All are merely residing momentarily in this space that doesn't belong to anyone

All and everyone are merely arising and passing by, being and residing momentarily in this space of the universe that doesn't belong to anyone.

The world doesn't have to be like this, as what it is now, however, it is what it is, constantly changing selflessly, influenced by the nature law of cause and effect, the ceaseless actions and fruit of actions generated by the minds under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

The world can be 'as healthy as it can be', even when all and everything are impermanent, selflessly arising, changing, and passing away.

If all minds are free from attachment and identification.

If all minds are free from desire, selfishness and possessiveness.

If all minds are free from being influenced and conditioned by particular egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice that survived on attachment and identification towards specific qualities of names and forms to be existing, to judge everything, to desire, regulate and expect everything to be and not to be in certain way based on those thinking, belief, values and practice.

If all minds are free from separateness and discrimination.

If all minds are free from fear and greed.

If all minds are free from bitterness and resentment.

If all minds are free from pride and arrogance.

If all minds are free from superiority and inferiority.

If all minds are free from the urge to conquer, control, regulate, manipulate, oppress, bully, threaten, or even eliminate the others to achieve 'my/our' vision and ambition.

If all minds are free from all these corruptions.

If all minds are free from ignorance and egoism.

There will be less unnecessary ignorance induced pain, even when pain is an inevitable process of selfless impermanence.

Let them be.

Being what they are, and what they desire to be.

Unless the mind is already be free from ignorance, where the mind is firmly established in wisdom and unconditional peace, not being determined or influenced by the ignorance in the world, but for the truth and peace seekers that are still striving, if possible, the minds need to move away from anything that is created by, projected from, administrating, propagating and empowering such ignorance and egoism, that instills and empowers fear, attachment, identification, pride, vision, ambition, superiority and inferiority, separateness and discrimination in the minds in order to be surviving and expanding. Conserving energy to be focusing on purifying and quieting the mind, to be performing self-inquiry, to realize wisdom and unconditional peace.

One doesn't have to, but can be back into the world to perform selfless actions that might or might not help to lessen the ignorance and the consequences of ignorance in the world, once the mind is firmly established in wisdom and unconditional peace.

My life stories - Part 20 (Balancing life and settling in)

My life Stories – Part 20 (Balancing life and settling in)
Stories from my past memories – childhood, family, friends, growing up, poverty, integrity, dreams come true, finding peace and happiness, Buddhism, Yoga, and now…

After working full time without a break for a year and dealing with the exhausting apartment hunting process, my husband needed to take a break, which is a natural cycle for everyone to be looking after the physical and mental well-being. We didn't have any particular holiday destination. The cheapest flight destination departing from Geneva that we found was Portugal, and we have never been to Portugal before. And hence, we bought the flight ticket even before we found this apartment. We wanted to fly out from Geneva because it was easier, time and energy saving, and it's closer to us than departing from Paris.

In the early morning of the day that we were leaving to Geneva, we received the long waited message from the Prefecture. After waited for 9 months, having visited the Prefecture three times and renewed our temporary residence permit twice, we were going to get our actual residence permit finally.

And so, instead of the initial plan of taking the train to Geneva in the afternoon to begin our holiday, we decided to take the train to Annecy in the morning to collect our residence permit, and then taking the train from there to Geneva.

Upon buying the train ticket at the train station in Evian-Les-Bains, we were being told that all the morning trains have been replaced by buses due to the ongoing strike in France. It's more tiring and less comfortable to travel by bus, but we didn't mind, as we totally understand the difficulty that many working class people in the world have to go through as cost of living is getting higher and higher, but salary is not keeping up with the inflation. It's 'meh' to see many down to earth honest people have to spend many hours and effort into working, but still can't make enough to support basic needs, or barely get by, not that they are big spender on needless things and activities, while most employers/business owners are being inconsiderate, greedy and stingy, hoarding wealth more than they ever need in this life time.

We were grateful that we could still take two buses to reach Annecy and that we would arrive just in time for the walk-in opening hour between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm to collect our residence permit. The Prefecture is located within a short distance less than ten minutes walk from the train station.

There was already a long queue when we arrived at the gate of the Prefecture just before 1:30 pm, as some people were already waiting in queue as early as half an hour before the opening time. However, we all didn't have to wait too long for the entire process that went smoothly. We thankfully received our residence permit in short time, and without any expectation, the residence permit is valid for 5 years from the date of issue. We thought it would be valid only for one year. Our residence permit is free of charge because my husband is European. I can also get involve in any kind of professions legally.

All our four time experiences dealing with the different officers in the Prefecture were very nice, as all the people who work there - the guards, the front desk/ticket counter receptionists and the documentation verification and processing officers were all very friendly, patient and helpful, or even humorous, without the barrier or the sense of authoritarian superiority that exists in certain countries. Such humanized governmental process makes everyone more relaxed, which makes everything easier for both parties, as there will be less unnecessary complication arise under such welcoming calmed and relaxed manner.

After that, we headed back to the train station immediately to get the next available train to Geneva. We didn't have to waste much time. The next day we were in Porto for 5 nights and then Lisbon for 4 nights. It was a nice experience, where we walked a lot exploring the town without knowing much about Portugal, and without any planned ahead itinerary or things to see and do.

We heard before about Portugal is the cheapest country in Europe, however, after visiting several random grocery store and supermarket in Porto and Lisbon to check out the prices of everyday grocery there, we found that it's not any cheaper than France, especially when the salary in Portugal is a lot lower than in France. It's not surprise that more and more people are getting unhappy and frustrated.

During the flight back to Geneva, there was quite some intense turbulence due to rough weather, but surprisingly, this body didn't get sick this time. The couple sitting behind us were "Ooh La La!" every time the flight jerked up and down suddenly, which made me giggled so much. My husband and I joked about the pilot kept reminding everyone every now and then, "Make sure your seat belt is fastened," that made the minds wondered, "Is there something serious that the pilot doesn't want to tell us?" Anyway, the plane touched down safely, and many people were clapping.

We went straight to the train station in Geneva airport to get the next connecting trains back to Evian-Les-Bains. The cashier told us that there were no connecting train to Evian-Les-Bains since more than a week ago due to the strike. We could either take two trains to Annemasse transiting in Geneva, and then see what was available in Annemasse, or we could either take a taxi from Geneva to Evian-Les-Bains, which was too expensive for us, or we could take the train to Lausanne and then taking the boat from Lausanne to Evian-Les-Bains, which was also too expensive for us, as well as we wouldn't be able to be back in Evian until the next day, which meant that my husband wouldn't be able to get some sleep before work. And so, we decided to just take the chance of going to Annemasse, and see what would be available and possible there. If we had no other options but had to take a taxi from Annemasse, we'll let it be.

When we arrived in Annemasse, we found out that actually there were still trains running towards Evian-Les-Bains, and the next available train would be departing in 15 minutes. We immediately purchased our ticket from the machine and went straight to the platform. As soon as we came out from the train station in Evian-Les-Bains, a bus that could get us to somewhere closer to our apartment up the hill was already there. Usually, we would walk up the hill from the train station to our apartment, but since it was raining and we had been travelling for many hours, and the bus was there available to us, we just hopped onto the bus without hesitation. And the bus driver was very kind, where he dropped us closer to our apartment instead of at the bus stop that was further away because it was raining quite heavily.

Because we managed to get home before 8:30 pm, it meant that I could run the washing machine to wash the accumulated laundry. I learnt that it's prohibited to run the washing machine between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am (certain apartments until 8:00 am) in France unless we live in a detached house, which I agree with. Most apartment buildings here are not very soundproofed. In the last apartment, the agent told us that we were not allowed to shower or do any kind of washing between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am. That was ridiculous. Even though my husband told me that some people don't care about rules and regulations here in France, while it's not so much about obeying rules and regulations blindly, but out of freewill, I don't want to run the noisy washing machine after 10.00 pm which may cause disturbance to our neighbours, unless it's an exceptionally quiet washing machine. Many of our neighbours are hardworking people who go out to work in the day for many hours including spending time in commuting between home and work place, and they need to have good rest during the night. Some people leave home before 6:30 am and come home after 8:30 pm.

After we moved to this homely apartment and received our residence permit, we are finally settling in. Thank you.

All is impermanent, while being in the present moment.

Let's see what is possible, and let it be

Being in the present, is yoga.

The obstacles, or the difficult and challenging life experiences, that train and allow the mind to be in the present, is the yoga practice.

Being in the present, allows the mind to be free from unnecessary anticipation, projection, fear and worry upon coming in contact with obstacle, challenge, uncertainty, or the unknown, which is something very common in everyday life, particularly in this era where ignorance and egoism is predominant in everywhere.

That allows the mind to be free from unnecessary hesitation to take the chance to explore what is possible, in somewhere else other than this, as well as let it be, after doing one's best exploring some other alternatives or possibilities that are available or possible, upon coming in contact with something that is not possible right here, in this moment.

Things worked out in many ways that the mind never think of, without expectation, without trying to control everything to be the way that the mind thinks and desires how it should be.

Accepting or respecting the reality as it is, doesn't mean that one gives in to any obstacle, difficulty, or challenge, and stop trying or striving to reach one's destination or goal, but one can do one's best to seek some other alternatives or possibilities that are unknown to oneself, while being unaffected, undisturbed or undetermined by the existing obstacle, difficulty or challenge.

