When a person has not attained self-realization yet, he
needs a faith or belief to rely on as his guidance in life. Even when a
person thinks that he doesn’t need a guidance in life, he still has a
certain type of characteristic or personality of his own. These
characteristics and personality are in fact influencing him to think,
act and speak, and he has certain point of view about himself, his life
and the world.
He is being moulded into certain types of behavior and being ”trained” to have certain types of thinking – by the people and all the happenings in the world that he comes in contact with, without him being aware of it. He doesn’t know that actually he is always being affected or influenced by all and everything in the surrounding. This surrounding with all the people and happenings in it, is ever changing without a true characteristic and there is no certainty at all. He will think that he is independent and intelligent enough to have his own ideas and that he is different from other people.
But this is not really true.
We were always being told about many things, teachings, stories, cultures and beliefs by our elders, our school teachers, our friends, our public and social medias, and the leaders in our society, from the moment when we were being born until now. We are full of fears and worries. We are being influenced by all the stories and ideas that was told by all these people. We have certain likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements. We all only want happiness and don’t want unhappiness. We all want to be a special individual and being different from other people. We all are being influenced and manipulated by so many things in the world. But we still think that we are very smart and are better than other people.
Even Buddha said that he is not different from all other living beings and all other living beings are not different from him.
Why did he say this? What did he mean?
It is because when he realized selflessness, he realized that he and all other living beings have one same nature and have no differences at all regardless of whether we know about it or not. And we all have the same needs for the maintenance of life, the same ignorance, the same wisdom, the same anger, the same ego, the same hunger and thirst, the same sadness, the same compassion, the same impermanence, and the same enlightenment. All living beings have the same equal freedom to be happy or sad, to be enlightened or to be ignorant; having similar painful sorrow and suffering; same functioning of the mind, the ego, the intellect and the subconscious mind. And we all have to go through birth, growth, old age, illness and death. No one can avoid any of these impermanence of existence until we realized selflessness.
If a person has no faith or a belief to rely on, he will fall apart when he encounters some difficulties or disappointments in his life. He will be lost in the ocean of lust, greed, disappointment, hurt, anger, ignorance and selfishness.
And so, it is important that we have a faith or belief to rely on. Although it is not a necessity, but it does help us to go through many trials, difficulties and challenges in life.
But how do we choose a faith or belief? And where can we find it? Because there are so many different beliefs in the world, including good practices and evil practices as well. How are we going to be sure that which one is really good for us and will benefit all living beings? Which one will lead us to know the Truth?
”Whatever actions and speech that are bringing peace and harmony to oneself and others as well, are good and are right conducts; and whatever actions and speech that are bringing disharmony and unrest to oneself and others, are not good and are wrong conducts.”
“Whatever actions and speech that are promoting loving kindness, peace and harmony, we should support and promote them. Whatever actions and speech that are promoting hatred, violence and disharmony, we should not support nor promote them.”
This basic phrase from the teachings of the ancient saints and sages should be our initial guideline to look for a correct path in life and a belief to rely on. Although it may not be absolutely the way that we think how it should be under some special circumstances. Because sometimes when a person thinks that his actions and speech are good for himself and others, but actually it’s not. While something which is good for himself and everyone may be being misunderstood that it is bad. All these confusions are deriving from ignorance.
The power of ignorance is so great that we always under estimate it and think that we are very smart and intelligent. Most of the time we are being influenced by our survival instinct, jealousy, desire and lust, but we have no idea about it at all, and we will do things and say things that is coming from the big ego and ignorance which give rise to so much conflicts and unhappiness in ourselves and many others.
If we find that we are in competition with somebody, or we are comparing ourselves with somebody, and we want to be better than somebody, or trying to get acknowledgement, recognition and praise from others, or feel that we are somehow not good enough, then know that we are under the influence of the ego and ignorance. Beware… always watch the changes and arises of thoughts in our mind, before they influence us, over power us and control our actions and speech.
