Someone asked me a question on my blog
“how do we learn our lessons?” A very good question, because we don't often
know what we need to learn, where to
start.
Basically, we can learn either from
other people's mistakes or from our own. But
again, what to learn either ways?
Sage Patanjali advocates the
understanding of five human afflictions to start off the process of the right
knowledge to apply to our learning.
1. Avidya (ignorance). To obtain
knowledge of our soul, our purpose, what hinders growth? This requires a
realistic introspection. Avidya is believing we know when we don't at all, or
partially. About anything. We all know that when we think we know, there is
always more to know.
2. Asmita (ego, the "I"
identity) which colors our mind and intellect, and hence, our understanding
because it dominates, colors our perceptions and hence, creates an imbalance in the mind.
3. Raga (attachment). It creates
dualities of "mine" and "yours", conflicting with the
universal law of connectivity and of a universal consciousness.
4. Dvesh (hatred). The opposite of
attachment is shunning due to hatred, dislike. Also an imbalance because it has
no place in the evolution of man.
5.
Abhinivesha (fear of death). This happens due to all the four mentioned above.
We are attached to our physical bodies and to those of others. We are attached
to our egos which is misleading us from the truth. The positives and negatives
create an illusion of loss and gain, and we hold on to the world and our
physical, emotional and mental reality as we know it. Actually, we need to let go and flow smoothly.
So,
we must start working on our own cleansing of coloration through conditioning
and imbibing wrong knowledge along the way. And then, with a new awareness, we
will understand what we could have done better earlier and what we can do in
the present and future for our journey and our evolution.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
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