My life stories - Part 19 (Life and learning amidst impermanent changes and challenges)

My life Stories – Part 19 (Life and learning amidst impermanent changes and challenges)
Stories from my past memories – childhood, family, friends, growing up, poverty, integrity, dreams come true, finding peace and happiness, Buddhism, Yoga, and now…

It has been more than a year since we arrived in France. Even though there will always be some ongoing impermanent changes and challenges in life to deal with, just like everyone else and anywhere in this world, we appreciate our life and the opportunity of residing here in France. This body and mind also get to experience life under four seasons and keep learning amidst impermanent changes and challenges.

In the beginning, we were staying in the hotel for two and a half months while going through the process of finding a 'long term but not really' living space to rent here in Evian-Les-Bains, as well as dealing with the prolonged legal documentation procedures for residing in France, which is still going on because there's a lot of backlog in the respective department since the pandemic started, where both process are equally time, energy and money consuming. It's particularly challenging for my husband, as he needed to be working full time under a new environment after living a slow paced way of life in Malaysia for many years, while at the same time, spending additional time and energy and money into doing all kind of paperwork and communication in French, which I can't help at all.

In April 2022, we managed to find a small studio apartment to rent nearby the hotel that was within our budget and eligibility. Its great location that is being very close to the hotel, as well as the reality of great difficulty to be renting an apartment due to the high demand and low supply in the property market here, was the main reason why we didn't hesitate too much for renting that studio apartment, knowing that it's only suitable for temporary stay, while we take our time to look for another more suitable living space. We were being 'reminded' by the hotel management that we needed to move out from the hotel before the end of April, as well as we ourselves also wanted to have a 'proper' living space, where we can prepare and cook our own food on daily basis, and so, we took that apartment, after seeing some other apartments that were in worse condition and of higher rent.

At the time when we visited that apartment, we already knew that there were some issues existing in the apartment, however, the property agent 'had promised' that certain 'important' issue with the apartment would be resolved within the next few months after we moved in, which didn't happen, but it had been causing us certain inconvenience, consuming our time and energy. After we moved in and were living there for some time, we started to be aware of some other issues that exist in that studio apartment, which were seriously affecting our physical well-being.

Not long after we moved in, I was suffering from back and hips problem due to the bad quality mattress and the fixed table and bench that didn't have the right height. I also suffered from repeated knees and foot injury due to the awkward way of getting in and out of the bed under the tight space, where I 'carelessly' knocked either my knee or my foot into the bed frame or the pillar for countless times, and also spraining my knees going up and down the narrow and steep staircase for accessing the tiny loft space that we used as wardrobe and laundry drying area, where there were a few times, I 'carelessly' missed a step and nearly fell down from the stair. And the worst was, I started to have respiratory problem due to the allergic reaction towards the mold that exist in the apartment because of the inefficient heating system on top of the non-insulated old windows that couldn't be closed properly, where heavy condensation built up on the walls when the air temperature was very low, where cold air keeps coming in through the gap around the windows, while the heaters were releasing heat warming up air from below the windows. It's unfortunate that the highly efficient energy saving floor heating that is widely being used in Asian countries like South Korea, hasn't gained much popularity here.

We had to wrap ourselves in many layers of warm clothing in the apartment even when the two heaters were switched on for many hours at the highest temperature available, while we were paying higher electricity bill for using those inefficient heaters that couldn't warm up the room efficiently. There were also some 'pests' issue during the warmer months, where hundreds of tiny 'pests' came out from underneath the flooring everyday, which I picked them and threw them out from the window, restlessly.

Another important issue, was that my husband couldn't rest/sleep well because of his high sensitivity towards light, sound and smell, on top of many years suffering from painful tinnitus. Two people living in a small studio apartment with squeaky wooden flooring and furniture, where the kitchen, dining, shower/toilet and bed are all within the same space of 20 square meters, on top of the non-soundproof wall between the immediate neighbours on the same floor, doesn't help either. I couldn't really move/do much in the apartment until my husband left the apartment for working at night, where I usually cleaned the apartment, washed the shower and toilet, cooked and had my dinner/supper, and did some modified stretching exercises in the middle of the night, and would wait until my husband came back from work to sleep at the same time as him during the day, to minimize 'movements', 'lights' and 'noises' in the room. However, during the warmer months, there were random people hanging out, chitchatting, getting drunk and shouting loudly in front of the supermarket that is right next to the apartment.

The shower/toilet in a tight space was also another issue, where we had to keep the bathroom door open when we wanted to sit down or get up from the toilet, as the door was just right in front of the toilet, while stepping up and down the shower box that was one step higher from the floor right beside the toilet, where the shower door can only be half opened being blocked by the toilet, is another awkward challenging movement before and after a shower. A space like that might be okay if there's only one person living there, as the dining table is right in front of the toilet, it's really inconvenient when someone is having a meal while another person needs to use the toilet making certain 'actions', 'noises' and 'smells'. When Marc's parents came to visit us in October, we couldn't use the toilet when we were all in the room (apartment).

And hence, the process of finding another apartment to rent had begun some time in October.

Of course, it's another few months of apartment hunting challenge, particularly for my husband who was already struggling with not getting enough rest/sleep/free time/personal space/privacy/daylight/fresh air, due to the existing issues while living in that studio apartment, and he had to spend his precious off-days to be dealing with the exhausting complicated documentation procedure with the different property agencies and apartments viewing, and then, dealing with the repeated hammering of great disappointment for being unable to get the apartment(s) that we thought was suitable, due to there are too many other candidates competing to get an apartment. It's understandable that he was getting tired physically and mentally for spending his time and energy to be writing countless emails, filling up forms and making phone calls during the day time office hours while he needed to sleep in the day after working night shift, communicating back and forth with the property agents, and after spending time and energy viewing the different apartments that we thought were suitable, and yet, we still couldn't manage to get one.

Some of the property agents put on the "Can't you see that I am very busy" attitude, because they are never short of business, as there are too many people desperately looking for a living place to rent, as more and more people are not eligible or couldn't afford to buy and own a property, however, we came across a young woman from the Bochaton Immobilier, who is very friendly, welcoming and informative, who is happy with what she does. It gave us a rare but nice apartment hunting experience even though we didn't rent the apartment from them, as it was not suitable.

Finally, one day in January, we found an apartment with a separate bedroom, separate shower/toilet that is not in the bedroom or kitchen, with a bigger kitchen and living space, even though it's not the most suitable apartment, as the rent is higher, while the location is not great for my husband where he needs to spend more time and energy into commuting between work place and home, and the shower has some defect, but everything else is significantly a lot more better. And more importantly, the owner wanted to rent his apartment to us. It's not perfect, but, that's the nature of everything. He said he was shocked that there were more than 40 requests showing interest in his apartment on the day he put up the advertisement, being compared to two years ago, there were only five requests, and there were four other people viewing the apartment at the same time when we were there.

And so, we moved again. Being busy with the moving, lots of cleaning and the many paperwork with different organizations for changing address/signing up new account/ending old account during the month of January, while knowing that we won't know the exact pros and cons of the new apartment until we moved in and live there for some time, living through the different timing and season, where different activities/things happen during different timing and season, learning from the previous experience.

After living here for two weeks now, we are glad to know that it's the right move that has to be done the sooner the better, even though it's not perfect, but for the sake of looking after our physical well-being.

We both find this apartment very homely. My husband is definitely having better rest/sleep, while my back and hips problem, as well as the knees injury and respiratory issue are slowly recovering, where now this body can gradually perform many of the yoga poses that it couldn't practice in the past twelve months due to the space limitation and ongoing physical injuries, although yoga and the yoga practice is not limited by physical and space limitation to be doing some yoga poses. It's about whether the mind has been developing the correct understanding, transcending the impermanent qualities of names and forms, being undetermined and uninfluenced by all kind of impermanent changes, challenges, pain, difficulty and obstacle in everyday life, being free from egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation.

Even though it was cold snowy winter weather in the past two weeks, where the air temperature dropped below 0 degree on certain days, we were bare-footing and wearing only one layer of clothing in the apartment, with only one heater in the bathroom that is obliged to turn on all day during the entire winter in order to keep the entire space dry, which we agree with, and it works efficiently as how it should be.

I also have more freedom, time and space to be doing something in the apartment, such as preparing and cooking meals, cleaning and washing, doing some yoga exercise, or merely using the bathroom and enjoying the daylight, in the day, while my husband is resting/sleeping in the bedroom with the shutter down and door closed. The solid flooring also doesn't make squeaky noise when I move around in the apartment. There are two balconies that we don't use at the moment because of the cold winter, but they give us the view of the mountains and the sky, where we can make use the outdoor space in spring and autumn. The laundry get dry quickly because of the unblocked sunlight comes directly into the room for many hours in the day, on top of the efficient heating system in the apartment that keep things dry. It will be hot in the summer definitely, but, it's okay, as the hot summer is only for a couple of months, but the cold and wet weather will be here for many months. Most important, it keeps the apartment mold-free.

Even though the apartment hunting process and the prolonged ongoing legal documentation procedure was a bit challenging for us, and the experience of dealing with some of the property agents were not that nice, but after one year living here, we are thankful to this country that has been very kind to us, where we are being looked after by the social health care and welfare system here, and in general, it's very safe and peaceful here in this little town, particularly.