When jealousy, hatred, pride, arrogance and selfishness take over us, we cannot see ourselves clearly anymore. Even when we are being told that we are under the influence of jealousy, hatred, pride, arrogance and selfishness, we will become more irritated and will deny such accusation and continue to be influenced by the ego and ignorance.
This is a common obstacle for everyone in any path of beliefs, in Yoga, or in Buddhism.
It is nothing wrong, but we need to be aware of and recognize this obstacle, and correct ourselves, let go and move on.
Never say that we will never be influenced by the ego, the anger, the jealousy, the pride, the arrogance and lust, unless we have attained full enlightenment, and are totally selfless and detached from everything. Because all these things will keep on troubling us and try to stop us from our practice of purification and towards the realization of selflessness. “They” don’t like that. “They” get very irritated when we want to realize selflessness, because that means they will have to disappear if we realized selflessness. We should always be very watchful for all these elements in us.
Keep practicing detachment whenever the thoughts of anger, hatred, pride, arrogance, jealousy, hurt, greed, despair, sadness, selfishness and lust come up to the surface of the mind. Learn to detect their presence and learn to let them go instead of suppressing them back into the subconsciousness. Sometimes we will be confused whether we are actually letting go, or we are just suppressing those impurities in us.
If we will be troubled by the same situations or emotions on and off repeatedly, know that we haven’t let go, but have been suppressing our feelings of negativity and impurity.
If the intensity of the negative feelings is becoming less, and even when the same situation is happening again, but we will not be troubled by these impurities anymore, then know that we are practicing letting go.
We might need somebody who is wise and honest – a good guardian, or a good teacher, or a good friend to point out the defects or impurities in us, even if they are not perfect. They can help us to realize our faults and make us take a deep look at our own self from time to time through their eyes of wisdom. And they also can uplift us with their compassionate loving kindness. We shall learn all the good qualities from them, but not to pick up anything negative from them and not to criticize anyone when we see some defects/imperfections in other people. No one can be perfect for everyone or can please everyone, unless we are fully enlightened, and are not being conditioned by the world of names and forms. Even Buddha had received criticisms from the people who didn’t understand him, and didn’t like him and/or his teachings.
But we can not totally rely on the people who can uplift us or guide us as well, because they are also under the circumstances of uncertainty or impermanence. No one can avoid uncertainty as long as we still have this physical body, this life existence, this mind, this ego, this intellect, and being conditioned by all the names and forms.
If someone tells us that he or she loves us very much today, but tomorrow he or she might not loves us anymore. If someone tells us that he or she doesn’t love us now, but tomorrow he or she might love us very much. Everything is uncertain. Even a wise person can be deluded sometimes.
Unless we have attained self-realization, and are free from being determined by all sorts of impermanent names and forms. And we are identical with the unconditional bliss, or the selfless consciousness that is without a beginning and without ending; beyond birth and death, all existing, all pervading, all wisdom and all compassion. The selfless universal consciousness that has no qualities, no intention, neither good nor bad, and “that” which is neither this nor that. It is beyond names and forms, beyond all good and bad, negative and positive, existence and non-existence.
If we rely on somebody who has a specific name and form, and who is being limited and conditioned by the quality of that particular name and form; or if we rely on certain beliefs that have such and such conditions and qualities; then we will be easily losing our faith in that person or that belief upon their qualities and policies have changed. Or, we will be very disappointed, confused and lost, if we found out that there are some imperfections in that person or in that belief. Any person or any belief that is being conditioned by certain names and forms, can never be permanent unchanging and can not be all perfect. We can not find perfection in any human beings or in any beliefs that is organized and supervised by human beings. Because everything is uncertain. Even ”this” is also uncertain. Because everything that we perceive and understand through this conditioned body, the limited intellectual thinking assertive mind and the senses has a beginning and an ending. The mind of everyone and the condition of every being is ever changing without a certainty.
So, who can we really rely on? Ultimately it is our Self.
No one can see what is going on in our mind, but only our own Self.
