The Prognosis: Kaivalyam
The Good News (the Gospel): There is a way out of suffering
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Kunal
Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Salutations to all the teachers.
Dukkha manifests in many ways.
We suffer due to change and impermanence. We want things to be a certain way, and so we work hard to achieve our goals. We then suffer if we don’t achieve them. Alternatively, even if we do achieve our goals, we suffer to keep the good times going, and we suffer when they, invariably, don’t.
We suffer due to pain or suffering itself, whether it is caused by ourselves - our own bodies and minds, caused by those around us, caused by external forces in nature, or some combination.
We suffer due to the samskaaras, or mental impressions, which lead us to act, and therefore reap the results of our actions. Every action leads to results, and, as we have discussed, all results are ultimately shrouded in suffering, like honey mixed with poison.
Finally, we suffer due to the changing mind. Even when we achieve what we initially wanted, the fact that the mind cannot remain static means that the goalposts are constantly shifting, and so no matter how “good” a situation is, or how static it may remain, we are bound to suffer because our desires will shift and grow.
This is the nature of dukkha.
This dukkha has a cause. Normally, when we search for the cause of our suffering, we point at objects in the world. If we want money, and suffer due to a lack of it, we may blame our luck, the market, our parents, our employers, or even our own body-mind.
However, if we look closely, there is one common factor to all suffering - the feeling of “I” being identified with this particular body-mind.
In Yogic terms, this feeling is caused by the Conjunction of Purusha and Prakriti.
If we look closely, we find that there seems to be a separate “I” that can observe our bodies and minds. That is, our bodies and minds are objects to our Awareness - we watch them in the same way we watch the things outside the boundary of our skin. However, we identify more closely with these special objects than we do with the objects outside the skin.
We feel that they are “mine”, but that somehow they are “me.”
This is a special kind of identification, which we reserve for the body-mind complex - it is somehow both “me” and “mine” at the same time. However, if we consider this closely, we can see the absurdity in identifying with a possession (imagine if I told you that I was not only the owner of my phone, but I was my phone).
Additionally, we find that we have no legitimate claim to the body-mind. We did not create it ourselves, we were not gifted it, we did not purchase it, and nor did we win it in a contest or battle from its previous owner. Further, we don’t even have full control over it! Our claim that the body-mind is “mine” is based on some sort of superstition, with no rational basis - yet, we believe it to be true, and therefore we suffer.
This irrational belief is known as avidya, or The Primal Ignorance. This is the root cause of our suffering.
P: Why do we care about the cause of our suffering?
Jogi: If we can find the cause, then we can eradicate it. If we can eradicate the cause, the effect will also be destroyed.
P: So can we eradicate the cause?
As we have been discussing for the past several weeks, in traditional Indian medicine, doctors communicate to their patients in a fourfold format:
Our diagnosis is dukkha - the constant sense of incompleteness, lack of fulfilment - the bumpy ride.
The cause of dukkha is the Conjunction between the Seer and the Seen, and this cause is further caused by avidya - ignorance.
This week, we will discuss the prognosis - aarogyam. Is it possible to live without this disease of dukkha? If so, what it like?
Kaivalyam: Alone-ness, Solitude, Freedom, Wholeness
तदभावात् संयोगाभावो हानं तद्दृशेः कैवल्यम्।TadAbhaavaat samyogaAbhaavo haanam tadDrsheh kaivalyamBy the absence of it (ie. avidya), the Conjunction [between the Seer and the Seen] is removed. This is [the definition of] Kaivalyam for the Seer.
- Yoga Sutra, 2.25
Each of the world’s great traditions has a name for it. It goes by Nirvana or Nibbana in Buddhism; Moksha, Brahmajnana, or Mukti in Vedanta; Kaivalya in Jainism; Salvation or Gnosis in the Christian traditions; Ma’rifa in Sufism; De Dao in Taoism; Satori in Zen, and so on. It is also popularly referred to as “Enlightenment”, “Self Realization”, “Self Knowledge”, or “Liberation.”
In Yoga, it is known as Kaivalyam - alone-ness, solitude, freedom, or wholeness.