All is impermanent.

READ ON

Understanding the suffering minds and their disturbing hurtful behavior with compassion

The minds that are aware of the modification of the mind, they are capable of having correct understanding under the presence of compassion towards the many suffering minds that would behave, act and react in the way that hurt oneself and others or the surrounding environment, while not being determined or disturbed by the suffering minds and their hurtful behavior, action and reaction, understanding that these disturbing hurtful minds are behaving in such way because they are under the veil of ignorance, that they are actually in great suffering, even if from the appearance, these suffering minds seemed to be finding relief, pleasure and satisfaction through causing inconvenience, disturbance, hurt or damage to themselves and others or the surrounding environment, deliberately.

The minds that realized compassion, they just simply couldn't act or react in the way that would be intentionally hurting anyone through any disturbing, hurtful or damaging behavior, action or reaction that would be causing certain inconvenience, disturbance, hurt or damage to others, even under intense disagreement towards some others who are behaving, acting and reacting in the way that is deliberately causing inconvenience, disturbance, hurt or damage to others, out of great disturb, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, anger and hatred in them, due to ignorance.

Understanding that, such disturbing hurtful minds are actually drowning in great suffering due to ignorance, where these suffering minds are ignorant towards what is going on in themselves, but either wittingly or unwittingly, externalizing and expressing their suffering of all kinds of disturb, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, anger and hatred via such disturbing or hurtful behavior, action or reaction that hurt themselves and others or the surrounding environment, deliberately.

The minds that don't know this, are peaceless, being determined, disturbed, angered and hurt by all kinds of disturbing and hurtful behavior, action and reaction in the world.

The minds that know this, are resting in unconditional peace, regardless of the presence of all kinds of disturbing and hurtful behavior, action and reaction in the world. Not that they are agreeing with, ignoring, empowering or don't care towards disturbing and hurtful behavior in the world, or don't perform any actions that might or might not help the world to be a better place, but, simply because they know and understand towards the modification of the mind, the root cause of suffering and the veil of ignorance, or towards human beings' disturbing, destructive and hurtful behavior, actions and reactions out of suffering under the veil of ignorance. This is nothing to do with forgiveness or accommodation as well. One doesn't need to accommodate such ignorance. Neither there's a need to forgive. Merely there's no need to waste any energy on such ignorance.

Understanding towards the suffering minds with compassion while not being determined by their disturbing and hurtful behavior, doesn't mean that one shouldn't move away from such abusive situation and allowing oneself to be abused by such ignorant behavior or treatment repeatedly, encouraging such ignorance. It has to come from the ignorant minds themselves to be aware of the ignorance and their ignorant behavior, action and reaction, to be initiated to free themselves from ignorance, and to stop behaving, acting and reacting ignorantly.

Look within, withdraw the senses that keep running out chasing after external pleasantness

It's normal and common that the untrained passionate egoistic mind would be looking out towards the presence of something pleasant and agreeable to the senses, the body and the mind, to be performing one's yoga practice, such as the presence of specific scenery, atmosphere, colour, shape, smell, sound, taste, sensation, visualization, position, direction, timing, accessory, experience, result, and etc, that the mind perceives as something 'yogic', 'spiritual', 'healthy', 'goodness', 'positiveness', 'auspiciousness', 'mystical', 'soothing', 'beautiful', 'pleasant', and etc, that are pleasant and agreeable for the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, body and mind, that satisfy the craving and aversion of the senses which make the mind feels satisfied, good, positive and meaningful.

However, yoga practice is there, as it is, regardless of the presence and absence of pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable condition and situation or experience, without craving towards what appeared to be easy, good, positive, meaningful, pleasant and agreeable, without aversion towards what appeared to be difficult, bad, negative, meaningless, unpleasant and disagreeable.

It's not about looking out, but refraining the mind from running out, withdrawing the senses that keep going out chasing after the objects of the senses that appeared to be soothing, pleasant and agreeable to the mind, starving the passionate desire of craving and aversion to its complete annihilation, is the yoga practice.

There's nothing wrong with the capability and opportunity to prefer or choose something that is more pleasant and agreeable to the body and mind, but without attachment, identification and the desire of craving and aversion. The mind feels relaxed, calmed, blessed, peaceful, good, positive, healthy, righteous, grateful or meaningful upon perceiving, or coming in contact with something that the mind perceives as something 'relaxing', 'calming', 'blessing', 'peace', 'goodness', 'positiveness', 'healthiness', 'righteousness', 'grateful deserving', or 'meaningful', are merely part of the impermanent modification of the selfless mind. It's not the goal of the yoga practice. It's going beyond the mind perception of duality, or the annihilation of the passionate egoistic attachment and desire of craving and aversion towards the selfless impermanent quality of names and forms, towards the sights, the sounds, the smells, the tastes, the sensations, the thoughts, the actions and the fruit of actions.

Go beyond the selfless and impermanent existence and function of the senses, the body, the mind, the states of the mind, the mind perception of a meaningful or meaningless/pleasant or unpleasant/enjoyable or painful worldly life existence of all kind of desirable and undesirable relationships and affairs, or the restless modification of the mind.

Regardless of the ceaseless and selfless mind perception of different conditions and situations or experiences, regardless of the different states of the mind, regardless of the presence and absence of ignorance and egoism, it's merely impermanent selfless names and forms arising and passing away. There's neither 'I' nor 'not I'.

There's no I to be identifying as 'I'. There's no I to be identifying as 'not I'.

It's very easy for the mind to sway out of the path, from time to time. It's neither bad or wrong. The selfless mind just needs to come back onto the path upon being aware of itself has swayed out of the path, without attachment, identification, judgment, comparison, or expectation.

Keep practicing.

Attachment and mental health

There's neither good nor bad about the presence and absence of worldly connection building and social interaction. The difference is about the presence or absence of attachment towards agreeable and disagreeable social connections and interactions, that is determining whether the mind (the state of the mind/mental health) is being determined or influenced by the presence and absence of agreeable and disagreeable connections and interactions, or not.

It's normal that the passionate egoistic minds that think and believe they love yoga very much and are practicing yoga regularly, might not like or agree with the teaching and practice of yoga and buddhism about non-attachment, or renunciation and dispassion. These minds, including many mental health professionals, think and believe that all minds can't live without social connections and interactions, where social connections and interactions are highly important for mental health, where lack of social connections and interactions is highly detrimental towards mental health, not knowing that, the main culprit is ATTACHMENT, and it's not really about whether there's sufficient social connections and interactions, or not.

Void of attachment, the presence and absence of all kinds of agreeable and disagreeable worldly connections and interactions don't determine the state of the mind, or mental health.

The presence of attachment towards the presence and absence of agreeable and disagreeable worldly connections and interactions is the reason why suffering/painful sorrow/disturb arise in the mind, upon the absence of, or the lack of, or losing the pleasant and agreeable connections and interactions, as well as upon coming in contact with, or the presence of unpleasant and disagreeable connections and interactions.

The minds that don't know what is non-attachment, or don't know how to remain unattached towards all kinds of connections and interactions, they would be spontaneously or autonomously attracted to, or admiring, or 'falling in love with' something or someone that appeared to be pleasant, agreeable, lovable, beautiful or meaningful to the mind, and being determined or influenced by the presence and absence of all kind of agreeable and disagreeable connections and interactions. These minds also have the desire to become physically and mentally attractive and admirable to other minds in the process of connections building and interactions, being determined by the presence and accumulation of pleasant and agreeable social connections and interactions for developing and empowering the sense of self-esteem, confidence, goodness, happiness, positiveness and meaningfulness towards itself and life existence, which determining, affecting and influencing the state of their mental health.

Even when the mind feels confident, good, happy, positive and meaningful about itself and life existence upon the presence of pleasant and agreeable connections and interactions in the present moment, this is impermanent. The mind will be in suffering, or the state of mental health will be 'bad' or 'disturbed', upon inevitable impermanent changes, upon the presence of unpleasant and disagreeable connections and interactions, and upon the absence of pleasant and agreeable connections and interactions, due to attachment. That is not freedom at all.

The minds that know what is non-attachment, where they can stay unattached towards all kinds of worldly connections and interactions, they can mix and mingle freely among the worldly community, if they want, but without being determined or influenced by the presence and absence of all kinds of agreeable and disagreeable connections and interactions. Such minds don't admire, or attracted to, or 'fall in love with' anything or anyone that appeared to be pleasant, agreeable, lovable, beautiful or meaningful to the mind, of what the mind perceived as 'goodness', 'kindness', 'righteousness', 'meaningfulness', 'positiveness', 'beautiful', 'cuteness', or 'attractiveness'. These minds don't need to rely on the presence and accumulation of agreeable social connections and interactions to be developing and empowering the sense of self-esteem, confidence, goodness, happiness, positiveness and meaningfulness towards itself and life existence, that don't need to be there at all. That's freedom.

Regardless of whether the minds like or dislike, agree or disagree, practice or don't practice, non-attachment is the core teaching and practice of yoga and buddhism. Without non-attachment, all kind of practice won't lead the mind towards liberation from ignorance and egoism, and the consequences of that. One can be practicing and/or teaching yoga to many other people for many years, preaching about awareness and mindfulness, while adopting a way of healthy living, clean eating and high thinking, but the mind might still be not free from functioning under the influence of ignorance and passionate egoism, being determined and influenced very much by the mind perception of a selfless impermanent worldly life existence of impermanent names and forms, worldly identities, activities, affairs, conditions, connections and interactions.

