Inquire towards ignorance and justification and the belief of karma

There is no doubt that there are many evitable painful suffering and desperation or difficulty that are truly unnecessary, but are happening everywhere in the world deriving from the ignorance and consequences of ignorance in the minds of the human beings that are functioning under the veil of ignorance, on top of there are certain inevitable painful suffering in all and everyone (regardless of good or bad behavior, wise or ignorant, kind or unkind, happy or unhappy, healthy or unhealthy, and etc) that come along with the existence and function of the mortal physical body and mind that is selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self.

Unless the physical body is being formed and born under the absence of the conscious thinking and acting faculty functioning under the presence of conscious awareness upon the state of consciousness to be perceiving/recognizing/discriminating/experiencing pleasurable enjoyment and painful suffering consciously, if not, the minds that come with the conscious thinking and acting faculty functioning under the presence of conscious awareness and intellectual cognition of perceiving/recognizing/discriminating/acknowledging or being aware of pleasurable enjoyment as well as the evitable and inevitable painful suffering and difficulty, they can develop correct understanding towards what is going on in the mind, to know Thyself, to transcend or overcome all those evitable and inevitable painful suffering and difficulty in oneself and/or in the others, if they want, and out of their own conscious awareness, conscious freewill, conscious initiation, and conscious effort or action taking under the presence of intense yearning towards liberation/knowledge/freedom/peace, to be free from suffering, under the presence of immovable determination and perseverance and some basic correct understanding or intellectual reasoning power.

There is nothing wrong and it is true that, regardless of whether the minds that are having a rather easy and comfortable life without much difficulty or suffering to deal with, or the minds that are dealing with certain painful suffering and difficulty in life, will think and believe and feel that they are limited and powerless (vulnerability), where they are aware of the many painful suffering and difficulty in all the others or in themselves, but they can't change or interfere with many things that are not in their control and are beyond their capability, even if they have the goodwill and kindness of want to help the world or themselves to have less painful suffering and difficulty, as much as possible.

The minds that are having a rather easy and comfortable life without much difficulty or suffering to deal with, is nothing to do with 'karma', or 'good karma', or 'merits and virtues'.

The minds that are dealing with certain painful suffering and difficulty in life, is nothing to do with 'karma', or 'bad karma', or 'sins'.

The reality of the minds can't change or interfere with many things that are not in their control and are beyond their capability, as well as the presence of limitation, or powerlessness, or vulnerability, is nothing to do with 'karma', or 'bad karma', or 'sins'. 

Some minds understood and acknowledged that they are limited and powerless, even if they themselves are having a rather easy and comfortable life, but they are aware of there are many others are undergoing and dealing with certain painful suffering and desperation or difficulty in life, while they would do whatever they can to help to relieve and reduce the painful suffering and desperation in all the others as much as possible, even when they can just ignore all that, not doing anything, and be comfortable in their own easy and comfortable life, even if they can't change or interfere with many things that are not in their control and are beyond their capability, without the sense of guilt or pride and shame, and without the need of justification towards anything.

Some minds understood and acknowledged that they are limited and powerless, as they themselves are undergoing and dealing with certain painful suffering and difficulty, while they might or might not be doing whatever they can to relieve and reduce the painful suffering and difficulty in themselves, as well as simultaneously, they might or might not be also doing whatever they can to help to relieve and reduce the painful suffering and difficulty in all the others, even if they can't change or interfere with many things in themselves or in the others that are not in their control and are beyond their capability, without the sense of guilt or pride and shame, and without the need of justification towards anything.

That is the essential basic correct understanding or mentality. There is nothing wrong or bad or negative with the perception/acknowledgement/understanding/realization of there is presence of limitation, powerlessness, or vulnerability in the minds, that there are many things that are not in the control of anyone and that are beyond their capability to change or interfere with.

Meanwhile, under the absence of correct understanding or mentality, some minds are troubled or over-whelmed by the sense of guilt or pride and shame, upon the presence of limitation, powerlessness, or vulnerability in themselves towards many things that are not in the control of themselves and that are beyond their capability to change or interfere with, where they need to have some reasonable justifications to justify the many painful suffering and desperation or difficulty in themselves that are not in their control, that they can't change, that they can't do much to help to relieve or reduce the painful suffering and desperation or difficulty in themselves, or in the others, while they themselves need to deal with their own painful suffering and difficulty, so that they can feel better about themselves for being limited, powerless, or vulnerable.

Some minds that are having the privilege to be enjoying a rather easy and comfortable life, devoid of the painful suffering and desperation or difficulty that many others are dealing with, however, they are being troubled or over-whelmed by the sense of guilt or pride and shame, and they don't like the sense of vulnerability, powerlessness, and limitation in themself, where they need to have some reasonable justifications to justify the many painful suffering and desperation or difficulty in the others that are not in their control, that they can't change, that they can't do much to help to relieve or reduce the painful suffering and desperation or difficulty in the others, and hence, they choose to just ignore all that and be comfortable in their own life, but then there is the sense of guilt or pride and shame as well as powerlessness and limitation in them, where they want to think and believe and acknowledge that they are good and righteous people, that they are not selfish, where they would donate some money here and there, or to do some charity work from time to time, or regularly, in order to empower the sense of kindness, generosity, powerfulness, and unselfishness, to over-come the sense of powerlessness, limitation, selfishness, and guilt.

While some highly empathetic minds will feel disturbed and depressed by the sense of vulnerability, powerlessness, and limitation towards all the painful suffering and desperation in the others that they can't change, that they can't help to relieve or reduce, even after they continuously give everything that they can give, that they have, to help others as much as they can, to the point of depriving and damaging their own over-all well-being, but there are still inevitable painful suffering as well as ceaseless and boundless evitable painful suffering and desperation or difficulty in many others that are deriving from the ignorance and consequences of ignorance either inflicted by themselves and/or by some others. They might also need to have some reasonable justifications to justify towards all kinds of painful suffering and desperation or difficulty, in order to feel better and less disturbed.

There is nothing wrong with all that, as all the minds have their own freedom of thinking, understanding, action/reaction, and expression.

It is all good, regardless of whether the minds are troubled or not troubled by the sense of powerlessness and limitation, or the sense of guilt or pride and shame, or the sense of selfishness and unselfishness, but at least the minds are trying to do something if they can, to help to relieve or reduce the painful suffering and desperation in the world or in themselves, even if there are many things that they can't change or interfere, that are beyond their capability.

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Meanwhile, there are many minds that are functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance would be deliberately or randomly, wittingly or unwittingly, intentionally or intentionlessly, inflicting and promoting painful suffering and difficulty unto themselves and/or the others, directly or indirectly.

