Digging Up The Tree Of Ignorance:

[Guest guest]

Digging Up The Tree Of Ignorance: Asoka Selvarajah, Ph.D

 

 

Why do we fail to do the good that we know we should? Why do we fall

below our own standards? Why do

 

we try so hard to make progress in life and yet have little to really

show for it?

 

 

 

In Yoga philosophy, the term AVIDYA is used to describe the condition

that causes this tendency

 

within us. It literally means " incorrect comprehension " ; better known

as ignorance. According to yoga

 

teachings it is deeply rooted in our being through repeated habit. We

know that any behavior, when

 

repeated often enough, becomes almost instinctive. This is true to

such an extent that we can even

 

believe such actions to be outside of our conscious control. The

misuse of this " anchoring procedure "

 

is the foundation of avidya.

 

 

 

Examples include unjustified angry reactions to other people, chronic

dependencies like alcohol or

 

drugs, or self-sabotage just when we are about to make a life-

changing breakthrough in some important

 

area.

 

 

 

The subtle thing about avidya is that it hides itself. It only ever

manifests as something else. Its

 

symptoms are everywhere, but the cause itself remains concealed. We

see it as " life " , or the other

 

person's fault, or some recurring self-destructive habit we can't

control. The source itself remains

 

concealed.

 

 

 

Avidya is like a deeply rooted tree with four thick branches. The

first branch is called ASMITA, or

 

ego. This is the part of us that seeks its own interests. It

considers itself better than others, is

 

bruised when it does not get its own way, and generally causes us to

identify with this earthly body

 

and the life it is living. It has no wider perspective than that.

 

 

 

The second branch is called RAGA and is best translated as Desire or

Attachment. This is the part

 

that constantly wants what it does not have. It desires what it does

not really need and seeks to

 

accumulate merely for the sake of it. It makes us unsatisfied and

causes us to continually compare

 

ourselves unfavorably with others. If we are wealthy, we are unhappy

because somebody else is

 

wealthier still. And so on......

 

 

 

The third branch is called DVESA or Refusal. This is like the recoil

response. Whatever negative

 

experiences we have had in life make us afraid of repeating them

again in case the same result

 

occurs. It can make us reject people, situations and possibilities

that just might cause us pain

 

again. In one person, it may be the fear of forming relationships

with the opposite sex. In another,

 

it may be a fear of public speaking as a result of negative childhood

experiences.

 

 

 

The fourth and last branch on the tree of Avidya is called ABHINIVESA

or Fear. These are specifically

 

fears that are NOT caused by previous experience. For example, we may

fear change, or growing old, or

 

that we may lose everything we worked so hard to earn. In other

words, things we may never have

 

experienced before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avidya, in all its subtle forms, works within us constantly to root

us in our habitual ways and make

 

improvement difficult or impossible. The more we indulge Avidya, the

stronger it becomes. Eventually,

 

we feel that we are no longer the doer of these things; they simply

happen to us. A person can

 

attract one disastrous relationship after another, or continually

experience uncontrollable rage

 

under certain stimuli, and feel that it is nothing directly to do

with them. It is just bad luck. The

 

person fails to see that there is only one person responsible for

everything that happens!

 

 

 

So what can we do? If Avidya obscures and clouds, it clearly must be

obscuring SOMETHING. Yoga

 

philosophy calls this something PURUSA. In the West, we know it as

the " Higher Self " or " Silent

 

Observer " ; the true divine spirit that lies within each of us. The

task therefore, is to bring Purusa

 

out and live from it moment by moment. By doing this, we minimise the

effects of the four forms of

 

Avidya. A Spiritual Master is one who has completely uprooted the

tree of Avidya forever and sees

 

things as they really are. Thus, one of the names for the Buddha

is " The Awakened One " .

 

 

 

How do we increasingly live from Purusa - the highest within us? The

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali suggest

 

three methods. The first is actual practise of Yoga - both the

physical postures and the breathing

 

exercises. If this is something you feel comfortable with, it is

definitely worth considering.

 

 

 

There are many physical and mental benefits to be gained from a

regular practise of Yoga, no matter

 

how simple. However, be sure to consult your doctor before even

contemplating such a regime,

 

especially if you are over 40 and have never done it before. Yoga

should only ever be learned in the

 

beginning from a live teacher. Books are helpful as a supplement but

should never replace live

 

tuition. Regular Yoga does progressively diminish the force of Avidya

in our lives.

 

 

 

The second method is through self-examination. Regular contemplation

of our actions and habitual

 

thought patterns will awaken us to take increasing responsibility for

our lives. Meditation is one

 

excellent method that can help. So too can keeping a Journal of our

progress. Activities like these

 

can break the habitual stimulus-response cycle, and place that moment

of choice back in between the

 

two.

 

 

 

In other words, instead of responding automatically as we usually do,

we can choose in that moment to

 

act differently. We become increasingly conscious and responsible,

instead of remaining creatures of

 

habit.

 

 

 

The third method is to create a certain detachment to the actions of

our life, and almost become an

 

external observer. Rather than being an active participant, taking

our hopes and dreams terribly

 

seriously, we become more like an actor in a play, playing the part

the best we can.

 

 

 

This form of spiritual detachment does not mean we under-perform in

life in any way. It merely means

 

that we become more detached and objective about the movement of our

lives; less elated when things

 

go right and less distraught when disaster occurs. In this way the

ego, and indeed all aspects of

 

Avidya, are progressively weakened.

 

 

 

In truth, all three methods work best together. However, one or other

approach can prove immensely

 

beneficial. For most of us, Avidya will remain to some extent

throughout our lives. However, the more

 

we can live from the true spirit within, the Purusa, the more

authentically we live our lives. We

 

relate to others better, make better decisions, and the hold of

ignorance upon our lives gradually

 

diminishes. We become the best person we can possibly be and thereby

benefit the world. Surely that

 

is the goal of life?