It's neither right nor wrong about the agreement and disagreement of the minds towards the teaching and practice of non-attachment. It's whether the minds are being endowed with the intense yearning for liberation, or not. The minds that are only interested in gaining some momentary physical and mental health and fitness benefits from performing the different type of yoga practice and exercises regularly, and developing the sense of goodness, happiness, positiveness and meaningfulness via the gratification of the desire of craving and aversion, through the presence and enjoyment of pleasant and agreeable names and forms, conditions, activities, connections and interactions, they don't need to agree with or practice non-attachment, as they wish. While the minds that have intense yearning towards liberation from the inevitable suffering of restlessness, of swaying between happiness and unhappiness, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, then non-attachment is the path.

The passionate minds advise the minds that suffered from low self-esteem, low confidence, dissatisfaction, unhappiness and meaninglessness to enlarge the circle of their social connections and interactions, empowering mental and emotional dependence, that give rise to momentary sense of accomplishment, acknowledgement, satisfaction, happiness and meaningfulness to the mind, while the teachings of yoga and buddhism advise such minds to renounce from the worldly connections and interactions for developing non-attachment and dispassion, developing mental and emotional independence, to free the mind from the root cause of low self-esteem, low confidence, dissatisfaction, unhappiness and meaningfulness, which is ignorance and passionate egoism.

Not that the mind will be free from suffering, or will be in a state of constant happiness or satisfaction upon the absence or cessation of selfless impermanent changes, but it is no longer being determined or influenced by the selfless impermanent changes within the impermanent modification of the selfless mind (the different states of the mind) and all kind of names and forms that it perceives through the senses, including this selfless physical body (the different conditions of the physical body).

A truly compassionate and wise teacher/parent/leader/senior/friend will allow the student/child/follower/junior/friend to become independent mentally and emotionally, where one knows how to love oneself, think for oneself, inquire the truth by oneself and look after oneself, and doesn't need to rely on connections and interactions with some others to be receiving love and support, agreement and acknowledgement, to feel good, happy, confident, positive or meaningful, regardless of the presence and absence of agreeable and disagreeable connections and interactions.

The mind that knows this, doesn't suffer from the sense of loneliness, even without any connections and interactions with anyone. The mind that doesn't know this, will be suffering from the sense of loneliness even when there is the presence of different kind of connections and interactions with some others, as it is always looking forward to be receiving ongoing attention, love, support, agreement and acknowledgement from some others. People might think that it's due to the lack of physical and mental companionship and interaction that is why someone is suffering from loneliness, not knowing that, it's the presence of attachment and craving towards receiving attention, love, support, agreement and acknowledgement from some others in order to feel love, good, happy, confident, positive and meaningful.

Inquire towards all kind of celebration day

There's neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad about the existence of all kind of celebration day or event, where many people like as well as 'need' to be celebrating certain things at certain timing for specific reasons, where people 'need' the existence of certain celebration day or event that involve certain activities and interactions among human beings, to ignite and boost the sense of belonging, happiness, meaningfulness, achievement, connection and togetherness, while some people are not interested or don't need to be engaging in any kind of celebration day or event, with or without any specific reason.

Anyhow, the existence of funeral is something important for many people to be able to 'let go' those who are gone, not just physically, but more so, mentally and emotionally.

All kind of celebration day/event/ritual are being celebrated by human beings on different timing under different reasons, either hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally, annually, and so on.

Although certain celebration day/event/ritual existed under certain ancient cultural and spiritual belief, values and practice along with the beginning of human existence long before the era of commercialism, most of the celebration day/event that have been continuously popping up here and there, are indeed the by-products of commercialism, to boost business or sales, a.k.a. profits, income, or wealth, for somebody.

The local/regional and international/global economy is very much being powered by all kinds of celebration day/event/ritual. The more type of celebration event existing in the world, the better it is for all kind of business/job/opportunity.

The mental and emotional health of many people, and the relationship/connection between human beings are also very much being influenced by the existence of the many different type of cultural and spiritual celebration event that generate the 'intention' or 'obligation' for people to come together, from time to time.

Some celebration day/event/ritual can be without the need of related 'objects', 'feasts', 'activities' or 'travelling' which require certain amount of 'inevitable expenses', where people don't necessarily have to be spending any money at all to be appreciating or celebrating something, however, most celebration day/event/ritual or funeral are associated with certain amount of 'inevitable expenses', where it can be 'financially difficult' or 'non-affordable' for some people, and even 'embarrassing', 'regretting' or 'guilty' for certain people.

In the event of funeral, some people cannot 'afford' to organize a so called 'funeral' for their loved ones. More money are being spent after death than while living for some people. Some people are depriving themselves while living in order to be saving enough money for arranging their own funeral the way that they prefer, if they think and believe that they need to have particular type of funeral for themselves after death under certain belief, values and practice. Just like many other things, funeral as well as after death's weekly, monthly and yearly ongoing ritual is a big money making business.

Certain 'crimes' also happened to be more frequent before and during certain celebration day/event or even funeral, due to different type of 'desperation' as well as 'golden opportunity for crime' that exist along with the existence of certain celebration day/event/ritual, or funeral, in certain cultures.

Meanwhile, certain cultural or spiritual celebration day/event/ritual involved with 'the sacrifice/offer of something in order to receive/attain something in return'.

Regardless of the different differences that all human beings identifying with as 'who they are' and 'where they belonged', where different communities under different cultural and spiritual belief celebrate different kind of celebration event on different day, everyone under all kind of diversities seemed to be celebrating the universal 'New Year' everywhere in the world, where the beginning of a year represents 'a new beginning', or 'a fresh start', or 'new hopes' for most people, that ignites certain 'spark' or 'motivation' to be performing certain actions, or to be achieving something, such as 'new year resolution' or 'setting intention'. That is something that all diversities could be sharing and celebrating in common, putting aside all kind of difference/competition/discrimination.

Some minds would feel bored, joyless, meaningless, or lack of motivation, if without certain kind of celebration day/event/ritual, to have something well-worth to be celebrating about or deserve to be remembering about, to be engaging in certain activities, connections and interactions among human beings, from time to time.

Some minds might even be disturbed and offended by certain behavior or happening that appeared to be offensive or inauspicious towards certain celebration day/event/ritual, or funeral.

For the minds that have transcended all kind of names and forms, time, space and causation, that have realized selflessness and unconditional peace, that are free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, that are free from being conditioned by worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, that are free from attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, would respect the existence of all kind of celebration day/event/ritual or funeral that have their own particular reason to be existing, however, these minds don't need to be engaging in or celebrating any specific celebration day/event/ritual to develop or boost the sense of belonging, happiness, meaningfulness, achievement, connection and togetherness, or to ignite the 'spark' or 'motivation' to be performing any kind of actions, or to 'sacrifice/offer something in order to receive/attain something in return', and they won't be disturbed or offended by any kind of behavior or happening that appeared to be offensive or inauspicious towards certain celebration day/event/ritual or funeral. They don't need 'funeral' to let go anyone physically, mentally and emotionally. They don't need 'togetherness' to appreciate all kind of relationship. They don't need 'specific timing', 'motivation', 'resolution' or 'setting intention' to be performing actions.

For these minds, every moment is nothing but the rise/beginning as well as the passing away/end of something. Every moment can be appreciated and/or celebrated yet there's nothing really need to be celebrated particularly on particular timing, transcending names and forms, time, space and causation, transcending the sense of goodness and badness, positiveness and negativeness, auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, deserving and undeserving, or meaningfulness and meaninglessness, void of boredom and loneliness.

Love without attachment and possessiveness

"How can a person being engaged in any kind of relationship with someone, and appreciates and loves that person sincerely, but then at the same time, one is not being determined by the absence and presence of agreeable and disagreeable, desirable and undesirable, pleasant and unpleasant interactions and events that occur in any form of human relationship, regardless of whether it's relationship with family, friends and lover or spouse?"

The passionate minds that are being conditioned by worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, would have great difficulty in understanding towards "One can love and appreciate some others in different type of relationship in life very much, but won't be feeling "losing/missing someone or something that oneself loves and appreciates very much" upon the absence of that person and/or the relationship."

The passionate minds think and believe that, all kinds of love, can only exist along with attachment and possessiveness/the sense of belonging, where the amount of love is being determined or measured by the degrees of attachment and possessiveness in any kind of relationship.

The minds that truly understand towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence in all and everything, would understand that there's nothing or none belonged to anything or anyone.

One knows how to love all and everyone without attachment and possessiveness, where one doesn't own any kind of existing relationship as well as the person(s) in the relationship with oneself.

Without attachment and possessiveness towards the relationship and the person(s) in the relationship with oneself, it doesn't mean that one doesn't care about or doesn't take the relationship and the person(s) in the relationship with oneself seriously.