Some of these minds might be troubled by the sense of guilt and regret, while some are guiltless while taking pride in such 'accomplishment' of being 'successfully' inflicting and promoting painful suffering and difficulty onto the others and/or themselves, because it gives rise to and empowers the sense of powerfulness in them, that they can destroy something or anything that they want, as they wish, easily, instead of feeling vulnerable, powerless, and limited dealing with the undesirable reality of they can't change or interfere with many things in themselves or in the others that are not in their control and are beyond their capability, but the activity of hurting and destroying someone or everyone and something or anything that are destructible, is not difficult.

These minds might or might not need some justifications to justify their hurtful destructive behaviors that inflict and promote painful suffering and difficulty in the others and/or in themselves.

And hence, there come the idea, belief, values, and practice of 'karma', or more precisely, 'bad karma' or 'sins', stands as the reasonable justification to justify what the minds think and believe that needed to be justified, that is nothing but complicates everything even more, while empowers the ignorance in oneself and in others that are still functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance.

"It is all because of my/your/our/their/his/her own 'bad karma' or 'sins'."

Regardless of the presence of painful suffering and difficulty in oneself, or in the others, regardless of evitable or inevitable, regardless of the evitable painful suffering and difficulty are being inflicted and promoted deliberately or randomly, wittingly or unwittingly, intentionally or intentionlessly, unto themselves and/or the others, directly or indirectly.

"I am suffering, or you are suffering, regardless of whether it is inflicted by oneself or by others, are all because of 'bad karma' or 'sins'."

"It is good to burn-off the 'bad karma' or to repent the 'sins' by undergoing all kinds of painful suffering and difficulty in oneself or in others, regardless of being inflicted and promoted by oneself and/or others."

"I need to inflict painful suffering and difficulty unto myself to burn-off the 'bad karma', or to reduce the 'sins'."

"I am doing you a favor to help you to burn-off your 'bad karma', or to reduce your 'sins', by inflicting painful suffering and difficulty unto you."

Ignorance deriving from ignorance and empowers ignorance.

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Inquire the truth of everything.

Regardless of evitable or inevitable painful suffering and difficulty, or all kinds of abusive relationship, unhappiness, hardship, difficult condition, difficult situation, undesirable happening, limitation, disability, illness, injury, painful sensation, weakness, stiffness, ill treatment and prejudice or disagreement and dislike from others, and failure, it is not due to 'bad karma' or 'sins'.

Inevitable painful suffering and difficulty are merely the inevitable permanent unchanging all time truth of the selfless impermanent limited conditional and non-self momentary existence and function of the mortal physical body and the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind being what they are, as they are, existing and functioning under the presence of conscious/semi-conscious awareness upon the state of consciousness and semi-consciousness, undergoing inevitable selfless impermanent changes of decay and disintegration, or endless life maintenance, endless hunger and thirst, exhaustion, weakness, stiffness, illness, injury, discomfort, painful sensations, limitation, disability, aging, and death.

All THAT are not due to 'bad karma' or 'sins'.

Not to say, 

All kinds of additional evitable unnecessary painful suffering and difficulty that don't need to be there at all, are being inflicted, generated, and promoted unto oneself and/or the others, out of ignorance, by the minds that are functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance, either deliberately or randomly, wittingly or unwittingly, intentionally or intentionlessly, and directly or indirectly.

That is not due to 'bad karma' or 'sins'. 

The minds that inquire and realize this, will know towards the truth of 'the idea, belief, values, and practice of karma' that is being created and used as a reasonable justification for many things or behaviors that are hurtful and destructive, that inflict and promote evitable painful suffering and difficulty in oneself and unto the others, as well as justifying the inevitable painful suffering in the mortal physical body existing and functioning under different bodily systems, operating under the mechanism/function/modification of the conscious perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind, on top of the survival instinct that ceaselessly maintaining life existence in the background autonomously/non-consciously throughout the different states of consciousness, just for being existing and functioning selflessly, impermanently, limitedly, conditionally, and non-selfly, for a momentary fleeting short duration in this world of diverse names and forms that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

Some minds also use 'the idea, belief, values, and practice of karma' as a tool to manipulate, or threaten, or intimidate, or bully, or oppress others to be or not to be in certain way, in order to gratify all one's desires, as well as using that to hurt and punish the others, upon one's desires are not being gratified.

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Under the presence of grasping under the influence of the veil of ignorance, the minds are being over-powered by the mind perception/awareness/acknowledgement towards all kinds of evitable and inevitable painful suffering and difficulty.

Under the absence of grasping under the absence of the veil of ignorance, the minds transcend or over-come and not being disturbed by the mind perception/awareness/acknowledgement towards all kinds of evitable and inevitable painful suffering and difficulty.

It doesn't mean that all kinds of evitable and inevitable suffering disappear or stop existing in the world, or in life, or in oneself and/or others upon the direct realization towards the truth of all these, but suffering doesn't and cannot arise or manifest in the mind that is devoid of grasping and the veil of ignorance, while resting in unconditional peace amidst all kinds of unpleasant and even painful evitable and inevitable impermanent changes in the physical body and modification of the mind, and upon coming in contact with evitable and inevitable undesirable and unpleasant events, happenings, affairs, conditions, situations, ties and connections, relationships, interactions, and activities in the surrounding environment.

And more importantly, such mind doesn't hurt oneself and others and the surrounding environment under the presence of clarity, or wisdom and unconditional peace. 

There is nothing super extraordinary, mystical, spiritual, or magical, about the mind, or the modification of the mind, or the mind thinking behavior pattern, or the conquest of the mind, or yoga and the self-realized yogi, or buddhism and the enlightened buddha, pleasurable enjoyment and painful suffering, all kinds of duality, selfishness, possessiveness, sense of belonging, self-righteousness, offensiveness, defensiveness, cruelty, violence, unrest, hurtful and destructive behaviors, actions, and reactions, all kinds of comforting story telling and justifications, and the direct self realization towards the truth of all these names and forms, of knowing Thyself, or knowing the truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self in all and everything, that enables the mind to transcend the selfless impermanent limited conditional restless modification of itself that doesn't even belong to the conscious mind/perceiver/knower/experiencer/thinker/action performer itself, and transcending the mind perception towards all kinds of dualities, or towards all kinds of names and forms manifesting, coming, and going under different qualities, and that ceaselessly changing in between arising and passing away, where the mind doesn't hurt itself and others and the surrounding environment, and is resting upon unconditional peace, being undetermined and undisturbed by the ignorance and consequences of ignorance of all the others, or all kinds of madness in the world of ignorance and egoism.

Inquire the truth of everything. 

Inquire towards pride that doesn't need to be there at all

There are many things that are being believed, recognized, valued, and practiced in the world as something good or something bad, are not necessarily the truth of what things are. There are something that the minds think and believe and evaluate as 'good and righteous', or 'the right and important things to do and promote', might be harming towards all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment directly or indirectly, such as the sense of pride, a sentimental idea/feeling/identification/quality/name and form in the form of thinking/thought, that is selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self.

