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Monday, December 14, 2009

No Good No Bad


Non-dualism teaches us that there is no good, there is no bad, all are same and no differences. But many people either can’t understand about it or misunderstood about what does “neither good nor bad” really means?

In this human world of diversities, desires and temptations, everything (products and activities) is created by the mind to satisfy its characteristic of greed and craving for sensual pleasures and material enjoyments.

The mind is such an incredible machine that could create the internet, the electricity, the phone, the television, the microwave oven, the air-conditioner, the airplane, the space rocket, and all other stuffs.

When the first thing was being invented, it was just one type, one name, one form and one price. But very soon, the mind is bored with just one. And so, it had created different models, names, forms and prices. A car is not just a car. It is BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Toyota, Ford, Mitsubishi, Renault, and others. And within BMW itself, there are many different series of models. It is the same thing for all the other names. And then within one of the series itself, there are many different colours and accessories.

This is not just happening in car industries, it is the same thing happening in all industries, from food to computers, from fashions to yoga. All the endless diversities exist trying to satisfy the greed and craving of all the minds (the consumers). And diversities, greed, desires and cravings of the consumers are the great opportunity for the producers to make money (accumulate wealth) or take advantage out of it. All these high-tech creative products are not necessary a good thing for the environment, just to give some conveniences and enjoyments for the human beings, but at the same time, all these products are creating lots of damages to the environment as well, either directly or indirectly.

Since there are so many choices, there are lots of comparisons. And there isn’t something came out as the most perfected one, because there never will be one. Because there will be more and more new inventions coming up unceasingly. And even though there are so many choices to choose from, people are still not satisfied with what the entire business market already have.

Why?

Because all these objects and activities are the creation of the minds. The creators themselves are never satisfied. And the minds of the consumers are just the same, will never be satisfied. It is the characteristic of all minds that are under the influence of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness to always be dissatisfied, and keep looking for new things and new excitements to satisfy their greed, desire and craving. The minds get bored easily. The minds change its likes and dislikes easily and regularly. The minds cannot sit still, not moving, not talking, not being curious, not expressing, and not thinking. Today the mind likes something red and fast, but tomorrow the mind might like something blue and slow. How can the mind be satisfied?

Everything in the world that were being created or produced by the mind, they have no qualities and no intentions of good and bad. Good and bad are the products of the mind. The mind projects into all the things out there under its good intention, the things appear to be having the quality of being good. If the mind projects all the things out there under its bad intention, the things appear to be having the quality of being bad.

All the judgments, comparisons, competitions, criticisms and expectations are coming from the mind, and all these habits in the mind have generated the duality of positive and negative, good and bad in themselves under different types of conception and perception.

For example, sweating and heat produced in the body while doing some physical activities. Some people like these sensations very much but some other people dislike them. Some people like the feeling of soreness after exercise while some others dislike the same type of soreness. The sweating, the heat and the soreness themselves have no intention to make people feel good or feel bad. They don’t have the quality to be good or to be bad. They are just being what they are, and it is up to the mind to perceive them as good sensations or bad sensations, as something comfortable or not comfortable. And then the ego will generates likes and dislikes, craving for the sensations that the ego likes and feels comfortable with, and aversion towards the sensations that the ego dislikes and feels not comfortable with. It is the same for tastes and smells, sounds and sights, touches/feels, emotions and thoughts, every single mind has different conception and perception about which type of tastes, smells, sounds, sights, touches, emotions, or thoughts that they think is good or bad. But all those names and forms themselves have no intention or quality to be something comfortable or not comfortable for anybody, and they don’t have the quality to be something good or bad. It is the conditioned and limited intellectual egoistic mind categorized them into comfortable or not comfortable, and labeled them as good or bad.

In fact the mind itself is just a selfless projector. It doesn’t has the intention to be good or bad, positive or negative, pure or impure. It is the function of the intellect functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism and impurities, and the ego (the idea of 'I') that is born out of ignorance, that are creating all the differences of good and bad, negativity and positivity, purity and impurity in the mind. Once the mind is purified, where the intellect is purified, free from the conditioning influences of ignorance, egoism and impurities, and when the ego is eliminated, then this mind is a great tool for us to attain self-realization, to realize what is selflessness, non-separateness, love, peace, compassion, and wisdom. Love, peace, compassion and wisdom are always there within all and everyone. They are not something to be gained from the outside, of certain possessions, of certain identities, of certain achievements, of certain objects, of certain activities, of certain positions and directions, or from learning and studies. We just need to realize them from within ourselves.

