19. Avenues of Moh (Delusion).

 

Major and Minor Avenues of Moh (Delusion)

 I. Gross Avenues (Sthool Moh)

·       Physical Body: Over-attachment to health, youth, appearance. Moh of wanting to feel presentable

·       Wealth & Possessions: Money, property, vehicles. Moh in terms of fear of loss, greed to gain.

·       Human interactions & relationships: Friends, Family & Social Circles. Moh to love and being loved

·       Pleasures & Comfort: Food, sexual attractions, entertainment, luxuries, sleep. Moh to consume stuff in the comfort and luxury zone

·       Status & Fame: Craving recognition, power, praise, influence in society. Moh of the Image

·       Career & Ambition: Position, promotions, name, success for ego’s sake. Moh of the Ego

·       Habits & Routines: Savouring comforts. Moh of the Lifestyle

II. Subtle Avenues (Sookshma Moh)

·       Religious Identity: I am “Jain”, “Disciplined”, “Internally Feel I know more than others, I am better over the others”. Moh of external identity and Ego trophies

·       Ritual Practices: Moh for rituals without understanding. Counting fasts, pilgrimages, donations. One angle can be self-motivation but got to check if I have Moh encapsulated

·       Guru Attachment: Limited to Moh about a person? Cultish loyalty. The idea is to extract the maximum from the wisdom offered and put to use for my own growth than getting stuck into the Moh

·       False Humility: Subtle pride hidden under “I am so humble”. Reality check about Moh of showing-off humbleness. At times, it can/might be hypocrisy too.

·       Doership Pride: “I did this, I did that, I funded this…” seeking status / flamboyance through good deeds and creating an image. Trapped into this Moh?

·       Opinion Attachment: Inflexible views. Missed to ponder over Anekaant?

·       Misplaced Faith: Since transformation is not happening, focus on punya, which is ok but take pride in building that Punya leads to Moh

III. Micro-Avenues (Ati Sūkṣma Moh)

·       Attachment to Emotions: Holding on to sadness, grudges

·       Attachment to Thoughts: Constant replay of past or future; inability to rest in the present

·       Subtle Control: Wanting to control people, surroundings, outcomes, even karma’s flow

·       Fear of Death: Deep-rooted clinging to life and body identity

·       Craving for Rebirths: Desire for heavenly rebirths rather than liberation

·       Compulsive Comparison: Subtle envy or pride. “How am I doing compared to X?”

·       Attachment to Pain: Some hold suffering as identity. “My grumpy story”

·       Righteousness Trap: “I am right, you are wrong”; moral arrogance; and if someone tells me “I am wrong”, I become defensive in the trap.

·       Spiritual Gossip: Talking about other seekers’ faults. “He does this, that, is not pure enough!”

Tool-kit

·       Vivek: To see; not to hate myself, but to shine light where darkness hides.

·       Vairaagya: To disentangle gently, layer by layer.

·       Lakṣhya: To remember that “Nothing” is truly mine. I am the soul, the knower, the witness.

·       Saadhana: Every moment, I can shift: from grasping to letting go.

This is a great exercise and helps me elevate my experience.

Now, Why do I fall prey to all these Avenues of Moh? 

I feel, Literally at every smallest instance of time, I want to prove my existence to the world; to the people around me. And I have an immense "Moh" of proving my existence. This existence is non-real, it is fake, it is transitory. Even if I feel it's real, it is extremely fickle and not at all in my control.