There is no sense of pride in babies not until they are being influenced and encouraged by the surrounding egoistic minds to pick up, learn, develop, project, as well as being limited and conditioned (ruined) by the sense of pride that doesn't need to be there at all, to grow as they are, to live life as it is, to keep learning and improving, and to become physically, mentally, and emotionally matured or independent as well as responsible human beings that perform actions, duties, and responsibilities for looking after oneself and others and the surrounding environment.

Just as the idea of 'I' or the ego, the sense of pride is something that manifests in the mind in the form of thinking/thought process under the presence of consciousness upon the state of consciousness, that is being planted and encouraged in the mind as 'the good and righteous and important thing/value/quality/sentiment/motivation to be developed and empowered and holding onto, by the surrounding minds that are functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, in order to feel good and meaningful, or accomplished and superior or powerful about themselves and life existence, in the midst of dealing with many things that they don't understand, that they perceived/understood/recognized as painful, fearful, intimidation, or suffering due to the inevitable presence of unknown or uncertainty or limitation, as well as dealing with the selfless impermanent limited and conditional changes in all and everything that are mostly unpleasant, undesirable, disagreeable, and non-enjoyable, that the minds don't like and don't want.

The sun, the moon, the earth, the oxygen, the water, the cells, the organs, the senses, the nerves, the blood and blood vessels, the hormones, the glands, the bones, the muscles, the tendons, the ligaments, the joints, the connective tissues, the membranes, the skin, the hair, and all and everything in this world of selfless names and forms don't need pride to be existing and functioning as what they are.

It is only the egoistic minds (the thinking and acting faculty of the brains) functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance, would think and believe that it is highly essential and healthy, or good and righteous to develop and empower the sense of pride, to take pride in oneself and everything that is 'pride deserving'.

Regardless of eastern or western countries/regions, since the beginning of the conscious mind cognition formation and operation process in the mother's womb before birth and especially in the continuous development and growing process after birth, many minds are growing up being influenced and conditioned by everyone and all kinds of inputs from everywhere (parents, care takers, siblings, relatives, friends, teachers, classmates, schoolmates, community, public media, commercial advertisements, work place, private and public organization, and etc) about, "You need to develop and empower the sense of pride by taking pride in yourself and your identity of who you are and what you are, as well as in what you do and achieve, or in your actions and the fruit of your actions."

"Be proud of yourself, your origin, your birth place, your family, your parents, your ancestors, your siblings, your community, your tribe, your ethnicity, your people, your school, your classmates and schoolmates, your academic and sports achievement, your job, your colleagues and friends, your career achievement, your spouse, your children, your culture, your belief and values, your spirituality, your religion, your nationality, your country, your passion, your vision, your aspiration, your ability, your strength, your talent, your skill, your uniqueness, your authenticity, your look and appearance, your ideas and creativity, your generosity, your goodwill, your contribution, your hard work, your outstanding performance, your success, your social status, your financial status, and your wealth and possession."

"You need to become the 'good/righteous/successful/accomplished/virtuous/respectable/recognized/deserving' person that you yourself will be proud of, and to also make all and everyone be proud of you, especially your parents, your family, your siblings, your children, your friends, your relatives, your neighbourhood, your community, your classmates/schoolmates/teachers/colleagues/bosses/employers/employees, your leaders/followers, your country, and maybe the entire world of all the others that don't have any personal connection or relationship with you."

"Do and achieve something that is pride, acknowledgement, recognition, praise, and respect deserving from yourself and from others. Take pride in doing and achieving and possessing something good and righteous and virtuous, and take shame in doing and achieving and possessing something bad and wrongful and sinful. Without pride, or without anything about yourself that you and others can be proud of, you are nobody and worthless, because it shows that you are a failure and your life is meaningless, and you should be ashamed of yourself for not being able to do and achieve and possess something that can make yourself and others to be proud of."

And even, some people take pride in themselves for being selfish, nasty, cruel, aggressive, violent, possessive, control freak, and hurtful, while also encouraging and empowering their own children, friends, and community to be the same.

Nope. None need to develop and be empowered to have pride in oneself, or to be proud of oneself for something or anything at all, not to say, to make some others to be proud of oneself for something that everyone think and believe as 'pride deserving', in order to motivate oneself to be 'good' and do 'good' and become 'successful' and live life 'meaningfully', or to refrain oneself from be 'bad' and do 'bad' and become a 'failure' and live life 'meaninglessly'.

The presence of pride, or the development and empowerment of the sense of pride/deserving/worthiness/satisfaction/self-esteem/self-worth/confidence/success/superiority/meaningfulness/powerfulness, with the initial 'good' intention to motivate the minds/the children/the youngsters/the adolescence/the students/the adults/the workers/the community to be 'good and righteous and successful', and to avoid being 'bad and wrongful and failure', regardless of being proud of something that the mind thinks, believes, and recognizes as the quality of good or bad, positive or negative, right or wrong, success or failure, deserving or non-deserving, worthy or worthless, prideful or shameful, meaningful or meaningless, and so on, is merely the by-product of ignorance and egoism, that lead to unnecessary mental blockage and illness, that gives rise to many kinds of detrimental side-effects or behaviors that hurt oneself and others and the surrounding environment, directly and indirectly, wittingly and unwittingly.

Even many of the highly intelligent, educated, knowledgeable, talented, skillful, inspired, aspiring, ambitious, or highly 'successful' and 'accomplished' minds, that have the possibility and opportunity to be holding certain influential powerful and impactful position, such as political negotiation, money talking, business influencing, policy making, law making, mental health advocating, social media influencing, and action taking that are impacting and affecting all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment in the world, are also being conditioned and motivated by such common egoistic idea, thinking, belief, values, practice, inspiration, and aspiration about the presence, development, empowerment, possession, and clinging towards the sense of pride, that is being seen as a 'good and righteous and highly essential and important thing' to have and to be encouraged and empowered in the minds of the human beings.

If the minds haven't been being conditioned and empowered in such way, the world won't be what it is now, full of all kinds of evitable ongoing hurtful destructive activities and affairs that hurt oneself and others and the surrounding environment in the pursue of attaining and keep attaining higher and higher fleeting sense of pride/deserving/worthiness/satisfaction/self-esteem/self-worth/confidence/success/superiority/meaningfulness/powerfulness, that might benefit and uplift oneself and one's particular community for a very momentary short duration, but that will hurt and impact all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment for a prolonged duration, directly and indirectly, including oneself and one's particular community.