One appreciates all the different kind of human relationships existing in the present moment now, as they are, not necessarily all desirable and agreeable, as well as loves the person(s) in the relationship with oneself unconditionally as it is, without the idea of "You are my family," or "You are my friend,", or "You are my lover/spouse," or "You belonged to me," or "You are mine," or "This is my family/my friend/my lover/my spouse/my relationship." And hence, one doesn't loose anything and/or anyone, upon the absence of the relationship and/or the person(s) in the different type of relationship with oneself, upon impermanent changes that are not necessarily being the way that how everyone would like it to be. Upon the realization of selflessness, there's no 'I' being there to be claiming, "I am losing something or someone," or "I don't want to loose something or someone that is upmost important to me," as well as, there's nothing or none to loose, as nothing/none belonged to anyone.

"Loving others unconditionally, as they are" doesn't mean that one should be blindly agreeing with everything and saying "yes" to everything, or one wouldn't be having any dislike or disagreement towards any kind of ignorant thinking and behavior, or shouldn't be saying "no" to any kind of demands, or allowing oneself to be mistreated or abused by other people's ignorant hurtful behavior repeatedly, encouraging and empowering such ignorance. However, one is not being determined by the likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements, and pleasant or unpleasant affairs and events that occur in any kind of relationship. One can choose to move away from such ignorance, if necessarily, if possible, not to be encouraging and empowering such ignorance.

The passionate minds would react and feel disappointed and dissatisfied, upon one's desires/demands/cravings are not being gratified, as well as would react and feel disappointed, confused and hurt, if someone in any kind of relationship with oneself telling oneself about, "There's nothing to loose in any kind of relationship with anything and anyone," or "You are free to love me, or not, and you are free to stay or leave as you wish," or "I love you as you are, even if you don't love me and/or are not in a relationship with me," as they would interpret that as "You don't love me. You don't appreciate me or our relationship. I mean nothing to you. I am not important to you. Our relationship doesn't mean anything to you," not understanding that, that is unconditional non-possessive type of love.

The minds that feel disappointed and hurt by someone in any kind of relationship because one's desires/demands/cravings are not being gratified by those in any form of relationship with oneself, would react in the way that would hurt oneself and those in certain type of relationship with oneself, out of disappointment, resentment, or rebelliousness. Such minds don't even love themselves, not to say, they don't really love those whom they think they love very much, as they would do things that would hurt anyone, including themselves, upon not getting what they like and want, and/or are getting what they don't like and don't want. They only love their desires of what they like and want.

The minds that know how to love themselves and others unconditionally won't do anything that would hurt oneself and/or others deliberately, out of disappointment, resentment, or rebelliousness, upon the non-gratification of their desires or demands. Such as when the parents reject their children's demands for something, the children might react and behave in the way that would hurt themselves and their parents deliberately, out of disappointment, resentment and rebelliousness. Or, one would react and behave in the way that hurt oneself and the partner/spouse intentionally, out of disappointment, resentment and rebelliousness, upon one's demands towards the partner/spouse and the relationship are not being gratified.

Most minds don't appreciate such unconditional non-possessive type of love, instead, they would rather be chasing after passionate possessive type of love, where there is intense attachment, identification, possessiveness, clinging and craving towards one another, to receive attention, love, care, support, comfort, encouragement, companionship, interaction, acknowledgement, agreement, appreciation, praise and compliment from one another, to boost the sense of self-esteem, goodness, happiness, accomplishment, positiveness and meaningfulness.

The minds that realized selflessness and impermanence transcend all these names and forms, not being determined by all these names and forms to be 'I', transcending the sense of self-esteem, goodness, happiness, accomplishment, positiveness and meaningfulness, where they don't need to feel confident, good, happy, accomplished, positive or meaningful at all, not to say, to be building and boosting the sense of self-esteem, goodness, happiness, accomplishment, positiveness and meaningfulness out of all kinds of selfless impermanent names and forms, being determined and empowered by passionate egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment and expectation.

Many minds would think and believe that, "Good friends, or friends, are those who regularly meet up with one another, visit each other, spend lots of time together and doing something together, or keeping in touch, talking to and sharing with each other all the time. Otherwise, they are not good friends, or they are not my friends at all." These minds cannot understand that, "True friends are not necessarily have to be regularly meeting up with one another, visiting each other, spending lots of time together and doing something together, or keeping in touch, talking to and sharing with each other." They cannot comprehend that, "friends" are those who will always be a friend even after many years not meeting up with one another, not visiting each other, not spending lots of time together and not doing something together, or not keeping in touch, not talking to and not sharing with each other, either with or without any reasons.

Most passionate egoistic minds have no such understanding, and they would feel disappointed, unhappy or lonely, if they think they don't have any friends to interact, socialize, share and play with, then know that it's due to the attachment and possessiveness towards 'friends' and 'friendship', as well as the craving towards the presence of friends with the interactions and activities, and the aversion towards the absence of friends and the interactions and activities, are not being gratified.

To truly understand this dispassionate unconditional non-possessive type of love, one must perform self-inquiry towards what are "selflessness in all and everything" and "attachment and possessiveness", as well as what is "love without attachment and possessiveness" or "dispassionate unconditional love," to attain direct realization towards all these terms.

"Love without attachment and possessiveness" is nothing to do with the passionate engagement in multiple intimate love affairs or relationships with many different people/lovers/partners on different timing or at the same time, while thinking and believing that that's what unconditional love and care towards all and everyone is about.

Non-attachment and non-possessiveness is nothing to do with non-commitment, or non-seriousness, or non-appreciative, or irresponsibility towards any kind of human relationship. One can be seriously and genuinely engaging in as well as being responsible and appreciative towards all kind of human relationship, as well as being contented with having one single committed intimate love affair or relationship with someone, but without any attachment or the sense of possessiveness, respecting all kind of impermanent changes as they are.

However, unconditional love that is void of attachment and possessiveness is highly being misused by the passionate minds, including some yoga practitioners or yoga teachers, as the 'spiritual' excuse to justify one's irresponsibility towards one's existing relationship with family, friends or lover/spouse/partner, or to justify one's greedy discontented lustful desire to be enjoying or engaging in "many different intimate love affair/relationship with different people at different timing," or "multiple committed/uncommitted intimate love affairs/relationships with different lovers/partners at the same time," or "any kind of sexual misconduct," using the excuse of 'love sharing' or 'spiritual healing' to be engaging in intimate love/sexual affair/relationship with the disturbed minds that are longing to be comforted, loved or healed by some others, while thinking and believing and propagating that, "unconditional love without attachment and possessiveness" means "I have so much love and care (lust) that needed to share with as many people as possible, without being limited by any commitment or responsibility," as well as, using the excuse of "unconditional love without attachment and commitment" to be expecting one's lover/spouse shouldn't be disturbed or hurt by one's greedy lustful desire that needed to be shared with many other different lovers/partners, thinking and believing that it's what unconditional love is about, but not really. That's their freedom of thinking and behavior, however, it's completely nothing to do with yoga.

One can be loving one's lover/spouse unconditionally, but it doesn't mean that one should be encouraging or empowering such ignorant thinking and behavior of the lover/spouse that is over-powered by greedy lustful desires, where one can let go such "relationship" without any disappointment or resentment, loving the lover/spouse as he/she is, being ignorant and behaving ignorantly, thinking and believing that he/she loves his/her lover/partner/spouse very much, but he/she would do things that hurt those whom they think they love very much out of greed, discontentment and lustful desires, or out of disappointment, dissatisfaction, resentment or rebelliousness, due to ungratified desires. One doesn't need to stay in such relationship, but more importantly, one is not being determined or bothered by such ignorance and ignorant behavior of the lover/partner/spouse that is being ignorant towards his/her own ignorance and ignorant behavior. It's only due to the presence of attachment and possessiveness as well as the desire of craving and aversion, most people can't let go and would feel disappointed, hurt and disturbed for being in any relationship with anyone that is under the influence of ignorance with the presence of ignorant behavior, but then oneself also reacting and behaving in the way that would be hurting oneself and those in the relationship with oneself, intentionally, out of resentment and rebelliousness.

"You hurt me, I'll hurt you back" is not love at all.

Some people might not be doing anything hurtful directly to the lover/partner/spouse, refuse to communicate and have better understanding among one another, but then would go behind their back saying and doing many things that would hurt them. That is more evil and hurtful than those who express their disagreement directly to their lover/partner/spouse to communicate about any issues or misunderstanding. However, it seems to be part of certain cultural practice to not express any disagreement directly with the person involved, but to go behind people's back to complain, bitching and hurt the person, to seek support and agreement from other people towards one's disagreement towards the lover/partner/spouse, to relieve one's dissatisfaction and unhappiness. By complaining and bitching about one's lover/partner/spouse whom oneself dislikes and hates so much, with or without the intention of getting other people's support and agreement towards oneself, so that other people will also dislike and hating one's lover/partner/spouse for something that oneself dislikes and disagrees with, while thinking that oneself is a 'victim' of the bad behavior of one's lover/partner/spouse, it only shows that oneself doesn't love the lover/partner/spouse at all.

Yoga practitioners need to stay away from such ignorant thinking, belief, values and practice, while not encouraging or empowering such ignorance.

