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May all find the teacher within to guide oneself towards unconditional love and peace

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Yoga Teachers who teach yoga? Or, Yoga Instructors or Fitness Instructors who teach different types of yoga asana exercise classes?

There are lots of 'yoga classes', or more precisely, 'yoga asana exercise classes under different styles and brand names' everywhere nowadays.

It's very good, as yoga asana exercises are really good for everyone physically, mentally and emotionally.

Even though not many yoga classes are being taught in accordance with the traditional lineage of what yoga practice really is about, which is to eliminate ignorance and egoism, to attain Self-realization, it really doesn't matter.

Even if majority of the people are practicing yoga asana exercises regularly to gain some benefits physically, mentally and emotionally (being disinterested in the upmost important part of the yoga practice), it is still a very good pastime wholesome activity for anyone to be participating in. As during those hours of yoga asana exercises, at least we are not participating in any unwholesome activities.

There is no need to compare between yoga teachers who teach yoga to other people and yoga instructors or fitness instructors who teach yoga asana exercises to other people, as these are two complete different things.

Yoga teachers who teach yoga for conquering the impure egoistic modification of the mind, don't necessary need to be teaching yoga asana exercises, in order to teach yoga to anybody. As peace and compassion is nothing to do with how many yoga asana exercises that we can do, or how good we can perform the yoga asana exercises, or whether we know about anatomy and physiology, or not.

Yoga practice is about non-attachment and detachment (letting go of attachment if there is attachment). It is about letting go of the ego, and the desire of craving and aversion. It is about non-identification with the names and forms that we are not, such like the body and mind. It is about unaffected, undisturbed, uninfluenced, undetermined by whatever the mind perceives through the senses. It is about being aware of the perceived reality as it is, and accept the reality in the present moment now as it is. Allowing impermanent changes to happen as it is, and accept all the changes as they are, from moment to moment, without craving for something that we like but it's not available now, without clinging onto something that we like that is available now, and without aversion towards something that we don't like in this present moment. All these are nothing to do with the physical condition and abilities to perform the yoga asana exercises, even though yoga asana exercises can help us to purify and calm the mind, to prepare the mind for self-inquiry and meditation.

There is no need to criticize yoga asana exercise teachers, or fitness instructors for not able, or not interested to teach the mind disciplinary side of yoga, as even just by guiding people to be doing some yoga asana exercises everyday to many people who are only interested in gaining a better quality of life through doing some yoga asana exercises, is already a great thing to do. The teachers or the instructors themselves are benefited greatly from giving the yoga asana exercise classes, as themselves need to be doing their own yoga asana practice quite regularly, so that they are able to up keep their skills and abilities in performing the yoga asana exercises, in order to lead other people to be doing the similar yoga asana exercises.

Eventually, as we practice yoga asana exercises regularly, naturally the body and mind is being purified to a certain degree that will allow certain shifts in our consciousness unintentionally, even though in the beginning, we might have no interests at all about mind disciplinary, purification and self-transformation. That will ignite us for starting to be interested to know more about the deeper meaning of yoga and its practice.

Yoga teachers who teach yoga, they don't need to call or identify themselves as 'yoga teachers'. They don't need to be qualified, or certified, or recognized by such and such 'international yoga alliance'. They don't need to go through any yoga teachers training courses to study yoga philosophy, to learn to do some yoga asana exercises, to learn about anatomy and physiology, to learn some chantings and prayers, to learn how to do some karma yoga, and to pass any theory and practical examinations, to attain one or many 'certifications' to be graduated as qualified/recognized/registered 'yoga teacher'. They don't even need to be performing any so called 'yoga practice', as they are already free from ignorance and egoism. They are free from impurities, restlessness, or suffering. They are free from attachment, identification, and desire of craving and aversion. They have attained realization towards the nature of the existence of all kinds of names and forms, including the body and mind, which is selfless and impermanent. And all these selfless impermanent names and forms, are merely arising and passing away governed by nature's law of cause and effect. They are all wise and compassionate. They are peaceful as they are, resting upon ATMAN, undetermined by the selfless impermanent changes of both the perceiver and the perceived.

These nameless and formless selfless beings are sharing the knowledge of yoga for realizing unconditional love and peace with other beings who come in contact with them that need some ignition or guidance to realize their own true nature, to be free from ignorance and egoism, without intention, without attachment, unconditioned and unlimited by time, space and causation. Their natural action of sharing the knowledge of yoga is beyond names and forms. This compassionate action of sharing the knowledge of yoga with other beings without intention or attachment, is not different from being actionless - selfless or intentionless actions that are not bound by good or bad karma, and is free from being determined by the inevitable nature's law of cause and effect, birth and death, where there's no difference between birth and death, enjoyment and suffering, where all are selfless and impermanent.

Any beings, any things, any happenings that are good or not good, that are agreeable or disagreeable to us, are our yoga teachers, when the mind allows all and everything to show us the ignorance and egoism in us, to allow us to reflect upon the truth of the mind and all that it experiences, of the perceiver and the perceived.

And so, whether Yoga Teachers who teach yoga, or, Yoga Instructors or Fitness Instructors who teach yoga asana exercises, are all good.

If we ever feel disappointed in those whom we think they are 'yoga teachers' but they are not as perfect as what we think they should be, know that this disappointment is coming from our own egoistic expectation, expecting 'yoga teachers' should be perfect like 'God', as there are not many 'yoga teachers' are perfect and are completely free from ignorance. There are many people are just 'yoga instructors' or 'fitness instructors' who teach yoga asana exercises only.

Most importantly, there is nothing wrong for being imperfect, or is not free yet. Being aware of ignorance exists in one's mind is not something shameful or evil. Ignorance is the reason of all these. Everyone is being there for each other, helping and supporting each other to move towards Self-realization, to be free from ignorance, to be free from all these, that's all.

Only those who haven't realized the truth yet, will only be seeing all the different qualities of names and forms in others, and seeing the defects or imperfections in beings who are not free yet, and generate agreements and disagreements, and have frustration, disappointment, or dissatisfaction in themselves, constantly being affected and disturbed by other people's actions and inactions, or generate aversion and discrimination towards others whom they disagree with.

Those who know the truth, they only see the one same nature in all beings beyond all the impermanent names and forms, which is selflessness, attributelessness, namelessness and formlessness, that is unconditioned, unlimited, undetermined and uncontaminated by the different qualities of names and forms possessed by each individual, nor be affected by their actions and inactions, and the consequences of actions and inactions. And this reflects in them (who know the truth, and are free) being naturally compassionate towards all beings without discrimination of good and bad beings.

Om shanti.

1 comment:

  1. always enjoy your reflections and writings. keep up the good work. om shanti

    ReplyDelete

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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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