All and everyone and everything will be affected and impacted upon the collapse of the Eco system, or the climate, or the livable atmosphere and condition, and/or the survival or livelihood of many people that depends mostly on the local and global economy that inter-affecting one another as well as among the many different types of businesses and jobs or industrialized productivity, directly and indirectly, that is heavily depending on the ceaseless excessive exploitation, manipulation, and destruction towards all and everything and the surrounding environment, in order to generate higher and higher income, or profit, or success, or enjoyment of ceaseless accumulation and hoarding limitless wealth and boundless possessions and pleasurable enjoyments, in order to sustain and boost their fleeting sense of pride. No matter how much money, or wealth, or power, or success, or possessions, or enjoyments, or pride that anyone have, is not going to save them from the consequences of such ignorance and endless greed.

Even so, that is nothing to do with 'karma', or 'bad karma', or 'sins'. It is merely ignorance and the consequences of ignorance.

The world doesn't need to be like this, but it is what it is, full of all kinds of ignorance and consequences of ignorance, in everywhere.

It's everyone's freedom to be what they are, as they are, even if all and everyone are being ignorant and ambitious and prideful, or restlessly chasing after and boosting the sense of pride, a.k.a. the sense of self-esteem and self-worth, or confidence, or satisfaction, or accomplishment, or success, or superiority, or meaningfulness, or powerfulness, that are wittingly and unwittingly exploiting, manipulating, and hurting all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment, directly and indirectly, in the pursue of possessing, developing, empowering, and clinging onto the sense of pride coming from the gratification of endless and boundless greedy desires, aspirations, visions, and ambitions of achieving 'the life in a world that one desires'.

It is understandable that why most minds have intense fear towards letting go the sense of pride, or letting go the pursue of possessing and empowering as well as sustaining the fleeting sense of pride, because they were being told/taught/educated/conditioned/influenced from young that "Pride and shame towards oneself and everything about oneself as well as towards all the others, is the most important thing, quality, sentiment, or value about life existence that everyone need to attain/possess/have/empower (what is pride deserving) or to avoid/eliminate/destroy/punish (what is shame deserving)."

Whenever someone manages to do or achieve something, there is the 'natural and ethical' response or reaction, or practice and obligation of the others to be cheering and giving encouragement, support, acknowledgement, recognition, and appreciation of, "Yeah! Keep it up!", "Well done!", "I am so proud of you!", "We are so proud of you!", "You must be so proud of yourself!", "You are so deserving!", or "You are so amazing!", as well as, "You are unlimited! You should go further and further, and you can achieve higher and higher", that is nothing but empowering the ego and the egoism as well as greed in most minds that are not mentally and emotionally independent, that also hinders the development towards mental and emotional maturity or independence.

All these so called 'positive encouragements' are being seen as something 'good', 'positive', 'healthy', and 'essential' for the minds that are functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance, but not knowing or unaware of the destructive side-effects of that, empowering egoism and ignorance in oneself and in others.

Once there is absence of such pleasing, or uplifting, or promotive response or reaction from any others at all or from time to time, these minds will be demotivated and depressed, and feel inferior, weak, useless, shameful, undeserving, failure, and meaningless. The minds are being conditioned or inspired to be highly ambitious to do and achieve something or everything that deserves pride and respect from oneself and from others, as well as to never be contented, that one must continuously be highly ambitious to keep doing something great to keep achieving more and more and higher and higher success and enjoyments, endlessly, until there is nothing left to be exploited in this world that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

Just as many minds have intense anxiety or fear towards the unknown and rejection towards 'simplicity', or have fear towards letting go whatever they have been told to believe, uphold, aspire, practice, and pursue since young, or reluctant to let go certain kinds of limited and conditional privilege, convenience, comfort, and enjoyment that they have, that are more or less deriving from continuous ongoing excessive exploitation and destruction towards the over-all well-being of all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment, that can be avoided, that is unnecessary, that is nothing to do with 'basic survival' and 'good quality of living' and 'true happiness'.

The minds that have already developed or endowed with mental and emotional maturity or independence, they don't need to have pride in oneself for anything, not to say, to be receiving such egoistic pleasing, or uplifting, or promotive response or reaction from oneself or others to motivate them to continuously perform actions to look after and benefit oneself and others and the surrounding environment, or to keep learning and improving, or to feel appreciated, approved, acknowledged, recognized, loved, supported, or good and meaningful about themselves and life existence, and they are free from greed or endless ambition to achieve ceaseless higher and higher success in many things in order to be continuously receiving love, attention, support, encouragement, acknowledgement, recognition, approval, and appreciation from oneself and all the others.

At the same time, they allow all these worldly egoistic practice, values, ethics, response, or reaction of all and everyone in the surrounding environment to be there, or not, but they are not being determined, or disturbed, or influenced, or limited, or conditioned, or promoted and demoted, by the presence or absence of all those egoistic names and forms, ideas, values, practice, or activities, that are meant to be either uplifting/complimenting/encouraging or hammering/criticizing/discouraging, but it is not necessarily beneficial but even harmful to all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

The minds that are devoid of the sense of pride, that are mentally and emotionally matured or independent, they are free from the common hurtful destructive possessiveness and sense of belonging, offensiveness and defensiveness, or anger and hatred that exist in the prideful minds that are functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance, upon coming in contact with something that is unpleasant, undesirable, disagreeable, or non-enjoyable and even painful, internally or externally.

The sense of pride co-existing with the sense of shame. They are the two sides of a coin.

The minds that understand this, they will know that, "Do things that will make you happy," or "Take pride in yourself and everything about yourself that is worthy and pride deserving," is only a momentary soothing effect, but it is not the solution to all kinds of unhappiness, or the disturbed dissatisfied painful suffering state of mind, and instead, it is empowering egoism and ignorance, which is the root cause of all kinds of unhappiness or the disturbed dissatisfied painful suffering state of mind.

It has to come from the conscious awareness, conscious understanding, conscious freewill or choice making, conscious initiation, and conscious effort or action taking, of the mind itself, to be free from the sense of pride and shame that doesn't need to be existing at all.

The mind will realize the truth of all those conditional worldly egoistic ideas, thinking, beliefs, values, practices, inspirations, aspirations, visions, or endless and boundless ambitions, upon letting go the sense of pride or the need of possessing/developing/empowering/sustaining the sense of pride, or superiority, or success, or powerfulness, that exist in order to avoid or over-come the sense of shame, or inferiority, or failure, or vulnerability, where the sense of pride and shame, superiority and inferiority, success and failure, powerfulness and vulnerability, as well as goodness and badness, positiveness and negativeness, rightfulness and wrongfulness, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, deserving and undeserving, and so on, don't need to be existing in the mind at all.

There will be unconditional peace in oneself.

One will stop hurting oneself and others and the surrounding environment.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Everything manifesting and changing as they are under their own cause and pace that also inter-influencing one another

Some minds think and believe that, "Everything happen under 'God's creation, knowledge, power, and will. Goodness are blessing and reward from 'God' because we have been good. Badness are lessons and warnings and punishments from 'God' because we have been bad, reminding us to be grateful and thankful for all the goodness, while do everything good and don't do anything bad to avoid badness (painful punishment)."

