Momentum Yoga: The Blog

2.3 avidya asmita raga dvesha abhinivesha pancha klesha
There are five kinds of coloring (kleshas):
1) igorance or avoidance of the true nature of things (avidya),
2) egoism of the mind over the consciousness (asmita),
3) attachment to thought patterns or objects (raga),
4) aversion to thought patterns or objects (dvesha),
5) attachment to these states or fear of the loss of them as death (abhinivesha).

avidya, my friend.  Well, I suppose, not really my friend.  But it seems a frequent companion.

How often do you find yourself saying “oh, I can get all this done today” when  – if you really honestly evaluated the situation – you would know that you were overextending yourself?

How often do you find yourself with an unpleasant task, perhaps a mound of laundry, a garden full of weeds, a boring assignment at work, a messy garage to tidy, or something else, that you just overlook, not really seeing it for what it is?  And then, one day, you notice “Wow, my backyard isn’t a yard, it’s a jungle of weeds.”  (And now, you see that I am not a big fan of cleaning.  I definitely am working on my avoidance of the true nature of entropy in my house.)

I’m tempted to believe that our culture encourages this.  We have so many options, so many distractions, available to us, that it’s easy to overlook something, and focus instead on something else.  We can hang out with friends, read a book, watch a TV show, go to a concert, play a computer game… The list is endless.  All instead of looking at what is really around us.

You can argue that it doesn’t really hurt us to do this, that it is good to let go of the hangups of having all our laundry put away, an impecable garage (which isn’t really the centerpoint of our life, after all), and so on.  But what if we do the same thing to ourselves?

If we ignore the true nature of who we are, in favor of who we think we should be, is that really so benign?  If we avoid the true nature of what we are called to do (our dharma), is that really “no big deal”?  Or is it going to affect everything else that we experience in our lives?

I can hear some eyerolls out there.  You may think I’m either a new-age-hippie-freak, spent a little too much time drinking the psycho-yoga punch, or am just a bit wacked out.  But try thinking about it at a “less big deal” level.  If you always wear sunglasses, it is going to affect everything you see.  If you always wear earplugs, it is going to affect everything you hear.  And if you always avoid what is really there – externally, but internally as well – it’s going to affect how clearly, fully, and authentically you can see the world as it truely is to be seen by you.

None of us are perfect at this, and it can be a frustrating, life long effort.  But the effort, the journey of exploring this avoidance, this lack of knowledge, it is one of experience, of life.  And what more can we ask for ourselves, but to live full of life.