The five fundamental mental afflictions (egoism, attachment, aversion, fear of death, identification) that generate and sustain systems of limiting beliefs.
The kleshas are the five foundational afflictions or patterns that, according to Patanjali, generate all psychological suffering and limiting beliefs. They are: avidya (ignorance), asmita (egoism), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death). Rather than treating limiting beliefs as isolated thoughts to be replaced, understanding the kleshas reveals the deeper patterns sustaining them. Fear-based beliefs often stem from abhinivesha (existential anxiety). Perfectionism beliefs typically involve asmita (ego-identification) and raga (attachment to outcomes). Self-doubt beliefs reflect avidya and dvesha (aversion to difficult self-examination). By identifying which kleshas underlie your limiting beliefs, you address root causes rather than symptoms. This framework offers psychological sophistication: you recognize that changing surface-level beliefs requires working with deeper motivational and emotional patterns. Patanjali's teaching suggests that sustainable belief transformation involves gradually weakening these kleshas through practice, naturally dissolving the belief systems they generate.
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