Many yoga teachers might think and believe that they are doing the right thing or the compassionate action to be 'helping' and 'comforting' other people's unhappy mind by being a sympathetic/empathetic listener and supporter to other people who need to be complaining about what they think and believe is their relationship problem and unhappiness, not being aware of that is actually empowering the ignorance in such minds. These minds themselves don't really love themselves, not to say, they don't love their lover/partner/spouse at all, but they only love their selfish desire and expectation towards their lover/partner/spouse and their love relationship to be in certain way, and out of one's dissatisfaction and disappointment, when they don't get what they like and want, and are getting what they don't like and don't want, upon the lover/partner/spouse and the relationship is not being the way that they expect and desire it to be, they felt 'disappointed', 'unhappy' and 'hurt', and need to be complaining to other people about all kinds of bad and terrible things about their lover/partner/spouse, while thinking and believing that they love their lover/partner/spouse very much, but they are being 'disappointed', 'disturbed' and 'hurt' by their lover/partner/spouse who is bad and terrible, "Oh, I love him/her so much, but he/she is so bad and terrible. I am a victim of his/her bad and terrible behavior, but I can't, and I don't want to let go this relationship because I love him/her so much. I feel so hurt and unhappy because of this bad relationship, and I need sympathy, empathy, comfort and support from other people, acknowledging that my hurt and my unhappiness is due to my lover/partner/spouse is so bad and terrible."

The minds that understand, if one truly loves someone, there's no hurt or disappointment arising in oneself regardless of all kinds of undesirable and disagreeable interactions and happenings in the relationship, and there won't be such 'need' to be complaining to other people, to be seeking sympathy, empathy, comfort and support from some others to justify about "I am loving, good and right, while he/she is unloving, bad and wrong." One can choose to remain in the relationship that is not all desirable and agreeable, or let go any relationship that involved ignorant and hurtful behavior that keep hurting oneself and those in any kind of relationship with oneself out of ignorance, without disappointment or resentment.

If yoga teachers truly want to help the disturbed suffering minds that are under the influence of ignorance to be free from all kinds of disappointment, disturb, hurt and unhappiness due to ignorance, it's not by comforting and supporting their ignorant thinking or incorrect understanding, to be encouraging and empowering their ignorance, but it's guiding and allowing them to see the ignorance in themselves that give rise to such disappointment, disturb, hurt and unhappiness. Even though it's an unpleasant process, and most minds don't like such confrontation to be seeing and acknowledging the ignorance in themselves as well as all kinds of incorrect thinking and understanding that hurt themselves and those whom they think they love very much, but that's liberation for oneself and those in any kind of relationship with oneself.

Sincere yoga practitioners who really want to practice yoga and realize yoga, need to have the basic wisdom to inquire towards the truth of everything, and not being conditioned by any kind of passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice in the world of ignorance and egoism, as well as not being 'deluded' by any kind of impure understanding and intention that exist in the world of yoga.

The answer is the questions themselves

"There's no mention of what type of yoga that you teach and what kind of benefits people will be getting from learning and practicing the type of yoga that you teach in your website. There are also no details about the yoga practice style, level, duration, venue, and fees. There's no mention of the affiliation with the International Yoga Alliance or attachment towards any internationally recognized yoga school and yoga association at all. What type of yoga do you teach? What are the benefits? Where and whom did you learn yoga from? How many and what kind of yoga teacher training courses that you have attended in the past? What type of teaching experience, qualification and certification do you have? What level in yoga have you achieved? Without all these details, who will be interested?"

The answer is the questions themselves.

Inquiry towards selflessness and impermanence

In the teachings of yoga, breath (prana/energy) is life, life is breath (prana/energy). If no breath (no prana/energy), there's no life. Similarly, in science, if no oxygen, no food, no nutrients, no minerals, no water, no energy, no supportive systems that take in, breakdown, digest, filter, modify, absorb and distribute energy/oxygen/chemical compounds/nutrients/minerals that supports life, there's no life.

The life, or the existence and function of the body and the perceptive cognitive thinking mind, is not possible if without the breath coming and going, as well as many other different body parts, organs, senses, nerves, neurons, blood vessels, glands, skins, bone structure, joints, muscle groups, tendons, ligaments, hormonal secretions, systems and elements working together to provide the supports that enabling this life existence of the body and mind being what they are, to be existing and functioning, selflessly and impermanently.

The breath is not the thinking mind, and it doesn't belong to the thinking mind. Each different component, system and element, are not the thinking mind, and they don't belong to the thinking mind, while all the different components, systems and elements are working together, supporting and influencing each other, that enable everything to be existing and functioning as they are, selflessly and intentionlessly.

The existence and function of the breath is only possible under the support of many other parts of the respiratory system, that is also relying on the support of many other body systems, where all kinds of systems also relying on one another as well as the many different supportive components and elements, where all kinds of supportive components and elements also wouldn't be available if without some other supportive elements respectively, and so on.

The breath is selfless and impermanent. So as all the other supportive components, systems and elements are all selfless and impermanent. There's no 'I' in the breath, as well as there's no 'I' in all kinds of supportive components, systems and elements that enable the life of this selfless and impermanent body and mind to be existing and functioning.

There's no 'I' existing in the existence and function of this selfless impermanent body and mind. The function of the thinking faculty is selflessly being influenced by energy, relying on the support of many different supportive components, systems and elements. Even when the thinking mind has certain freewill command over the physical movements, thinking, actions and reactions, speech and expression, it still depends on the selfless function of the central nervous system connecting to the peripheral system, provided if the central nervous system as well as the peripheral system is functioning normally under the support of all kinds of supportive components, systems and elements respectively. Even when the thinking mind has certain freewill power to exert as much energy as possible into performing certain actions to maintain the good condition of the physical body, it still doesn't change the truth of selflessness and impermanence in everything, including the existence and function of the physical body as well as the thinking mind itself.

It's only the ignorant egoistic impure thinking mind has an idea of 'I' existing in the form of thinking, out of ignorance and egoism, believing that 'I' exists as an individual being, claiming a personal identity attaching towards certain qualities of names and forms that are selfless and impermanent, to be identifying as 'I', as well as claiming possession or ownership towards all kinds of selfless impermanent names and forms that don't belong to anyone as 'mine' or 'my'. From the idea of 'I', arise all kinds of impurities, intentions, desires, possessions, discontentment, fear, pride and greed, that give rise to so much unnecessary disturb, unrest and suffering arising from within the modification of the mind, as well as projecting into the surrounding environment, while proudly thinking and believing that, "I am in control of myself, my life, my body and my mind, I achieve everything by my own freewill, intention and effort, and everything is according to my desire of how I want it to be."

If without all kinds of supportive components, systems and elements enabling this mind being what it is, then what is this thinking mind? What is pride and arrogance?

The thinking mind is being aware of the existence and function of the breath, which the breath itself is one of the supportive influential elements for the thinking mind to be functioning, where all kinds of supportive elements are selfless and impermanent, without egoistic intention to be working together being one of the supportive influential elements for enabling one another and everything else to be happening, existing, changing, and cease existing.

Most of the time, the thinking mind is not aware of the breath and/or any other components, systems or elements at all, being occupied with the restless selfless modification of the mind, being busy with the perception of names and forms through the senses and the thought process of ceaseless reactions reacting towards the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, imaginations, projections, anticipations, memories, and so on, that give rise to attachment, identification, comparison, judgment, desires of craving and aversion, expectation, and so on. But, the breath and all the other components, systems and elements are still ceaselessly performing selfless intentionless actions, working together, supporting and influencing one another being what they are, as they are, until they cease performing action at due time and cause.

The thinking mind is also one of the selfless impermanent components. It's selfless and impermanent, existing and functioning under the support of all the other supportive components, systems and elements. It's not 'I', and there's no 'I'. There's no 'I' existing in control of the existence and function of the thinking mind. Similarly, if without the function of the perceptive cognitive thinking mind under the support of many different supportive elements, what is worldly life existence, what is pleasurable enjoyment and painful suffering?

Meanwhile, from the selfless impermanent thinking mind itself, there might or might not be an awareness being aware of the veil of ignorance, and there might or might not be arising a desire to be liberated from ignorance and the suffering that derived from ignorance.

Initiated by the thinking mind itself, it can be performing all kinds of disciplinary to discipline, purify and quiet the modification of the mind, which enabling self-inquiry and self-realization to be happening, through the annihilation of the idea of 'I' and the veil of ignorance.

Peaceful and happy as it is, transcending impermanent feelings and emotions

A happy mind or an unhappy mind, is not about whether the mind is feeling happy or unhappy most of the time, or all the time. A happy mind can be unhappy some of the time, and an unhappy mind can be happy some of the time. The mind is neither happy nor unhappy. It's merely some impermanent feelings and emotions arising and passing away. It's about whether there's attachment and identification arising in the mind attaching and identifying towards the impermanent feelings and emotions, and hence, swaying restlessly between feeling happy and unhappy under certain conditions, or the mind is being content and happy as it is, unconditionally, transcending the impermanent happy and unhappy feelings and emotions that ceaselessly arising and passing away.

The minds that are free from ignorance and egoism, that are not being conditioned or determined by the presence and absence of certain qualities of names and forms, or the perception/experience of something pleasant/unpleasant, desirable/undesirable, or agreeable/disagreeable, or the gratification/non-gratification of desires to be happy or unhappy, they are resting in the state of unconditional contentment, being content as they are and happy as it is, unconditionally, transcending all kinds of pleasant/unpleasant experiences, void of attachment and identification towards the impermanent modification of the mind, while respecting the selfless impermanent changes as they are.

