Causes of Suffering (From Yoga Sutras)

The Kleshas, literally "poison" in Sanskrit, are the root causes of suffering as explained by the sage, Patanjali, in The Yoga Sutras.  In understanding these mental disturbances (listed in the image below), we can become more self-aware and not get entangled in them.  As writer, Adam Brady, said, "Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional."  We have a choice to remember that we are the seer of the ongoings within the mind, the body and the material world.  Like yoga, this cultivation of empowered awareness takes consistent practice.  Yoga Sutra 2.6 points out the misperception of identifying "the power of the seer" with "the instrument of seeing."  Through meditation and self-study, we can identify the thoughts that cause us suffering and regain our perspective, as the witness, a pure consciousness that is peaceful by nature.

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