Kaivalyam is not quite a “state”, in that “state” implies a particular state of mind or body. However, for the sake of convenience, we will use the word “state” to refer to it here.
There are several sutras regarding Kaivalyam in the Yoga Sutra itself, and we will go through some of them here. Briefly, however, it is, in essence, a complete and utter freedom from dukkha.1
The word “gospel”, as we know from the Christian tradition today, originates from the Anglo-Saxon term “gōdspel”, which is a rendering of the Latin word “evangelium”, or the Greek “euangelion”, which literally means “good story”, “good telling”, or “good news.”
This is the prognosis - the Gospel. Despite our life (or lives) of dukkha, there is light at the end of the tunnel. This is the good news - there is a way out of dukkha.
Avidya, like any ignorance, can be removed with Knowledge. Specifically, this ignorance is about the nature of the Self, and the locus of this ignorance2 is the buddhi, or the intellect. Given this, in order to remove avidya, we simply require correct Knowledge of the Self, in the buddhi. For a recap on the Self, take a look at this article:
Once avidya is removed through Jnana, or Knowledge, the Self shines through, unobstructed, and Knows its own nature as free from the body-mind.
In other words, Purusha Realizes that It was free from Prakriti all along.
This is not the attainment of some new, refined, state of mind. Rather, it is much like realising, as you are searching desperately for your phone, that you were speaking on it the whole time.
“You wander from room to room,
Hunting for the diamond necklace,
That is already around your neck.”- Rumi
When this happens, the Purusha Realizes that It is free from both suffering and the one experiencing that suffering.
The mechanics of Kaivalyam
सत्त्वपुरुषयोः शुद्धिसाम्ये कैवल्यम् इति।SattvaPurushayoh shuddhiSaamye kaivalyam itiWhen the purity of the sattvic aspect [of the buddhi (ie. intellect)] is the same as [the purity of] the Purusha, this is Kaivalyam.3
- Yoga Sutra, 3.56
The mind, just like everything else in Prakriti, is nothing but a combination of the three gunas - sattva, rajas, and tamas. Each mind is different, and the same mind can also be different at different points in time.
These differences are the result of a change in the proportion of the gunas, and are well represented by the five possible bhumis, or “grounds” for the mind. More on this here:
When there is more tamas, the mind is slow, dull, and lethargic. A tamasic mind has a difficult time learning new things, is slow to move and respond, and feels like there is a dark, heavy cloud covering it, as long as the tamas lasts. A mind like this may feel sad, jealous, anxious, or generally tired.
When there is more rajas, the mind is jittery and scattered. It is constantly moving, flitting from one thought to the next. A rajasic mind is a restless mind - it is difficult to focus, constantly chattering, and often filled with desire, anger, jealousy, pride, and so on.
When sattva is high in the mind, the mind is calm, clear, quick, and highly alert. This is not the jittery and scattered energy of rajas, but a peaceful glow. Where the energy of rajas quickly dims into tiredness, the energy of sattva is resilient and sustainable.
Tamas and rajas together are the cause of the mental suffering we experience as kleshas. They cover, in a sense, the sattvic aspect of the mind just as dirt covers a mirror and obscures its reflective nature.
When a person looks into a dirty mirror, their face is obscured and distorted. If they don’t know any better, they may believe that their face actually looks that way. This is our current predicament.
On the other hand, once the dirt is cleared from the mirror, the reflection appears clear, and without any distortions. Said another way, the reflection in the mirror appears the same as the face being reflected.
In a similar fashion, when tamas and rajas are cleared from the mind, the underlying sattva is revealed. Sattva has a reflective nature for the Awareness of the Purusha, and so when it is free4 of the other two gunas, it reflects the Purusha back to itself such that the reflection is the same as that which is being reflected.
As a result, the Purusha sees, for Itself, Its own True Nature, reflected in the buddhi. Seeing this, an Understanding dawns that even the Purusha is free of, or independent (ie. kevala) of even the most subtle aspect of the buddhi. This Realization of Independence is Kaivalyam.