He is being moulded into certain types of behavior and being ”trained” to have certain types of thinking – by the people and all the happenings in the world that he comes in contact with, without him being aware of it. He doesn’t know that actually he is always being affected or influenced by all and everything in the surrounding. This surrounding with all the people and happenings in it, is ever changing without a true characteristic and there is no certainty at all. He will think that he is independent and intelligent enough to have his own ideas and that he is different from other people.
But this is not really true.
We were always being told about many things, teachings, stories, cultures and beliefs by our elders, our school teachers, our friends, our public and social medias, and the leaders in our society, from the moment when we were being born until now. We are full of fears and worries. We are being influenced by all the stories and ideas that was told by all these people. We have certain likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements. We all only want happiness and don’t want unhappiness. We all want to be a special individual and being different from other people. We all are being influenced and manipulated by so many things in the world. But we still think that we are very smart and are better than other people.
Even Buddha said that he is not different from all other living beings and all other living beings are not different from him.
Why did he say this? What did he mean?
It is because when he realized selflessness, he realized that he and all other living beings have one same nature and have no differences at all regardless of whether we know about it or not. And we all have the same needs for the maintenance of life, the same ignorance, the same wisdom, the same anger, the same ego, the same hunger and thirst, the same sadness, the same compassion, the same impermanence, and the same enlightenment. All living beings have the same equal freedom to be happy or sad, to be enlightened or to be ignorant; having similar painful sorrow and suffering; same functioning of the mind, the ego, the intellect and the subconscious mind. And we all have to go through birth, growth, old age, illness and death. No one can avoid any of these impermanence of existence until we realized selflessness.
If a person has no faith or a belief to rely on, he will fall apart when he encounters some difficulties or disappointments in his life. He will be lost in the ocean of lust, greed, disappointment, hurt, anger, ignorance and selfishness.
And so, it is important that we have a faith or belief to rely on. Although it is not a necessity, but it does help us to go through many trials, difficulties and challenges in life.
But how do we choose a faith or belief? And where can we find it? Because there are so many different beliefs in the world, including good practices and evil practices as well. How are we going to be sure that which one is really good for us and will benefit all living beings? Which one will lead us to know the Truth?
”Whatever actions and speech that are bringing peace and harmony to oneself and others as well, are good and are right conducts; and whatever actions and speech that are bringing disharmony and unrest to oneself and others, are not good and are wrong conducts.”
“Whatever actions and speech that are promoting loving kindness, peace and harmony, we should support and promote them. Whatever actions and speech that are promoting hatred, violence and disharmony, we should not support nor promote them.”
This basic phrase from the teachings of the ancient saints and sages should be our initial guideline to look for a correct path in life and a belief to rely on. Although it may not be absolutely the way that we think how it should be under some special circumstances. Because sometimes when a person thinks that his actions and speech are good for himself and others, but actually it’s not. While something which is good for himself and everyone may be being misunderstood that it is bad. All these confusions are deriving from ignorance.
The power of ignorance is so great that we always under estimate it and think that we are very smart and intelligent. Most of the time we are being influenced by our survival instinct, jealousy, desire and lust, but we have no idea about it at all, and we will do things and say things that is coming from the big ego and ignorance which give rise to so much conflicts and unhappiness in ourselves and many others.
If we find that we are in competition with somebody, or we are comparing ourselves with somebody, and we want to be better than somebody, or trying to get acknowledgement, recognition and praise from others, or feel that we are somehow not good enough, then know that we are under the influence of the ego and ignorance. Beware… always watch the changes and arises of thoughts in our mind, before they influence us, over power us and control our actions and speech.
When jealousy, hatred, pride, arrogance and selfishness take over us, we cannot see ourselves clearly anymore. Even when we are being told that we are under the influence of jealousy, hatred, pride, arrogance and selfishness, we will become more irritated and will deny such accusation and continue to be influenced by the ego and ignorance.
This is a common obstacle for everyone in any path of beliefs, in Yoga, or in Buddhism.
It is nothing wrong, but we need to be aware of and recognize this obstacle, and correct ourselves, let go and move on.