Some minds think and believe that, "There is a cause or reason behind all and everything. The cause of goodness and easiness and success is good karma, or merits and virtues. The cause of badness and difficulty and failure is bad karma, or sins. We do everything good if we want all kinds of goodness, pleasurable enjoyment, easiness, and success. We don't do anything bad if we don't want any kind of badness, painful suffering, difficulty, and failure. We plant orange seeds, we will get orange trees and orange fruits. We plant mango seeds, we will get mango trees and mango fruits. We plant the seeds of the things, happenings, and experiences that we like and desire. We don't plant the seeds of the things, happenings, and experiences that we don't like and don't desire. If we think positively, then everything will become positive. If we think negatively, then everything will become negative."

That is their freedom of thinking and belief and understanding. There is neither right nor wrong. 

The minds that understand, "Everything are neither good nor bad. Everything are manifesting/existing/happening/changing/passing away as they are under their own cause and pace that also inter-influencing and inter-affecting all and everything simultaneously, directly and indirectly.

Even if you do everything that you think and believe is good, it's not necessarily that everything will be all good in the way that you think and believe is good. Even if you don't do anything that you think and believe is bad, it's not necessarily that there will be nothing bad in the way that you think and believe is bad. This is nothing to do with 'karma', or 'bad karma', or 'sins'.

The mango tree is not healthy enough to give flowers and fruits, or the mangoes are infested by worms or diseases, or they are not perfectly sweet and tangy, but they are either not sweet enough, or not tangy enough, or overly sweet, or overly tangy, and there are some people don't like mangoes, or are allergic to mangoes, or the mango tree is being destroyed by intentionless natural disaster or intentional human's activity at some stage, it's not because of 'karma', or 'bad karma', or 'sins'.

Similarly, the manifestation or experience of all kinds of inevitable suffering due to the selfless impermanent limited conditional and non-self momentary existence and function of the mortal physical body existing and functioning under the different bodily systems and operating under the mechanism of the selfless impermanent limited conditional and non-self perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind functioning under the different states of consciousness being what they are - being selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, that are ceaselessly changing, decaying, and disintegrating, that need ceaseless effort for maintenance, while perceiving, acknowledging, experiencing, or undergoing all kinds of inevitable unpleasantness, discomfort, weakness, stiffness, pain, injury, illness, limitation, exhaustion, hunger and thirst, and decaying or aging process, and coming in contact with the external surrounding environment that is full of all kinds of disturbance, conflicts, anger, hatred, fear, discrimination, prejudice, unjust, violence, unrest, disharmony, cruelty, corruption, exploitation, bullying, limitation, restriction, oppression, interference, and undesirable, disagreeable, unpleasant, difficult, challenging, or hurtful experiences, affairs, conditions, situations, ties and connections, relationships, interactions, activities, painful sorrow from loosing beloved beings and possessions, failures, or non-accomplishments, are not due to 'karma', or 'bad karma', or 'sins'.

Cause and effect is both limited and conditional. We plant orange seeds and we will get orange trees and orange fruits, while we plant mango seeds and we will get mango trees and mango fruits, and that is limited and that doesn't change. But the entire seedling, growing, flowering, and fruiting process of any kind of fruit trees, is not necessarily the way that we think and expect and desire how it should be or shouldn't be, where the entire process is being influenced, affected, determined, or conditioned by the presence and absence of many different internal and external impermanent changes, external interference, elements, conditions, locations, timing, climate, weather, soil and nutrients, heat and cold, sunlight and shade, wetness and dryness, wind and air quality, insects and birds and animals, and all kinds of activities in the surrounding environment that are either depriving/detrimental or supporting/beneficial to the growth of the trees and their flowers and fruits.

The cause is limited and fixed, it is what it is, but the actions, or activities, or conditions and situations that are present or absent during the entire process of cause coming into effect, is conditional, and is even more powerful than the cause itself, even if there is limitation, such as the particular cause or the particular seed cannot be changed into something else, but the following effects or the impermanent changes of the trees and their flowers and fruits, are conditional and impermanent, that can be modified, either improving or declining, under different degrees, and up to certain extend or limitation, where all trees have their own limited life span and youthfulness or optimal productivity, at their own cause and pace, even under the availability of the best supportive and conducive optimizing elements, conditions, and situations.

Under the absence of essential supportive and conducive elements and conditions and situations for optimal growth, flowering, and fruiting, and under the presence of detrimental impactful elements and conditions and situations, the trees will not grow or give fruits healthily, even if the seeds or the trees that have been planted are the best among the best quality, and even if the minds in the surrounding environment try to think positively and optimistically that the trees will grow and give fruit healthily, but without action taking to nurture and provide the trees with the best supportive and conducive essential elements and conditions and situations, other than the nature in the surrounding environment being what they are, as they are, that are intentionlessly and indiscriminately influencing the entire growing and flowering and/or fruiting process of the plants or the trees constructively or destructively.

Even if you think negatively all the time, there are still many positive things manifesting and happening here and there as they are. Even if you think positively and optimistically throughout your entire life existence, there are still many negative things happening here and there, and your life existence and function that doesn't even belong to you, will still be influenced and affected by the internal and external influential and conditional supportive and conducive or detrimental and impactful elements and conditions, and even if you eat healthily and do everything right to optimize and maintain good health and fitness condition, and think positively and optimistically being happy and cheerful all the time, you will still go through decay (weakness/stiffness/aging/injury/illness) and disintegration (ceased functioning and ceased existing, and separation from your beloved beings and things).

Even after you have work very hard to achieve something that you want, and you might have the best quality and qualification, or the best skill and experience and performance among all competitors, but you may not necessarily achieve what you want, or you may achieve what you want but not necessarily the way that you expect how it should be. It doesn't mean that you are not good enough, or not working hard enough, or this is due to 'karma', or 'fate', or 'bad karma', or 'sins'.

And more importantly, you can be determined and not giving up, and keep working towards achieving what you want to achieve, as long as you have the possibility and opportunity to do so, but without forcing yourself, without hurting your body and mind or challenging your body and mind to go beyond their limitation until they breakdown, not to say, without exploiting or hurting others and the surrounding environment in the process of achieving what you want."

The mind that understands this, it's not being determined, or conditioned, or limited by abilities and disabilities, limitation and condition, action and inaction and the fruit/outcome/consequences of action and inaction, success or failure, accomplishment or non-accomplishment, as well as the likes or dislikes, agreements or disagreements, acknowledgement or non-acknowledgement, appreciation or non-appreciation, and praise or criticism coming from any others, but will only focusing on doing one's best in performing all kinds of actions, duties, and responsibilities towards oneself and others and the surrounding environment, but without grasping, not being determined or disturbed, promoted or demoted, motivated or demotivated, and elevated or depressed, by the fruit/result/outcome of actions, duties, and responsibilities, or how others react or don't react towards one's actions and the fruit of actions.

