Reading Week Five
The Kleshas and Karma II.10 - II.17
11.17 -- The conjunction between the seer and that which is seen is the cause [of suffering] to be avoided
When I first read this sutra, I was very confused. How can suffering come from someone seeing something? My impression of suffering is that it comes from actual actions of others. Thankfully, the book I bought off of Amazon has a brief explanation of many sutras. This sutra is explained thus,
“Likewise, the remedy for the suffering of embodied existence is to remove purusa from its association with prakriti”
Parusa means self and prakriti is nature. I got the impression that this sutra is trying to say that removal from suffering is removal from our connection to this world. Suffering comes from trying to connect with things that are seen, or in the world. These things are not inside of us, but outside of us. To prevent suffering, means to turn inward into ourself through mediation, I assume.
I see how meditating can free us from suffering as we can clear our minds and see truth. Being able to see truth will allow us to make wiser decisions that will not produce suffering. However, I am not sure what the ideal life for a person who practices yoga is. Do they want to completely sever connection with “what is seen” forever? Can we prevent suffering by intermittent meditation? I guess what I am trying to understand is if their is an inverse relationship between disconnection with what is seen and suffering. Does more disconnection mean less suffering?
In a lot of ways that is correct to the extent we are attached to this world and working in such a way that karma accrues, suffering will happen. The Gita offers a way of working in the work without the karmic debt. Patanjali definitely thinks future suffering can be avoided in all sorts of ways.
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