It doesn't mean that these minds don't perceive anything as something pleasant/unpleasant, desirable/undesirable or agreeable/disagreeable, or wouldn't be having and/or expressing any understanding or emotion of like and dislike or agreement and disagreement, however, all kinds of reactions under different emotions that are impermanent, don't determine, influence, affect, disturb or change the state of the mind that is being content and happy as it is, unconditionally.

Such minds can be perceiving and reacting towards certain ideas, behaviors or events, expressing agreement or disagreement towards certain ideas, behaviors or events, and there are different feelings and emotions arising and passing away in the mind, but, it doesn't mean that these minds are happy or unhappy minds, as there's no attachment, identification or association towards the impermanent modifications of the mind.

Healthy minds are capable of being peaceful and happy as they are, where they are not being determined by the presence and absence of interaction, attention, love, care, support, encouragement, acknowledgement, appreciation, agreement, praise, compliment, sympathy or empathy from others, to feel happy, love, good, positive and meaningful, or not. They don't need any others to keep checking on them, "How are you?", "Are you OK?", "Are you happy?", and so on. 

These minds are peaceful and happy as they are, regardless of the different impermanent feelings and emotions arising and passing away in the mind, under any circumstances, conditions and situations, void of grasping, or attachment and identification, transcending the intellectual cognition towards rightfulness and wrongfulness, goodness and badness, happiness and unhappiness, agreement and disagreement, like and dislike, achievement and non-achievement, easiness and difficulty, success and failure, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, and etc.

These minds don't need to rely on any external influences of pleasant/desirable/agreeable experiences that give rise to the momentary sense of satisfaction and happiness, or rely on the momentary effect of certain physical exercises or positions, breathing control, mental control, sound vibrations, or drugs and intoxicants that induce momentary calmness, relaxation, unwind, contentment or happiness, for being peaceful and happy as they are, unconditionally.

There's awareness towards some impermanent happy or unhappy feelings and emotions arising and passing away, but there's no attachment or identification of "I am happy or unhappy." Neither there's desire of craving and aversion of "I want to be happy," or "I don't want to be unhappy."

Meanwhile, due to ignorance and egoism, the egoistic minds need to have specific 'happiness deserving' reasons/factors to feel happy and be happy, or will be unhappy being determined by specific 'unhappiness deserving' reasons/factors, being influenced and determined by the presence and absence of pleasant/unpleasant, desirable/undesirable, and agreeable/disagreeable experiences, relationships, interactions, events, places, environments, conditions and situations, swaying between the state of being happy and the state of being unhappy, restlessly.

There's attachment and identification towards the happy and unhappy feelings and emotions of "I am happy or unhappy." There's also desire of craving and aversion of "I want to be happy," and "I don't want to be unhappy."

The minds that are under the influence of ignorance and egoism, that couldn't go beyond the attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment and expectation towards the presence and absence of certain qualities of names and forms to be the specific reasons to be happy or unhappy, can also realize this unconditional state of the mind that is "peaceful and happy as it is," upon the weakening, thinning out and annihilation of ignorance and egoism.

Seclusion and solitude is highly important for self-inquiry and self-realization

Renunciation must be observed along with seclusion and solitude, especially in this era, of the end of dhamma, where ignorant passionate egoistic thinking and behavior are predominant in everywhere.

Some yoga practitioners might think that renunciation is about renouncing or retreating from their worldly life, not living and mingling among the worldly community, but then, they are attaching towards the yoga family or community, engaging in many kinds of yoga activity regularly interacting with many others who are like-minded, to be accompanying, supporting and motivating one another on the path of yoga, physically, mentally and emotionally, however, after spending some time living a life of 'renunciation from the worldly community', the mind is still not free from the worldly passionate egoistic thinking and behavior pattern.

This is because ignorance and egoism exists even in the yoga community, where many yoga activities, yoga events, yoga classes, yoga courses, yoga retreats, yoga schools, yoga ashrams, yoga organizations and yoga associations are not free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, that empowers passion, attachment, identification and desires of craving and aversion, instead of developing dispassion and desirelessness. Having similar interest and being like-minded, as well as passionately engaging in yoga activities regularly, doesn't mean that the minds are free from ignorance and egoism. By continuously mingling among and interacting with the yoga community that is not free from the passionate egoistic thinking and behavior pattern under the influence of ignorance and egoism, it couldn't serve the purpose of renunciation effectively, because the mind doesn't get the chance to move away from the worldly passionate egoistic thinking and behavior pattern, continuously thinking and behaving in such way unwittingly, while mingling among and interacting with the yoga community and learning and practicing yoga that is not about the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, but empowers passionate egoistic attachment, identification, desire, comparison, judgment, intention, expectation, as well as mental and emotional dependence.

The essence of renunciation, is for the mind to stay away from such passionate egoistic influences completely for a prolonged period of time, that serves the purpose of thinning out the attachment and identification towards the worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, which allowing the mind be able to develop the basic foundation of dispassion and right discrimination, as well as mental and emotional independence, for inquiring towards all kinds of worldly passionate egoistic thinking and behavior, actions and reactions, and their consequences.

Unless the mind has already developed or be endowed with a strong foundation of non-attachment, non-identification, dispassion and correct understanding (right discrimination), if not, it's highly important for the sincere yoga practitioners who have intense yearning for liberation to be observing seclusion and solitude during the practice of renunciation, not just renouncing from the worldly affairs and the worldly community that are mostly under the influence of passionate worldly egoistic thinking and behavior pattern, but also retreating from the world of yoga community and yoga activities that are not necessarily be free from the influence of worldly passionate egoistic thinking and behavior pattern.

Some minds believe that they only need to renounce the world mentally, while physically mingling among the worldly passionate egoistic minds, engaging in passionate egoistic interactive activities and affairs, however, there are not many minds have such strong foundation of non-attachment, dispassion and right discrimination, as well as mental and emotional independence, to be living and mingling among the passionate egoistic minds, and not being influenced by the passionate egoistic way of thinking and behavior.

There will be some non-understanding reaction and even criticism and condemn coming from family and friends, as well as some others in the yoga community when the mind renounces not only the worldly community, but also the yoga community, however, it only shows that these minds are very much thinking, behaving, acting and reacting under the influence of passionate egoistic thinking and behavior pattern. Some minds will be puzzled, disappointed, and even offended, when a mind stops engaging in any family and friends social cultural activities, as well as not participating in or associating with any yoga organizations, associations, gatherings, activities and events. There's neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, in all these egoistic reactions towards the mind that observes renunciation, seclusion and solitude. All minds take their own time to evolve, at their own cause and pace.

Inquire towards the truth of everything, including the different teachings and practice of yoga deriving from the world of yoga, as well as all the teachings here.

It's everyone's freedom whether they want to observe seclusion and solitude, or not, that allows the mind to develop the foundation of dispassion and right discrimination, and mental and emotional independence, effectively. However, such intense practice might not be suitable for all and everyone.

After developing a strong foundation of non-attachment, dispassion and right discrimination, one can live and mingle freely among the passionate egoistic minds, and not being influenced by them at all, while performing selfless service to disseminate the teachings that leads other minds onto the path of self-inquiry and self-realization, to be free from ignorance.

The power of thoughts?

Yoga is indeed all about the mind, and there are quite many yoga enthusiasts strongly believing in the power of thoughts for their own particular reasons.

There are people believing in, "Things will manifest as you think and desire. If you gather the power of thoughts to be focusing on something that you desire, and strongly believing that all your desires will come true, and it will come true as you desire." That's their freedom of thinking and desire. However, it's not part of the yoga practice.

The essence of yoga is about the annihilation of the modification of the mind. It's about silencing the thought activities. It's about the annihilation of desire, or the state of desirelessness. It's about realizing selflessness through the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment and expectation. It's about realizing non-separateness or oneness, transcending duality, of good and bad, positive and negative, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, success and failure, happiness and unhappiness, pleasurable enjoyment and suffering. It's about respecting the law of cause and effect, and the truth of selflessness and impermanence, which also leads to respecting the perceived reality as it is, not necessarily pleasant, desirable or agreeable, and it's changing at its own cause and pace. Free from the egoistic desire and intention to be controlling or changing the perceived reality to be or not to be in certain way.

Somehow, yoga practice has been being manipulated into a tool for developing mind power to be gratifying all kinds of desires.

Here is a simple inquiry towards the power of thoughts.

By focusing and thinking very hard and strongly believing in the earth is square, doesn't make the earth become square.

By focusing and thinking very hard and strongly believing in those who had passed away will come back alive, doesn't bring back the dead to be alive.

By focusing and thinking very hard and strongly believing in the world will be free from all kinds of ignorance and suffering, doesn't make all kinds of ignorance and suffering disappear from the world.

By focusing and thinking very hard and strongly believing in "(I) am the champion of any competition who will win all competitions even without the need of any effort of training and preparation," doesn't make (I) become the champion of all competitions.

By focusing and thinking very hard and strongly believing in "This apple will become an orange," doesn't make the apple turn into an orange.

Regardless of how positive and optimistic is the thinking mind, it doesn't change the truth of selflessness and impermanence in all kinds of names and forms being what they are, as they are, and constantly changing, arising and passing away, governed by the law of cause and effect.

