afflictions

Afflictions of the Mind

     The afflictions of the mind are ignorance, egoism, attachment or likes, repulsion or dislikes, and clinging to life.

     All these disorders ruffle the mind like a physical malady and are great impediments to meditation.  They hang upon man and make the qualities firm.  They raise thoughts and bring about the fructification of Karmas by coming to depend on one another for mutual support.  If you eradicate the clinging to life, the currents of likes and dislikes will die.  If you remove egoism these two currents will also vanish.  The root of egoism, attachments, repulsions, and clinging to life is ignorance.  If ignorance is destroyed by getting knowledge of Purusha through Samadhi the other four afflictions will die by themselves.

     Karmas are supported by the afflictions and afflictions are supported by the Karmas.  There is mutual support or cycle like the analogy of the seed and the tree.  These afflictions are the five ties that bind a man to the the wheel of birth and death.  The most important knot is ignorance.  This is the fundamental cause.  The other four afflictions are the effects of ignorance.  Pain and sin is ignorance only.  They manifest in those who have forgotten the true, all-blissful and eternally pure nature of Purusha.

     What is Ignorance? 

     Ignorance is the source of the other four afflictions(egoism, attachment, repulsion and clinging to life).  The afflictions have four stages: 

1. Prasupta State: In this state they are hidden and dormant like a tree and a seed.  Videhas and Prakritilayas have attained this state.

2.  Tamu Avastha State:  In this state they are in an attenuated condition like a thin thread.  Yogis who practice Yoga have attained this state.  They thin out and evil desire by developing the counter-current or opposite good desire.   Anger is thinned out by developing mercy, love, and forgiveness.  

3.  Vichchinna State: In this state the afflictions are in an overpowered state for the time being.   When a husband fights with his wife the thoughts of love are for the time being overpowered by thoughts of dislike or hatred.  As soon as the fight subsides thoughts of love manifest again.  

4.  Udhara State: In this state the afflictions are very powerful.  They operate with full force.  The last two states are present in worldly people.  They bind a man to the wheel of birth and death.  He who has attained the Tanu Avastha State can control the afflictions.  

     There is another state termed Daghdha Avasta, where in the afflictions are fried like burnt seeds.  This state exists in a full blown Yogi who has established in Asamprajnata Samadhi.

     Ignorance means taking the non-eternal, impure, painful and non-self as the eternal, pure, happy Self, or atman.  Ignorance causes perverted understanding and man is rendered blind by passion and various sorts of attachments.  He is under intoxication.  Ignorance clouds understanding.  An ignorant man is dead while living despite his wealth, possessions and university knowledge.  To take a thing for what it is not is really ignorance.  It does not mean absence of knowledge.  You mistake this perishable body of give elements and various impurities for the pure Self.  You think that you are the body only and have forgotten the real nature of Purusha.  This is delusion.  This is ignorance.

How to Remove Ignorance

     The method for the removal of ignorance is the continuous practice of discrimination.  

     Discrimination must be undisturbed.  It must become habitual.  There must not be any break even for a second.  When discrimination operates continuously you have complete inner life in the Purusha.  All the outgoing tendencies of the mind stop.  The senses become calm.  The practice of discrimination destroys ignorance, the cause of the junction of Prakriti and Purusha which leads to various experiences.  Discrimination remains shaky as long as false knowledge has not been removed completely.

What is Egoism?

      Egoism is the identification of the seer with the power of seeing.  The seer is the Purusha.  Vision is the instrument of seeing.  The instrument of seeing is the four-fold mind.  Purusha joins with the mind and appears to be one or blended with it.  Purusha has the egoism of "I" in the mind.  The mind is mistaken for the sentient Purusha or Atman.  This is egoism.  When you experience pain, anger, misery, contemptment, you associate yourself with these thoughts and feel: "I am angry.  I am miserable.  I am happy."  When the Purusha is associated with the mind, the experience of objects takes place.  Separate yourself from the thoughts and mind and stand as a witness to your original all-blissful nature.  This is Liberation. 

 What is Attachment?

     Attachment is the attraction to pleasure.  Through the memories or pleasures previously enjoyed, attachment or desire arises towards pleasure or the means of pleasure.  The desire for thinking about pleasure is included under attachment.  Egoism is the root cause of attachment.  Wherever there is pleasure there is attachment.  

     Why are you so attracted to your wife?  Because you derive pleasure from her.  You are attached to money because it is the means for buying various objects that give you pleasure.  Everyone is in search of happiness but the attempt is made in the wrong direction, in external objects like toys, books, money, university degrees, sons, honor and power. 

     There is something dearer than children.  There is something dearer than a wife.  There is something dearer than wealth.  There is something dearer than Prana or life itself--that something is the Atman or Purusha who is hidden in your own heart.  The search should be made within by withdrawing the mind from external objects, by controlling the senses, by practicing Yama, Niyama, together with concentration, meditation, and Samadhi. 

What is Repulsion or Dislikes

     Through memory of pain from past experiences, aversion comes towards pain and objects that give pain.  This is repulsion.  In this world man shuns pain and runs after pleasure.  He tries to get rid of objects that give pain.  The mind is born of bliss so it runs after pleasure.  No one teaches one how to seek for pleasure.

     Repulsion and aversion are the root cause of human suffering.  Wars, splits, descensions, sectarian quarrels and murders are all due to aversion.  Wherever there is aversion there you will find jealousy.  Jealousy is the intimate companion of aversion.  Jealousy is petty-mindedness.  It is a great pity to find that the mind's of even highly educated people who give public lectures, are filled with jealousy, hatred and petty-mindedness. What a shame!  As they are intelligent they devise cunning methods and plans to destroy others, to get fame and respect for themselves alone.  A petty-mindedness lecturer sows the seed of discord and disharmony everywhere.  He is a menace to society.  He is a man of evil qualities.  There is no redeeming feature in him.  He does more harm than good.  This aversion should be completely annihilated/  Then only will he be able to do good to society.