The five kleshas (fundamental afflictions) identify the deep existential suffering—ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, and fear—that addictive behaviors attempt to medicate.
Patanjali identifies five kleshas or fundamental afflictions: avidya (ignorance), asmita (egoism), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death). These are not moral failings but universal human conditions that addiction both masks and amplifies. Addiction typically develops as a misguided strategy to manage these kleshas: substances numb existential anxiety (abhinivesha), soothe wounded ego (asmita), temporarily satisfy attachment (raga), and avoid painful feelings (dvesha)—all rooted in fundamental misunderstanding of reality (avidya). From this perspective, addiction is not a failure of willpower but a symptom of deeper spiritual and psychological suffering. Recovery requires addressing these root afflictions rather than merely controlling substance use. This means developing genuine self-understanding that sees through false ego, cultivating equanimity toward attachment and aversion, and gradually reducing the existential terror that drives escape. Therapeutic approaches informed by this framework move beyond symptom management toward healing the underlying existential conditions that make addiction appealing in the first place.
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