What everyone want to think and believe is their freedom, however, for the sincere yoga practitioners, they must free the mind from ignorance by inquiring towards the truth of everything.

One can be appreciating good condition or good health when it's available, but without attachment towards good condition or good health. One can do one's best to maintain good condition or good health and avoid sickness or injury, but there's neither craving towards sickness/injury-free nor aversion towards sickness and injury. If there is sickness or injury arise in this body, then either it can do its best to take rest, allowing the system to heal itself, or it can receive certain medical treatment if necessary, if available, and allowing the medical treatment to do whatever it needs to do, while respecting the body will be recovering at its own cause and pace, or not. There's no fear or aversion towards selfless impermanent changes of decay, old age, weakness, sickness, injury and death, or separation from the world of family and friends and things that one loves and appreciates. There's no need the power of thoughts to be desiring this or that, and to be controlling or changing the perceived reality to be or not to be in certain way.

The power of thoughts is more about from the rise of thoughts/intentions/desires that are whether under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities, or not, that influencing the minds generating actions/reactions/expressions that could be beneficial or harmful to oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment.

There's nothing bad or negative about incorrect understanding due to ignorance

There's nothing bad, wrong, negative or shameful about having incorrect understanding due to the veil of ignorance.

Under the veil of ignorance, the minds feel offended or shameful upon being related to the presence of ignorance.

Even Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was having incorrect understanding and doubts under the influence of the veil of ignorance before the attainment of self-realization towards the truth of suffering.

Many saints and sages were thinking, behaving, acting and reacting under the influence of impurities deriving from ignorance and egoism, before attaining self-realization towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence in the mind perception of the world of names and forms.

All and everyone has to go through imperfection, doubts and incorrect understanding before and during the path of self-inquiry and self-realization, before the annihilation of ignorance.

The only difference is, whether the minds have awareness and acknowledgement towards the presence of ignorance and have the yearning for attaining liberation from ignorance, or not.

Some minds were initiated by the experience of suffering, and hence, igniting the yearning towards the liberation from suffering, and thus, the path of self-inquiry and self-realization begins. While some minds were initiated by the experience of pleasurable enjoyment, and hence, igniting the yearning towards the attainment of absolute enjoyment, and thus, the path of self-inquiry and self-realization begins. In the end, either the desire to be free from suffering or the desire to attain absolute enjoyment, drop off naturally, upon the realization of selflessness/oneness/non-separateness, upon the annihilation of ignorance and egoism.

Before the realization, there is suffering, the path of transcending suffering, and the end of suffering. Upon the realization, there is no suffering, no path of transcending suffering, and no end of suffering.

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Form is not distinct from emptiness, emptiness is not distinct from form. There's no contradiction. What generates the separateness or distinction, is the veil of ignorance.

The hindrance towards self-inquiry and self-realization is coming from the mind itself

There's nothing wrong and it's common that most minds are being proud of the attachment and identification towards their particular ancestral, tribal, social, cultural, spiritual or religious thinking, belief, values and practice that influencing their particular way of living, perspective, reasoning power, judgment and expectation towards themselves and everything, where the idea of letting go those existing attachment and identification in the teachings and practice of yoga and buddhism, is something unthinkable or extremely wrong and insane for these minds.

There are many minds are interested in yoga, and might be practicing and teaching yoga under certain names and forms for some time, however, the presence of intense attachment and identification or pride towards their particular thinking, belief, values and practice deriving from as well as empowering ignorance and egoism, that built around survival instinct, separateness, duality, fear, desire and greed, is indeed the biggest hindrance for the minds to advance further in the path of self-inquiry and self-realization.

For the minds that are aware of ignorance and sincerely want to be free from ignorance, to transcend the inevitable suffering of restless and selfless impermanent changes (ceaseless and countless births and deaths within the modification of the mind, of different states arising and passing away being conditioned and limited by cause and effect), not only that a calm and quiet mind is essential, but an open mind without any attachment and identification towards any particular worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice conditioning the mind to analyze, reason, judge and expect towards everything, is what allowing self-inquiry to be happening as it is, intentionlessly and effortlessly.

Need not going everywhere in searching for a Guru other than the mind itself, to enlighten oneself, to answer one's questions, to remove one's doubts, or to heal one's painful suffering, but one only needs to let go the pride, the attachment and identification towards the existing egoistic thinking and belief in the mind, all and everything is already there teaching and guiding this mind onto the path of self-inquiry and self-realization.

Feel annoyed, disgusted, offended, intimidated, threatened and angry by this teaching or anything that is contradicting with the existing thinking and belief, values and practice in the mind, that the mind categorized as wrong, bad, negative and meaningless? That's the precious moment to reflect towards what is going on in this mind, to know Thyself.

The minds that don't know, they fall in love with what 'amazed' them, they miss what 'they fall in love with' upon their absence, they regret if they did something that they think they shouldn't do or didn't do something that they think they should have done. And that's their freedom of thinking, actions and reactions.

The minds that know, they don't fall in love with anything, they don't miss anything, they don't regret anything. Such minds can be kind and accommodating towards all and everyone non-discriminatively and unconditionally.

Letting go the attachment and identification towards the existing thinking, belief, values and practice, is challenging for the minds that have been conditioned deeply by such names and forms, however, it will become effortless, upon the mind realizing the 'intention' or 'motif' that gives rise to the existence of all the different kinds of passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice in the world of human beings. Such liberated minds can still live life in certain way like everyone else, while living and mingling among all kinds of human beings of different thinking, belief, values and practice, however, the minds are free from attachment and identification towards any thinking, belief, values and practice, and thus, be able to respect and accommodating towards all kinds of diversities in the world, free from separateness and discrimination.

The minds that are not free from attachment and identification or pride towards their particular inherited or adopted thinking, belief, values and practice, will always be conditioned by the sense of separateness and discrimination towards some other forms of thinking, belief, values and practice that the minds dislike and disagree with, that are contradicting with their own particular thinking, belief, values and practice.

The realization of selflessness, that leads to non-separateness or oneness beyond all kinds of different qualities of names and forms, is the only way to achieve world peace under many diversities effectively and non-violently.

Inquire towards any forms of teachings or beliefs that propagate and empower the sense of separateness and discrimination, and the sense of pride towards identity and attachment towards such teachings or beliefs and their particular community, while talking highly about promoting peace and harmony in the world ( what they claimed and possessed as their world) based on their own particular thinking, belief, values and practice, while using temptation, rewards, conversion and education, or else, oppression, force, control, disciplinary, threat, punishment, or violence, with the intention or aspiration of 'uniting' and 'unifying' all and everyone under a particular vision based on their community of particular thinking, belief, values and practice, while eliminating or pushing away all the others that don't 'fit' into the vision of their world. Such 'trace' can be found in all kinds of culture, spirituality, religion, political party, organization, association and authorization. Not that these names and forms are bad and wrong. They have their own purposes and functions. It depends on whether they are run by the minds that are under the influence of ignorance and egoism, or free from the influence of ignorance and egoism.

Self-control vs controlling the body and mind to be and not to be in certain way

It's the ego that has the urge or desire to be in control of anything or everything.

Void of the ego, or the idea of 'I', there's none being there urging or desiring to control anything, but merely the law of cause and effect influencing all kinds of selfless impermanent names and forms being what they are, as they are.

Some minds think and believe that 'self-control' is about the ability to be controlling the body and mind to be and not to be in certain way, according to the desire of craving and aversion of the mind under the influence of passionate egoistic behavior pattern, rejecting selfless impermanent changes that are not necessarily the way that the mind desires it to be. "I am in control of myself, my body, my mind, my feelings, my life and my world. Everything is in my control to be the way that I desire it to be." Neither it's about to behave and not behaving or to live life and not living life in certain way according to certain worldly thinking, belief, values and practice about what is right and wrong, good and bad, or meaningful and meaningless.

In yoga or buddhism, the practice of self-control is referring to the will-power and determination to purify, discipline and quiet the mind, to prepare the mind for self-inquiry and meditation. It's more about letting go the egoistic urge or desire to be in control of anything, developing non-attachment and preparing the mind to stand as a witness or observer towards the selfless impermanent modification of the mind.

In the beginning of the practice, the impure egoistic mind has many impure thoughts, actions and reactions out of selfish intention or desire under the egoistic behavior pattern, that leads to restlessness, distraction and disturb in the mind, which hindering the mind from performing self-inquiry and meditation, and hence, there's a need to have certain degree of self-control or will-power to restrict or filter its own thoughts, actions and reactions, to purify, discipline and quiet the mind by weakening and removing egoism and impurities, for rendering the mind turning inwards and be open, not running out chasing after the objects of the senses, and being unattached towards any particular worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice to analyze and judge everything, to be ready for self-inquiry and meditation.

It's not so much about do good and don't do bad, based on certain worldly egoistic thinking and belief, however, in the process of focusing onto purifying and disciplining the mind, filtering and restricting the thought activities, actions and reactions, naturally, there's no intention or desire, energy or effort, to be performing any actions that will be harming oneself and/or others.

Upon reaching a purified undisturbed egoless and desireless state of mind, there's no need to have self-control towards the modification of the mind that is free from impurities and disturbs, where the thought activities, understanding, actions and reactions are free from the influence of egoism and impurities, or selfish impure intention and expectation.