P: Didn’t you say that Kaivalyam results from the removal of avidya?
Jogi: Yes.
P: But you just described how Kaivalyam results from a reflection of the Purusha in sattva.
Jogi: Yes. Seeing this reflection removes avidya.
P: How?
Avidya - ignorance - is perhaps more accurately described as “ignore”-ance. The mind is ignoring the Purusha, which shines the light of Awareness on it, and feels as though it is the ultimate conscious entity.
Said another way, normally (ie. due to avidya), we confuse ourselves (ie. the Purusha) for the reflected Purusha in the mind. As a result, when the mind moves, we feel that the movement pertains to the Purusha. This is like if we look at a reflection of the moon in a pool of water, when there are ripples in the pool, it appears as though the moon is moving with the ripples.
However, in reality, the Purusha does not move - all movement, and so all suffering, is within the gunas.
As a result, once the Purusha “sees” its own reflection in the buddhi, it becomes absolutely clear that the Purusha is the Ultimate Witness, and is different from the buddhi. In this way, once the reflected Purusha becomes “equal to” the actual Purusha, Kaivalyam is realized.
P: Ok, but once this happens how does suffering suddenly disappear? Just because this happens doesn’t mean that I don’t have to pay the bills, or that people won’t be mean to me. This won’t prevent natural disasters, disease, or death. How does this solve the problem of dukkha?
Jogi: Who is it that suffers?
P: I do.
Jogi: Try again.
P: The body-mind suffers.
Jogi: That’s right. And are You the body-mind?
P: No, I am the Purusha.
Jogi: Is the Purusha affected by the movement of the gunas?
P: No, it - I mean “I” - remain unblemished, just like sunlight remains clean even if it shines on a puddle of dirty water.
Jogi: Exactly. So do You suffer when the body-mind suffers?
P: No.
Jogi: That’s correct. The body-mind will suffer, that is its nature. However, You are free from it, and have been free from it all along. You observe the changing, suffering body-mind. You can lessen the suffering. However, you needn’t take it seriously.
P: How so?
Jogi: Is it possible for a scary movie to be enjoyable? If not to you, then to another?
P: Yes.
Jogi: How can a person enjoy a scary movie, even when the characters are intensely suffering?
P: Because they are characters on a screen, they are not me.
Jogi: Yet you feel what they feel. When they are scared, you feel scared. When they are happy, you feel happy. Yes?
P: Yes.
Jogi: How so?
P: I identify with them for the duration of the movie.
Jogi: But you don’t suffer?
P: No, I enjoy the feelings - it’s all a part of the experience. I’m just watching the show.
Jogi: Exactly so. You can identify with the character to a degree, but Know that this is all just a show. You can feel scared, sad, angry, happy, and so on, but Know deep down that it’s not You who is feeling all this. It is the body-mind, presenting the show to You, the Purusha. In this way, even the most intense suffering is seen to be a play - a leela.
P: Then what about the suffering of others? Should I just sit back and watch that too?
Jogi: Not at all. You can, and will, act to relieve their suffering. After all, the separation between “you” and “others” is at the level of the body-mind. Kaivalyam is a Realization that this “separation” is illusory - the result of avidya. Once avidya is removed, there is no longer any separation, and so all action blossoms from a place of love. This is the very same love that you once applied to your own body-mind. However, in avidya, it was misappropriated. That is, you thought this love applied only to this body-mind, but the reason for this was because you thought that this body-mind was “me”. Now, seeing that all this is “me”, that same Love expands to all beings everywhere.*
Next week, we will continue the discussion on Kaivalyam, and go over the ways in which it manifests in the Realized Yogi.
Next week: Kaivalyam Part II: The sevenfold insight
In Vedanta, it is accompanied by the attainment of Ultimate Fulfilment, Satisfaction, or Bliss - Aananda.
This is a more detailed discussion, but for our purposes here, considering the locus of avidya to be in the buddhi shall suffice.
In some renditions, this is Sutra 3.55.
Relatively free - sattva can never be completely free of rajas and tamas, since the three gunas are ultimately inseparable.