When there is the presence of negativity in our mind, we need to have positivity to conquer these negativity. When there is no more negativity, we will realize that there is no positivity either, because there is no need to have positivity when there is no negativity. Positivity exists only when there is negativity, and vice versa.

There is no such thing being recognized as big if there is nothing smaller than it to be comparing with. And there is no such thing being recognized as fast if there is nothing slower than it to be comparing with.

It is the intention of the mind that had created so many good and bad in the world. People abuse drugs and alcohols, and thus drugs and alcohol are being labeled and recognized as something bad. But when come to medical field, drugs and alcohol have become something good and helpful in surgeries and medical treatments.

Good and bad exists only in our mind, not in the names and forms that we perceive through our senses.

That’s why it's highly important to discipline and purify one's mind until there is no more ignorance, egoism and impurities, and then we will know what does 'neither good nor bad' mean, and what does 'transcending' negative and positive mean.

We will know that duality exists only in the mind. Names and forms also exist only in the mind. Happiness and unhappiness also exist only in the mind. And thus, we will stop giving values or meanings to all the names and forms that our mind perceives through the senses, or whatever is happening within our physical body. Maybe the body is experiencing some illness, or injuries, or weaknesses in this present moment, but we don’t see these impermanent phenomena as something negative or bad anymore. We accept everything as they are, and accept the world as it is. Not trying to change anything, or trying to control anything out there, except for filtering or modifying our own modification of the mind, of thoughts, actions and speech. We can’t even own or control our own body and mind, how can we own and control others' body and mind? When impermanence strike, we will lose our youthfulness, memories, strength, flexibility, mobility, functions of the senses, the organs and the nerves, the muscles, the bone density, the good health, and the selfless impermanent worldly life existence.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful we are, how rich we are, how successful we are, and how knowledgeable and intelligent we are, no one can escape impermanence. And we don’t really own all these names and forms. They are just temporary being with us. Everything and every beings in this world have to go through impermanence and depending on the elements and energy to be existing here. Without the space, the sun, the earth, the water, and the air, we all won’t be here. We can’t even promise anything or judge anything because everything is undergoing changes all the time. The condition of the body and the mind of everyone is changing all the time. Every moment our body is experiencing different sensations and the mind is experiencing different thoughts and feelings. In one minute we could be feeling so good. In another minute we could be feeling so bad.

Know that all these selfless impermanent names and forms are the creations/projections of the mind. Watch the mind, and be the silent witness towards all these selfless impermanent phenomena, and not identifying or associating with them, and not giving any values or meanings to them, and stop generating desires of craving and aversion. Without desires of craving and aversion, there is no discontentment, irritation, frustration, disappointment, anger, fear and worry. And thus, we will be at peace and contented at all time.

May we all attain peace at this very moment by understand what is 'neither good nor bad'.

It doesn’t mean that since there is no god and no bad, we can do whatever we like, and hurt somebody intentionally without any emotion, or eat poisonous food, or drink alcohol and take drugs abusively.
 
It doesn't mean that we don't appreciate peace and harmony in ourselves and in the surrounding environment. It doesn't mean that we support or promote peacelessness and disharmony.

It is upon the annihilation of ignorance, egoism, impurities, and restlessness in this mind, there is no need to have goodness and positiveness to be countering badness and negativeness that doesn't exist in this mind. There is no craving towards goodness and positiveness, and there is no aversion towards badness and negativeness. It is when there is no suffering, there is no need to be free from suffering.

Om shanti.

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Know thyself. Everything is impermanent and selfless. There is no 'I'. There is no 'I am selfless'/'I am not selfless'. There is no 'I am hurt'/'I need to be healed from hurt'. Non-blind believing, non-blind following, non-blind practicing and non-blind propagating, but be open-minded to inquire the truth of everything. Be free. Be peaceful. Be happy.

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