonious, our perception is unburdened and we can see things clearly as they are free of our misconceptions.
The external world and our interaction with it reflect back the quality of our mind and provide us the opportunity to learn and evolve. Much of our lives we pivot from reactivity to passivity, up and down, success and failure agonizing in this pull of opposition. Understanding the workings of the mind lends to our ability to witness the transitory nature freeing us from the turbulence of our experiences. The veil of illusion becomes a little thinner.
When we awaken to the potential of the mind we are faced with a choice. We can maintain our identification with our limited sense of self, which is familiar and, therefore, feels safe even it it is uncomfortable, unproductive or harmful. Or we can attempt to liberate our mind from our conditioning and be of real service to the world. When we awaken, we unburden the world a little bit as we no longer project and perpetuate the ignorance which creates division and inequity.
Why is this relevant?
These teachings would be inconsequential if we could not directly apply them to our current circumstances. We find ourselves in two deeply profound moments in history, the COVID 19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The pandemic has created many unknowns and the ego contracts in uncertainty. The ego desires to return to normal, but this is another veil of ignorance. We cannot return to the past, there is only the moment at hand, but we often miss it due to our distracted minds. It is only in the present moment that we experience true clarity and can take mindful action to prevent future suffering. Thus we serve others by cultivating presence and deeper understanding.
The Black Lives Matter movement is a statement that the normal we were living was something none of us should desire to return to. The status quo was fraught with inequity, inequality, instability, prejudice and selfishness all due to ignorance. If we can begin to understand this, then we have a duty to weed out the root that causes and perpetuates suffering and disparity in our society and in the natural world. The choice is ours to make, do we fall back to sleep or usher in a new reality for the welfare of all?