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If all kinds of yoga and/or buddhism practice is not suitable or available for you, then gardening and planting, even if just planting one particular plant, not to say, planting several different plants that have different characteristics and that need different types of supportive conditions and elements, is one of the highly efficient alternative ways for attaining direct experience and realization towards the truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self, and the intentionless and indiscriminate nature's law of cause and effect, practically.

All children (the future powerful influential community and leaders in the world), besides undergoing the many years of common standard traditional educational and cultural curriculum to be equipped with the basic and higher knowledge and skill to become literate and skillful, to be socializing, interacting, and communicating with others, and to be making a living, but if possible, they can also be encouraged (not by forced, but out of their own freewill and interest) to be engaging in the activity of gardening and planting while themselves are still undergoing the crucial process of physical and mental/emotional growth and development.

Gardening and planting will give them the direct experience to observe and reflect, and to reason and understand the entire process of manifestation/formation/growing/maintaining/nurturing/impermanent changes/uncertainty/blooming/decaying/disintegrating that is selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, from planting any kind of seeds or plants that is suitable for particular setting, location, climate, weather, soil, environment, condition, or situation.

Childhood and adolescence is the most important stage of the life existence of human beings that is molding, conditioning, and determining the mind thinking and behavior pattern that is impactful towards the over-all condition and situation as well as relationship, connectivity, communication, and interaction among one another in the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

It allows the children to come in contact directly with the truth about the existence of all and everyone and everything is momentary, selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self.

All kinds of plants can be the best teacher and role model for the children to understand and develop and empower egoless interaction, communication, and inter-supportive giving and receiving among all kinds of diversities, egoless contribution or service to the world of many diversities indiscriminately and unconditionally, and the powerful element of resilience to go beyond all kinds of difficulties and keep improving, as well as non-discrimination, accommodation, and respect towards all kinds of diversities being what they are, as they are.

These are the important elements for world peace that begins with wisdom and peace in oneself, to wisdom and peace in the family ties and connections, to wisdom and peace in the particular neighbourhood and community, to wisdom and peace in the different neighbourhood and diverse communities within the same area and region, to wisdom and peace in the diverse communities in different areas and regions, of different countries and nationalities.

The active engagement in gardening and planting will help them to develop the essential reflective intellectual reasoning power, to have understanding towards life existence, behaviors, actions and consequences of actions, or the nature's law of cause and effect, and to develop non-grasping, non-comparison, non-judgment, non-expectation, letting go, generosity, kindness, giving, serving, responsibility, mental or inner strength and flexibility, patience, forbearance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, acceptance, the middle path or moderation, open-mind, attentiveness, quietness, respect and non-discrimination towards countless diversities and differences, down to earth, contentment, gratitude, simplicity, appreciation without attachment or clinging or possessiveness, non-violence or non-harming or non-forcing, and the most essential basic correct understanding about the selfless impermanent limited conditional and non-self life existence and function that depends on the availability of many supportive elements, conditions, or energy to be existing and functioning, and that ceaselessly changing, decaying, and disintegrating, as well as about many things in life, or in the relationships and interactions with others, or in their study, sports activity, leisure activity, work, profession, or life partner finding and family building, that are all impermanent, limited, and conditional.

Such children will most probably be growing up to become mentally and emotionally matured, understanding, kind, generous, accommodating, independent, and responsible grown up human beings that will be benefiting the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything in certain way, in their own way, with their own particular background, experience, learning, knowledge, talent, skill, interest, ability, and possibility, out of their own conscious awareness, conscious freewill, conscious initiation, conscious understanding, and conscious effort.

All are actions, including inaction. There is nothing that is not an action. Sleeping, resting, not thinking, not eating, not moving, not acting, not reacting, non-grasping, letting go, not doing anything, and etc, are all an action itself.

Anything is possible, including different types of impossibility as well as the unthinkable or the unknown.

"It is impossible for all and everything to be possible" itself is a possibility. And hence, "Not everything are possible, but anything is possible," where impossibility is also a possibility.

"There is possibility that something is impossible."

The all time unchanging possibility and reality of something is impossible, such as, "Without energy, none and nothing can exist and function as what they are."

None and nothing can manifest, happen, exist, and function independently without energy, even the formation of any kind of object being what it is, also requires energy for it to be existing as what it is, not to say, living organisms, or the food that all living organisms eat or consume that is being transformed into energy for the entire physical structure and the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting faculty to be existing and functioning as what they are, is also requiring energy to be what they are, and the entire process of food finding, hunting, planting, nurturing, harvesting, preparing, cooking, eating, digesting, and transforming the digested food into energy, also requires energy.

"Impermanence is the all time permanent unchanging truth of all kinds of names and forms and qualities."

The mind that understands this, there is neither positivity nor negativity in anything. Impossibility for doing and achieving something is neither negative nor positive. Possibility to be doing and achieving something is neither positive nor negative. And both possibility and impossibility for doing or not doing something, and to be achieving or not achieving something, in NOW, is impermanent, that might change in any direction. 

All and everything are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, and this timeless attributeless indiscriminate truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self in all kinds of names and forms (selfless formation or coming into existence under particular name and form, ceaseless changes of growth, maintenance, decay, and disintegration - existence and ceased existence) cannot or is impossible to be changed, or altered, or modified.

None and nothing can escape, or avoid, or prevent, or be untouched by mortality.

It is impossible for any names and forms to be existing infinitely without impermanent changes of ceaseless maintenance and inevitable decay and disintegration, including the longest life span living organism or non-living object, or the strongest/toughest compound/material/structure/object, or the most powerful living being or thing, or the oldest existence that is still existing in NOW in the world, or the universe.

However, the mind can transcend (not being over-powered or disturbed by) all those selfless impermanent changes, limitations, conditions, and the impossibility to change/alter/modify/escape the truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self, under the presence of correct understanding or wisdom, upon the annihilation of the veil of ignorance.

Inquire the truth of everything. 

Inquire towards the different paths of yoga

There are four major paths of yoga as well as their many branches of different lineages to suit the many different individual minds that have different physical and mental abilities, limitations, and conditions, having different personalities and characteristics, being conditioned by the many different genetic biological inheritances, ways of thinking, ways of living, ideas, beliefs, values, practices, visions, inspirations, and aspirations, of different conditional mind thinking behavior patterns, as well as coming in contact with different surrounding environment, growing and learning process, parental inputs, family inputs, community inputs, educational inputs, public social media inputs, commercial inputs, political inputs, financial inputs, non-scientific creative fictional stories, fairy tales, superstitions, myths, novels, television programs, and movies inputs, and undergoing different types of suppression and empowerment, conditions, situations, affairs, experiences, activities, or interactive relationships and friendships with some others, that influence their state of mind and behavior in certain way and not in certain way.

