Understanding Human Suffering: The Five Kleśas and the Return to Our True Nature
About this episode
Amy Wheeler explores the five kleśas and their relevance to understanding human suffering in the context of yoga philosophy.
In this solo episode, Amy Wheeler explores one of the most important psychological teachings in the yoga tradition: the five kleśas , described in Chapter 2 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. These teachings help explain why human beings experience suffering even when they are sincerely trying to live well. Drawing from both Sāṅkhya philosophy and the Yoga Sūtra, Amy walks listeners through the deeper roots of suffering, beginning with the distinction between puruṣa (the witnessing consciousness) and prakṛti (the body, mind, senses, and the manifest world). When these two are confused, the mind becomes entangled in patterns of misperception, attachment, aversion, and fear. These patterns are what Pātañjali calls the kleśas. Throughout the episode, Amy explains how these ancient teachings remain remarkably relevant today. The kleśas show up in modern life as over-identification with our roles, addiction to approval or stimulation, avoidance of discomfort, fear-driven decision making, and the constant pressure to control life so that we feel safe. Rather than presenting yoga as a way to avoid suffering, Amy emphasizes that the deeper aim of yoga is to understand suffering clearly…
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