Never say that we will never be influenced by the ego, the anger, the jealousy, the pride, the arrogance and lust, unless we have attained full enlightenment, and are totally selfless and detached from everything. Because all these things will keep on troubling us and try to stop us from our practice of purification and towards the realization of selflessness. “They” don’t like that. “They” get very irritated when we want to realize selflessness, because that means they will have to disappear if we realized selflessness. We should always be very watchful for all these elements in us.
Keep practicing detachment whenever the thoughts of anger, hatred, pride, arrogance, jealousy, hurt, greed, despair, sadness, selfishness and lust come up to the surface of the mind. Learn to detect their presence and learn to let them go instead of suppressing them back into the subconsciousness. Sometimes we will be confused whether we are actually letting go, or we are just suppressing those impurities in us.
If we will be troubled by the same situations or emotions on and off repeatedly, know that we haven’t let go, but have been suppressing our feelings of negativity and impurity.
If the intensity of the negative feelings is becoming less, and even when the same situation is happening again, but we will not be troubled by these impurities anymore, then know that we are practicing letting go.
We might need somebody who is wise and honest – a good guardian, or a good teacher, or a good friend to point out the defects or impurities in us, even if they are not perfect. They can help us to realize our faults and make us take a deep look at our own self from time to time through their eyes of wisdom. And they also can uplift us with their compassionate loving kindness. We shall learn all the good qualities from them, but not to pick up anything negative from them and not to criticize anyone when we see some defects/imperfections in other people. No one can be perfect for everyone or can please everyone, unless we are fully enlightened, and are not being conditioned by the world of names and forms. Even Buddha had received criticisms from the people who didn’t understand him, and didn’t like him and/or his teachings.
But we can not totally rely on the people who can uplift us or guide us as well, because they are also under the circumstances of uncertainty or impermanence. No one can avoid uncertainty as long as we still have this physical body, this life existence, this mind, this ego, this intellect, and being conditioned by all the names and forms.
If someone tells us that he or she loves us very much today, but tomorrow he or she might not loves us anymore. If someone tells us that he or she doesn’t love us now, but tomorrow he or she might love us very much. Everything is uncertain. Even a wise person can be deluded sometimes.
Unless we have attained self-realization, and are free from being determined by all sorts of impermanent names and forms. And we are identical with the unconditional bliss, or the selfless consciousness that is without a beginning and without ending; beyond birth and death, all existing, all pervading, all wisdom and all compassion. The selfless universal consciousness that has no qualities, no intention, neither good nor bad, and “that” which is neither this nor that. It is beyond names and forms, beyond all good and bad, negative and positive, existence and non-existence.
If we rely on somebody who has a specific name and form, and who is being limited and conditioned by the quality of that particular name and form; or if we rely on certain beliefs that have such and such conditions and qualities; then we will be easily losing our faith in that person or that belief upon their qualities and policies have changed. Or, we will be very disappointed, confused and lost, if we found out that there are some imperfections in that person or in that belief. Any person or any belief that is being conditioned by certain names and forms, can never be permanent unchanging and can not be all perfect. We can not find perfection in any human beings or in any beliefs that is organized and supervised by human beings. Because everything is uncertain. Even ”this” is also uncertain. Because everything that we perceive and understand through this conditioned body, the limited intellectual thinking assertive mind and the senses has a beginning and an ending. The mind of everyone and the condition of every being is ever changing without a certainty.
So, who can we really rely on? Ultimately it is our Self.
No one can see what is going on in our mind, but only our own Self.
And hence, the highest importance of self-reliance and open-mindedness via non blind-believing/blind-faith/blind-following/blind-practicing/blind-propagating, to be performing self-inquiry and attaining self-realization.
We need to find out or to know this Self – which is always here with us, from before the very beginning of life existence and also beyond the end of life existence. It is not our body; not out life; not our thinking mind; not our senses; not our knowledge and learning; not our experiences; not our achievements; not our memories; not our breathing; not our heartbeats; not our energy, not our everyday Yoga practices; not our feelings; and certainly not our ego. It is nameless and formless, without qualities, without intentions, without beginning, without ending, without birth, without death, without happiness, without unhappiness or suffering.
