August 2026

Pancha Kleshas: Seeing Suffering in a Different Way

The same experience may be perceived differently by different people, and even the way we perceive our own experiences can change over time. The experience is not determined solely by what happens to us, but also by how we see, interpret, and relate to what happens.

“Suffering” — we may first perceive this word as a negative experience, whether physical, mental, or emotional. Yet, understanding life’s trials has value for us. This is where the Pancha Kleshas (Five Afflictions) offer us something to reflect on — not as something to overcome, but as a way of looking at how we experience life.

What are Pancha Kleshas?

The Pancha Kleshas are often described as the five causes of suffering: ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, and clinging to life.

The Pancha Kleshas

The Pancha Kleshas are often described as afflictions or obstacles on the path. Yet, as sentient beings, perhaps we cannot simply avoid experiencing them. They are part of the landscape of being alive. What if, instead of seeing them only as obstacles, we could also see them as opportunities to observe how we experience ourselves, others, and the world?

• Avidya — Ignorance
  Awareness • Clarity • Understanding
  Reflection: How might I be seeing things through my own assumptions or perceptions?
• Asmita — Egoism
  Identity • Self-awareness • Perspective
  Reflection: How does my sense of “I” shape the way I see myself and others?
• Raga — Attachment
  Desire • Attraction • Wanting
  Reflection: How does my desire for things to be a certain way shape my experience?
• Dvesa — Aversion
  Resistance • Avoidance • Rejection
  Reflection: How does my resistance to what I do not want to experience shape the way I see it?
• Abhinivesa — Clinging to Life
  Fear • Uncertainty • Letting Go
  Reflection: How does my fear of change or loss shape the way I experience uncertainty?

It is not meant to be a list of things to overcome, but a choice in how we see and experience “suffering.”

When Suffering Becomes Practice

Perhaps suffering does not always need to be something we resist or remove. Perhaps it can simply be something we learn to meet — a choice in how we see, interpret, and relate to it.

To see beauty where we see chaos.
To see beauty is to see unity.
To notice what arises.
To sit with discomfort.
To accept what is here, without immediately needing it to be different.

Maybe this, too, is part of practice.
Tapas.