It is also normal and nothing wrong that the same path or the same teachings and practice are being interpreted or understood differently not only by the different minds under different degrees of clarity and different reasoning power that is being conditioned by the many different sets of ideas, beliefs, values, visions, inspirations, aspirations, or different mind thinking behavior patterns, but also by the same mind that is being conditioned by particular set of ideas, beliefs, values, inspirations, aspirations, or particular mind thinking behavior pattern, under the different degrees of clarity in different stages throughout the conscious process of purifying and sharpening the cognitive intellectual reasoning faculty and quieting the restless egoistic impure modification of the mind consciously, under the presence of the limited and conditional conscious awareness, conscious freewill, conscious initiation, and conscious effort.

More importantly, the different degrees or layers of understanding towards the same teachings or the universal dhamma, will keep evolving towards greater/deeper/clearer understanding under greater degrees of clarity throughout the persistent prolonged process of thinning-out the veil of ignorance by consciously starving the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, until absolute understanding appear as it is under the presence of absolute clarity, or stillness, or silence, upon the complete annihilation of the veil of ignorance.

At certain points, the mind might be confused and puzzled and demotivated by the different teachings from different paths and different lineages, or by the different interpretations of the similar teachings that appeared to be contradicting against one another, as well as by its own different realization and understanding throughout the different stages. But as the mind develops greater degrees of clarity and sharper/purer intellectual reasoning power, the mind will start to see the one common non-distinctive existence/function/meaning/purpose/reason in the existence of all the different teachings and all the different interpretations of the similar teachings that appeared to be distinctive from one another. There is no more contradiction, or confusion, or doubt existing in the mind that sees things as they are, under the state of clarity.

In the path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga), "Focusing on 'God', by performing daily rituals/chanting/reciting japa and mantra/prayers to praise and worship 'God', to only think about 'God', and oneself will be looking after by 'God' naturally." - Surrender to 'God'

In the path of action (Karma Yoga), "Focusing on the well-being of others or the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, by performing action to serve others or serve the world (if disbelieve in 'God') where all and everyone and everything are inter-supporting, inter-influencing, and inter-affecting one another, directly or indirectly, or to serve 'God' (if believe in 'God') where the mind sees 'God' in all and everything, where serving all and everyone means serving 'God' in all forms, and channel the entire life existence to be giving, supporting, and benefiting others and the surrounding environment, and oneself will be looking after by nature or the universe, naturally." - Surrendering the ego and egoism

In the path of mind conquest or self discipline (Raja Yoga), "Focusing on oneself, by attending and perfecting one's daily yoga practice of asana, pranayama, yama, niyama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, by channeling the outgoing tendency to be focusing within to render and conquer one's own modification of the mind, to empty Thyself (clearing out all kinds of mental and emotional rubbish/blockage), to look after the over-all well-being of oneself and perform one's duty and responsibility towards oneself devoid of egoism of grasping, attachment, identification, craving, aversion, comparison, judgment, intention, desire, or expectation, in solitude and seclusion, in silence, and the universal truth/dhamma or the unconditional peace will be revealing to oneself eventually and effortlessly." - Looking after the over-all well-being of oneself is the highest duty of mankind, as looking after oneself is indeed looking after all the others, where peace in the surrounding environment, or in the world (in the relationship, in the family, in the neighbourhood, in the particular community, among the diverse communities, among the diverse Eco-systems, in anywhere and everywhere) begins from peace in oneself, where oneself is kind to (doesn't harm) oneself, or others, or the surrounding environment under the presence of peace under the absence of restlessness

In the path of wisdom and right discrimination (Jnana Yoga), or science, "Focusing on attaining or knowing the absolute truth of everything via self-effort and self-realization, through self-investigation, self-introspection, right discrimination, and self-inquiry, by contemplating and reflecting towards the truth/nature of everything via uncontaminated intellectual reasoning power, under the state of absolute clarity, under the absence of the veil of ignorance (A selfless flawless motionless intentionless non-discriminative mirror that reflects the image of everything in front of it, as it is) - Seeing the universal truth/dhamma of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self in all kinds of names and forms including living organisms and non-living objects (the subject and the object, the perceiver and the perceived, the thinker and the thinking, the observer and the object of observation, the awareness and the object of awareness, the nature's law of cause and effect, the suffering and the cause of suffering, the ignorance and the cause of ignorance, the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, the pleasurable enjoyment and the painful suffering, and etc), that also gives rise to the direct realization towards Oneness, Non-duality, Non-separateness, Timelessness, Attributelessness, Namelessness, Formlessness, Birthlessness, Deathlessness, beginninglessness, and endlessness." - Neither about 'God', nor about 'others' or 'the world', nor about 'oneself'

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Due to the different degrees of clarity that give rise to the different degrees of understanding in the many different minds that have different personalities and characteristics, that have different conditions, situations, experiences, impermanent voluntary and involuntary changes, obstacles, energy levels, hormonal changes, states of mind, and the different speeds of conscious and unconscious evolution of the mind, that are undergoing different stages of different degrees of clarity and different layers of understanding, where the minds are evolving at their own particular cause and pace, and hence, there are different teachings and practices (the different paths) existing to suit each and every individual mind at the different stages of conscious/voluntary/intentional/freewill by choice evolution and unconscious/involuntary/intentionless/non-freewill not by choice evolution, under different degrees of clarity and understanding, where the mind needs to make adjustment and adaptation from time to time to accommodate the ceaseless impermanent changes in the body and mind, in life, and in the surrounding environment.

It doesn't matter which path that the mind prefers and partakes, or changing path at different stages, or keeping one same path throughout the different stages, or changing teachers/gurus/schools/lineages of the same path or in some other paths, it is about the absence of grasping/attachment/identification/clinging/craving/aversion towards all and everything while being diligent, persistent, and determined in the practice under any circumstances, ceaselessly making necessary adjustment and adaptation, be able to move around obstacles, be able to avoid what can be avoided, be able to forbear what cannot be avoided, be able to accept and respect the reality of everything as it is, not necessarily pleasant, desirable, or agreeable, not being distracted by pleasurable enjoyments and not being hammered by painful difficulties, devoid of possessiveness or the sense of belonging and ownership, that will eventually lead the mind towards the annihilation of the veil of ignorance a.k.a. the absence of the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, where the mind perceives/sees/knows/understands/reflects things as they are, under the state of clarity or stillness (non-distracted one-pointedness), and resting upon unconditional peace, that contributes peace and harmony to the surrounding environment, that benefits all and everyone and everything in the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

It doesn't matter by the end of life existence, the selfless impermanent limited and conditional perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind is still not free, still in doubt, and still peaceless or restless under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance. That is also impermanent and non-self. At least during the prolonged process of practicing yoga regularly, to be quieting the mind, to be free from ignorance, and to have peace, or merely to be gaining certain physical and mental health and fitness benefits, is already benefiting oneself and others and the surrounding environment up to certain extend.