We need to find out or to know this Self – which is always here with us, from before the very beginning of life existence and also beyond the end of life existence. It is not our body; not out life; not our thinking mind; not our senses; not our knowledge and learning; not our experiences; not our achievements; not our memories; not our breathing; not our heartbeats; not our energy, not our everyday Yoga practices; not our feelings; and certainly not our ego. It is nameless and formless, without qualities, without intentions, without beginning, without ending, without birth, without death, without happiness, without unhappiness or suffering.
The selfless Self is the one and only reliable and truthful guardian, teacher or friend that will never leave us, judge us, condemn us, or harm us, even when we are so selfish, deluded, evil and ignorant.
Because it is beyond names and forms, beyond imagination, speech and words, the selfless Self is not easy to be grasped or recognized by us. But under the teachings of yoga, if we keep on purifying ourselves, purify our thoughts, actions and speech, develop self control, calmness and peacefulness, then very soon we will realize this all wise and all compassionate, unlimited, unconditional, intentionless, selfless Self. It is there as it is, when we empty ourselves, annihilated the ego and egoism; let go of selfishness; let go of all attachments and identifications; eradicated all the lustful desires; let go of the past and the future; and being in the present moment, we will know this Self.
All and everything are the Self. It is not separate from us and will never be separated from us. But we feel the separateness and are separated from it and being ignorant of it, when there are lots of impurities and there are individual identifications from the selfish ego towards the qualities of names and forms, the physical body, the modifications of the mind, the senses, the actions and the fruit of actions.
Look at nature, the universe, the sun, the earth, the air, the water, and the space…
Selflessly and intentionlessly, they accept all living beings and everything, as they are, and allow everyone
and everything to be in it, to be on it, to torture it, to utilize it, to consume it, to pollute it, and it doesn’t matter if anyone
is being ungrateful towards their contributions for all to be existing
here. They embrace all, treat all equally and see no differences of good
and evil. They constantly give without any expectations of receiving
goodness or rewards in return. Our true nature, the Self, is the same as all these
elements of the nature. If we want to be able to know what is this Self, and want to realize it, we need to purify ourselves, eliminating the ego,
until we are identical with this selfless nature, that we all are no longer any different or distinct from the
absolute selflessness of nature.
Expand our heart; open our mind; embrace all and everything under different names and forms.
May we all realized the selfless Self, and be free.
Expand our heart; open our mind; embrace all and everything under different names and forms.
May we all realized the selfless Self, and be free.
Posts
I guess i am still in the stage of ego..selfishness...the stage of 'Me'.. 'Me' and only 'Me'...
ReplyDeleteIt has been weeks...i guess what teacher tried to tell me...but meantime, only the subconscious mind is accepting it.....but at least i know it is my EGO. Ego that always appear when i faced this kind of problem...i guess previously i suppressed it instead of letting go which i thought i have...but i know i tried very hard and this time, i am trying it hard as well.....but without expectation...just let it pass...
I need wisdom, mercy and forgiveness........
It is kind of grey moment for me and it has been a weeks...but i am battling with my thought, my kindness.........
it is true enough to say that we are only rely on your true self, which is no form, no name, no happiness, no sadness.
ReplyDeleteWhen we get to know the nature all of beings, even the thought, the emotion, we need to let it be the way it is. Let the thought just be the thought, let the emotion just the emotion. It is how we learn to detach. What we see, hear, think, sense, smell, touch..all not REAL.
I am in the stage of installing new thinking in my brain. As what i used to think that shld be the way, might not be; as what i used to think things should be this way, might not be....
As i need to see the right views so i need to confront the hamful consequences of so called wrong views, then only i will be able to leave them. It will be tough, uncomfortable as it is not the way i used to be...but i realise one thing, practice never be easy.