Kleshas

[Guest guest]

Thank you for elaborating on Kleshas which is

what stands in the way of realizing ones True

Self.<br><br>Can you expand on how is one advised to remove

kleshas? What is the role of prayer, worship, rituals,

meditation, yoga? Does conscious living/everyday interactions

and behavior have any role to play and if so how? How

important is it to "walk the talk" that we speak?

<br><br>Thanks for your active participation !<br><br>Tat Twam

Asi<br><br>UMA

[Guest guest]

Om namah Sivaya, Blessed Self<br><br>The

following is my attempt to answer the questions of

samskaras, vrittis and conscious living prompted by the post

on kleshas. Again, others may hold different

viewpoints on these topics.<br><br>How do samskaras affect

kleshas?<br><br>Samskaras, the activators, are the impressions left in the

subsconscious by our daily experiences. Despite our avidya or

ignorance of Self, we instinctly keep turning to God just

as a flower keeps turning to the sun. So we have

samskaras that reflect our Divine Reality and our spiritual

yearnings as well as samskaras that reflect our interest in

ice cream, housing, jobs family and all the other

minutia of our daily lives. Samskaras are not passive

remainders of all of these experiences. They have power and

impact the conscious mind and prompt it to action.

Patanjali claims that one type of samskara promotes an

externalization of consciousness and of action. It forms a base

along with the senses and the ego that feeds the

kleshas. The other inhibits the processes of

consciousness. It undernimes that base that feeds the

kleshas.<br><br>Patanjali says that we must cultivate the samskara-nirodha,

the samskaras of restraint, to prevent the action of

samskara-vyutthana, the samskaras of emergence and so to enter

samadhi. Samadhi prevents the regeneration of

samskaras.<br><br><br><br>How to control vrittis?<br><br>“Vritti” refers to the

fluctuations of consciousness. Patanjali says there are five

types of vritti: (1) pramana, valid cognition through

the senses, of which there are three-pratyaksha or

perception; anumana or inference and agama or testimony. (2)

viparyaya, erroneous knowledge. (3) vikalpa, imagination or

fantasy. Knowledge without a perceivable object, the

details of which can be verbalized. (4) smriti, memory,

including the ‘memory’ of the samskaras. (5) nidra, deep

sleep, is the absence of content.<br><br>Patanjali says

in the second Raja Yoga sutra that yoga is

restraining the actions of the vrittis. This restraint is

produced gradually by remembering to apply the yamas and

niyamas in one’s daily life, by practicing asana and

pranayama, by pratyahara and by meditation. You replace

negative thoughts with positive thoughts, outgoing

thoughts with inner awareness, material thoughts with

sattvic thoughts, tamasic and rajasic action and attitude

with sattvic action and attitude. This allows the mind

gradually to become more one-pointed until meditation and

samadhi take place. It is a long, gradual, never-ending

process.<br><br>So conscious living/sattvic everyday interactions

and behaviour are the essential starting point for

overcoming the kleshas. A daily meditation schedule is also

essential.<br><br>There are two concepts called 'duhkha' and 'sukha' that

are useful. Duhkha is sometimes translated as

'suffering' but it can more profitably be seen as referring

to a feeling of being restricted, squeezed or

disturbed. As your mind becomes quieter, you will notice

that when you do or think something unsattvic, you

experience duhkha. Some would call that pangs of conscience.

If your actions and thoughts are sattvic, you feel

light and open. That is sukha. <br><br>Hari Om Tat Sat

[Guest guest]

thanks once again for your prompt response on

vrittis, samskaras and patianjali's asthanga yoga

-<br><br>all the members here would definitely benefit by

these posts on yoga . <br><br>may i leave you with this

verse which i learned from the shivananda asram?

<br><br>Om namah shivaya gurave<br><br>sat-chid-ananda

moortaye<br><br>nish prapanchaya shantaya<br><br>nira alambaya

tejase<br><br>Om. Prostrations to the guru who is Siva (bliss and

auspiciousness), who is the embodiment of

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, who is beyond world consciousness, who is

peaceful, without any support and self-effulgent.

<br><br>anyone who imparts teaching is a guru and in this sense,

you have established yourself as one of maa's

teachers. maa offers her sadar pranams to you.<br><br>maa

will be back in this forum on apri 14 on or around

tamil new year's day or baisakhi. this time will be

utilized by maa for some "anthramukhi" dhyana.

<br><br>blessings, maa