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Sutra I. 37 Vita-raga-visayam va cittam

Also from cultivation, association, and intercourse with and/or reflection of (visayam) those dear friends of the path who have achieved release (vita-raga). Those whose HeartMind's who have achieved clear lucidity, mirror that back into our own lives -- they act as clear channels and vehicles of its further expression.

Commentary: Especially in the beginning of our spiritual practice when the pathways call to be opened up -- when the mind still is heavily addicted and afflicted with kleshas and vrtti, it is very helpful to not only to associate with spiritual friends who are on the path who reflect, reinforce, and remind us of light, love, clarity, and grace, but also to avoid people and situations who being dominated by similar kleshas (ignorance, fears, jealousies, hatred, anger, desire, greed, and the like) to our own might reinforce our negative tendencies and illusions.

II. 3. Avidyasmita-raga-dvesabhinivesah klesah

The mental, emotional, and biopsychic afflictions and obscurations (kleshas) stem from avidya (ignorance) of our true nature. As a result of this ignorance [which veils the bright light of truth], the other kleshas arise such as asmita (the limited false identification of egoism), raga (attachment and craving), dvesa (repulsion, dislike, hatred, anger, fear, and aversion), and the fear of dissolution (abhinivesah).

Commentary: The kleshas are mental/emotional activities which lead toward negative karma and/or in turn are the results of past negative karma (IV.30). They lead to suffering and pain (duhkha) or arise from pain. They arise from the citta-vrtti or produce further citta-vrtti (I.5).

Yes, I think that for the most part, people are confused about rap music. Rap music can be very liberating when it identifies what is really going on in the mind/emotions as well as in the everyday environment (listening to the weather),rather than trying to cover it up, sanitize it, pretty it up, ignore, or deny it.

Regarding the Yoga Sutras it is easy to become confused unless you reward it in context. The specific sutra commentary that you quote is about cultivating friendship with vita-ragas (yogis who are free from attachment to results or liberated beings). That means hangin with sangha, peeps on the path to liberation. They are either liberated or dedicated to liberation (mukti).

Traditionally for a sadhak, that means going to satsang, darshan, dharma talks, etc. The key phrase of the commentary is "Especially in the beginning of our spiritual practice when the pathways call to be opened up -- when the mind still is heavily addicted and afflicted with kleshas and vrtti, in the commentary is "especially in the beginning".

So the kleshas are considered part of everyday life and usually insidious and unconscious that it becomes SOP (fear, desire, hatred, jealousy, arrogance, anger, etc).-- for those who are still operating within samskaric existence (dvesa/raga) which means most people.

That is why most yogis take retreats (Lamas take three year retreats) AFTER they have recognized the kleshas, have decided to do some thing about them, and have received at least basic training and skills on how to transform them.

It is standard in tantra to take the kleshas and transform them through special practices. What is very special there is not to avoid, repress, or restrain the kleshas, but rather utilize the energy for liberation. That is a very critical distinction in tantric yoga and vajrayana that distinguishes it from sutra and other forms of yoga as you probably already know.

So in rap music or hip-hop (at least the little I understand it) this stuff (cause and effect) is often brought forward to consciousness - identified. Thus it has an educational effect-social value. Another kind of rap may just bring up the anger, frustration, and pain (I am angry and in pain) but has little contextual or educational direction other than to share one's emotional depth.

My experience shows that the problem is repression of their vital authentic feelings so that people have become repressed, separated, and estranged from their deeper evolutionary and creative powers. Hence life becomes very superficial, limited, sanitized, neurotic, and sometimes even cynical. Basically they have become separated from their deepest feelings. They have become separated from nature and their true nature by artifices of the mind (conditioning) and hence they have become left brain dominant (very logical, willful, and controlling but at a price suffering from a lack of spontaneity, receptivity, and naturalness. That corresponds closely to the well talked about Cartesian split, mind/body split, spirit/nature split which tantric yoga is designed to heal. Let me say that hatha yoga for the most part can only be understood fully within the tantric perspective.

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