"I cannot comprehend what is the teaching about there is no 'I' in the teachings of yoga."
Without self-realization of the truth of who is this 'I' that we identified as 'somebody' or 'an individual being' with certain qualities of names and forms which we recognize as 'I', or 'me', or 'myself', then even after many discussion, talking, reading and hearing about the teachings on Selflessness, or ego-lessness, or 'I'-lessness, the mind still cannot perceive attributelessness, namelessness and formlessness beyond all the names and forms.
The mind cannot see itself without a 'tool'. Just like the eyes cannot see itself unless with the help of a tool that serves like a mirror to reflect its image.
The 'tool' that can allow the mind to see itself is none other but the mind itself. If the mind is moving all the time and is full of impurities, this 'mirror' cannot give the reflection as it is. Just like when we want to see our face from a mirror that is shaking and is full of dust and stains, we cannot see our reflection as it is. The distorted image reflected from the shaky and dirty mirror that we see will be incorrect, it's not what we really look like.
And so, all the yoga practice and meditation practice are here to help to 'still' the 'mirror' and to 'clean up' whatever dust and stains on the 'mirror'. This process might take time, especially if the stains on the 'mirror' are really old and stubborn, not to say if we keep adding more stains on it. And thus it requires a lot of patience, determination, perseverance, will power, forbearance and tolerance to keep 'cleaning' the 'mirror' without judgment, comparison and expectation, until the moment the 'mirror' is still and free from any impurities, naturally whatever we put in front of the mirror will be reflected as it is.
By asking another person how do we 'look' without seeing with our own eyes with the help of a still and clean 'mirror', then no matter how other people try to explain to us that 'This is how you look', we will still have doubts and couldn't know how the look is, as it is. We might imagine and visualize how we look through other people descriptions about us, but what we imagine and visualize are not necessary exactly what we really look like.
And thus, no need to ask any other people about what is this 'I', expecting somebody can give us an answer that will remove our ignorance and egoism, but it has to come from our own effort, determination and perseverance to keep practice yoga and meditation arduously and unceasingly to free the mind from ignorance and egoism until the mind is able to reflect upon itself, and realizes the truth of this 'I', who we think that is what we are.
No one can remove or eliminate the ignorance and egoism in oneself, but oneself. Not even the saints and sages who have attained liberation can take away any others' ignorance and egoism. If the liberated beings can make everyone be free from ignorance and egoism, then everyone should be free from suffering long ago, and every beings in the world will be living in peace and harmony with one another, there's no hatred, no violence, no wars, and all sorts of conflicts and painful sorrows created out of human's ignorance.
Keep contemplate upon "Who is this I?", or "What is this selfless perceptive thinking mind?"
Perform self-inquiry, self-introspection, self-investigation, and realize the truth by oneself, and be free from all doubts. As nobody can give us an answer that will clear all our doubts. Even when someone give us an answer, we will still have doubts about "Is it true or not?"
That's why by reading many books and hearing from many people giving lectures/discussing/debating on 'Selflessness', doesn't free one from ignorance. It's about the mind, the one that doesn't know itself but would like to know itself, turning inward to look at itself, to know thyself, and not by looking out for knowing the truth.
May all be free through self-inquiry.
Om shanti.
Without self-realization of the truth of who is this 'I' that we identified as 'somebody' or 'an individual being' with certain qualities of names and forms which we recognize as 'I', or 'me', or 'myself', then even after many discussion, talking, reading and hearing about the teachings on Selflessness, or ego-lessness, or 'I'-lessness, the mind still cannot perceive attributelessness, namelessness and formlessness beyond all the names and forms.
The mind cannot see itself without a 'tool'. Just like the eyes cannot see itself unless with the help of a tool that serves like a mirror to reflect its image.
The 'tool' that can allow the mind to see itself is none other but the mind itself. If the mind is moving all the time and is full of impurities, this 'mirror' cannot give the reflection as it is. Just like when we want to see our face from a mirror that is shaking and is full of dust and stains, we cannot see our reflection as it is. The distorted image reflected from the shaky and dirty mirror that we see will be incorrect, it's not what we really look like.
And so, all the yoga practice and meditation practice are here to help to 'still' the 'mirror' and to 'clean up' whatever dust and stains on the 'mirror'. This process might take time, especially if the stains on the 'mirror' are really old and stubborn, not to say if we keep adding more stains on it. And thus it requires a lot of patience, determination, perseverance, will power, forbearance and tolerance to keep 'cleaning' the 'mirror' without judgment, comparison and expectation, until the moment the 'mirror' is still and free from any impurities, naturally whatever we put in front of the mirror will be reflected as it is.
By asking another person how do we 'look' without seeing with our own eyes with the help of a still and clean 'mirror', then no matter how other people try to explain to us that 'This is how you look', we will still have doubts and couldn't know how the look is, as it is. We might imagine and visualize how we look through other people descriptions about us, but what we imagine and visualize are not necessary exactly what we really look like.
And thus, no need to ask any other people about what is this 'I', expecting somebody can give us an answer that will remove our ignorance and egoism, but it has to come from our own effort, determination and perseverance to keep practice yoga and meditation arduously and unceasingly to free the mind from ignorance and egoism until the mind is able to reflect upon itself, and realizes the truth of this 'I', who we think that is what we are.
No one can remove or eliminate the ignorance and egoism in oneself, but oneself. Not even the saints and sages who have attained liberation can take away any others' ignorance and egoism. If the liberated beings can make everyone be free from ignorance and egoism, then everyone should be free from suffering long ago, and every beings in the world will be living in peace and harmony with one another, there's no hatred, no violence, no wars, and all sorts of conflicts and painful sorrows created out of human's ignorance.
Keep contemplate upon "Who is this I?", or "What is this selfless perceptive thinking mind?"
Perform self-inquiry, self-introspection, self-investigation, and realize the truth by oneself, and be free from all doubts. As nobody can give us an answer that will clear all our doubts. Even when someone give us an answer, we will still have doubts about "Is it true or not?"
That's why by reading many books and hearing from many people giving lectures/discussing/debating on 'Selflessness', doesn't free one from ignorance. It's about the mind, the one that doesn't know itself but would like to know itself, turning inward to look at itself, to know thyself, and not by looking out for knowing the truth.
May all be free through self-inquiry.
Om shanti.
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