vendredi 25 janvier 2013

KLEISHAS. DEFECTS. YOGA. AMERICAN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Structural Defect (Kleisha) YOGA and Native American Indian concept of Character Defect

One pleasure of learning about YOGA from my friend MC in KL was the good understanding she had of KLEISHAS or structural defects of the mind.  Kleishas or Structural defects, which form the fundamentals of BUDDHISM as well, especially the three Kleishas: Ignorance, Attachment and Aversion.
Once we are aware of the five Kleishas, we can become adept at not being bothered by them or learn to contain them. There are many ways prescribed through the ages to contain them, but I like the idea of analysing them and thinking through. But I have learned that one has to be very careful, not to ask questions which would lead to further destruction of our minds and us.

These five can be thought of as the root causes of trouble and strife in ones life.
Ignorance
Ego
Aversion
Attachment
Fear of Change
Every one would agree that IGNORANCE is the root of the other Kleishas as well.
Yet another philosophy of life as ancient if not more than the Yogic philosophy, is the philosophy of the American Indians, natives of the Continent that we call the Americas: from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
Just listen to what a contemporary Quechua Indian from Peru has to say:
Also ask your heart to purify and cleanse this defect and harmful desire. Ask also the help of the inner father and mother. Every time we eliminate a defect we build our soul, our inner temple. We ascend.


My first lesson in the fear of change came when the teacher corrected me, please don't say you cannot sit in this fashion, it will become easier as time goes by and I got the message.
It reminded me of the poster message:  If you wait for the right time to do something, it would  never come..
Regarding aversion, my teacher MC corrected me when I said to her, I really don't like Singapore, she said, there is nothing wrong with Singapore, it is up to you to decide to be affected by those things that you do not like about Singapore! Believe it or not, on my next visit, I came to realize that Singapore has more leafy areas than a city like Bangalore in India and that Kaya and toast tasted good along with some Kopi in one of the shops in the Chinatown…Just a little change in your mind, and the life becomes bearable and even more beautiful.

When these defect arise in your heart, you tend to do say or do something that is unpleasant to you or those surrounding you. American Indians would advice: do not do a destructive review but a constructive review of your thought, and gives an example:
Destructive review is when we ask,
What is the matter with me?
How can I be so stupid?
They feel that this is morbid reflection of your action or remorse (a concept unknown to the Indians) and may affect your self-esteem. A constructive review would be to ask,
What will I do next time?
With constructive review as with the analysis of the Kleishas, we progressively eliminate the structural defects that stand between our minds  and the harmony of our lives.

It is 5 pm on a Friday as I write this, looking out at a park in Bruselas, Belgica.  Shabbat Shalom to my family and friends all over the World.


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