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The four paths of yoga - Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga

The minds that are free from the influence of ignorance and are peaceful as they are, they don't need to practice yoga or anything, not to say, to consider which path is suitable for them. They may or may not perform certain yoga practice or activity that benefits the body and mind and/or others and the surrounding environment, if they want.

Bhakti Yoga

The path of devotion is the easiest path for many minds that are not mentally and emotionally independent, as there is either non-development of mental and emotional independence/maturity either due to genetic biological formation by birth, or (mostly) due to deprived/suppressed/prohibited development of mental and emotional independence after birth by the surrounding ignorant egoistic possessive ties and connections, either wittingly or unwittingly, under certain limited and conditional conditions and situations.

Instead, the minds are being conditioned and empowered to become highly mental and emotional inter-dependence (intense mental and emotional attachment/clinging/craving), being empowered to develop the need (cultural/family/community/spiritual/religious/national/political/commercial values and practice) to depend on receiving love and support, acknowledgement and recognition, agreement and approval, appreciation and togetherness, or praise and compliment from some others to develop, possess, maintain, and empower the sense of success, accomplishment, satisfaction, deserving, worthiness, righteousness, positiveness, togetherness, powerfulness, purposefulness, usefulness, happiness, joyfulness, and meaningfulness, as well as to depend on something better/higher/purer, or more superior, or more perfect, or more powerful than themselves, to give them the sense of hope, or direction, or purpose, or meaningfulness, or to have a refuge.

These minds are being conditioned to believe in the existence of an almighty 'Creator/Controller/Judge/Authority of the universe', or to believe in the existence of 'the wheel of ceaseless births and deaths or reincarnation of a permanent independent immortal infinite individual consciousness/soul/spirit being reincarnated into many different separate mortal impermanent limited and conditional life existences transitioning between different realms/spheres/worlds being determined by the inexhaustible past accumulated boundless good/bad/neutral karma or merits and virtues and sins that keeps bringing forward to the next and next continuous separate mortal life existences', in order to not getting 'lost' or 'drowned' in the ocean of restlessness, ignorance, and suffering, in order to be good and do good as well as not to be bad and not to do bad (out of fear), in accordance to the particular belief, values, and practice about what is good and bad, or what is right and wrong, as well as to justify many things and behaviors that are unknown or painful to the mind.

However, under the influence of the veil of ignorance or incorrect understanding, the minds under this path might also easily be over-powered by the sense of self-righteousness, that is hurtful to oneself and/or others, where the mind might punish and hurt itself and torture the physical body under the name of shame, guilt, repent, or penance, as well as, might be hurting others out of self-righteousness, pride, possessiveness, sense of belonging, upholding, and protectiveness towards what it thinks is its belief/values/practice/identities/home/family/brotherhood/origin/country/belongings/spirituality/religion/'God'/'gods'/temple/holy place and space, based on its own belief, values, and practice about what is right and wrong, what is good and bad/evil, what is should and shouldn't, what is appropriate and inappropriate, or what is respectful and disrespectful, and etc, being offended and disturbed by as well as being angry and hating or violent and destructive towards what they don't agree with, don't like, and don't desire, that is against or threatening their particular desire, vision, aspiration, ambition, belief, values, and practice, or upon their comforting daily ritual or routine (physical and mental inputs and outputs) that is part of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (intense craving and aversion towards any particular names and forms), is being disrupted by someone or something.

These minds are living under the presence of fear or tension in themselves being limited and conditioned by such belief, values, and practice, as well as intentionally or unintentionally, they impose/inflict/threaten/intimidate/oppress/limit all the others with fear, hurtful treatment, threat, intimidation, oppression, or limitation based on their own belief, values, and practice about 'The almighty creator/controller/judge/authority of the universe will be judging all and everyone upon death by punishing, sentencing, or inflicting painful suffering unto those that have been disobedient, bad, and wrong,' or about 'The next reincarnation upon the end of this life existence to be reincarnating/transitioning into lower inferior realms/spheres/worlds to be reaping the past accumulated bad karma, or the seeds of painful suffering.'

These minds can be free from all THAT, (only) if they want, out of their own limited and conditional but highly precious conscious awareness, conscious initiation, conscious freewill, and conscious effort, under the presence of intense yearning towards liberation from all THAT, under the presence of perseverance and determination.

However, under the path of devotion that is devoid of the sense of self-righteousness, without imposing its own belief, values, and practice unto any others, where the mind spends most or all of its energy/attention/effort/life existence onto performing all kinds of rituals/chanting/japa and mantra reciting/prayers/scriptures studying/thinking and focusing about 'God', regardless of under what type of names and forms/spirituality/religion/belief/values/practice, where there is no extra energy/attention/effort/space left for engaging in any kinds of harmful activities that harm oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment, that is already what the path is about.

Karma Yoga

The path of action is the most effective path for many minds to be eradicating the ego and egoism practically under the notion of "Perform actions/duties/responsibilities/yoga practice, and let go instantly," a.k.a. "Non-attachment towards the actions, and renouncing the fruit of actions." Or else, the mind will never be free even after many years of performing many good actions to serve and benefit others, if the actions are being performed under the egoistic idea and attachment/identification/craving/aversion/judgment/expectation/desire/intention of, "I have been doing many good actions, and I will receive or experience everything good in return (I will go to heaven, or I will be reincarnated in higher realms), and I won't receive or experience anything bad in return (I won't go to hell, or I will not be reincarnated in lower realms)."

But that's okay too, because just by spending most of the energy/attention/time/effort/life existence to be performing many beneficial actions that will benefit others and the surrounding environment, where there is no energy/time/attention left to be engaging in unwholesome or destructive activities that hurt oneself, or others, or the surrounding environment, regardless of under the presence or absence of grasping, regardless of with or without intention/desire/expectation to be gaining something or anything, is already what the path is about.

If the mind understands about Non-grasping, then there is no difference in all kinds of actions that are being done for oneself, or not for oneself, or for others, as all actions are beneficial to all and everyone and everything that are inter-related to as well as inter-supporting and inter-influencing the existence and function of one another, directly and indirectly. It is not only actions that are being done for others and the surrounding environment, is Karma Yoga. Being alone by oneself to be focusing unto oneself to be looking after the well-being of oneself, is also Karma Yoga. Refraining oneself from engaging in harmful activities that harm oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment, is Karma Yoga. Every single action regardless of involving some others, or not, is all Karma Yoga, under the absence of the idea of 'I' and egoism, or grasping.

Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Jnana Yoga, are not separated from one another and they exist in one another, but they appear to be distinctive and different from one another for the mind that is still functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance.

Raja Yoga

There are minds that are neither devotional nor desire to accumulate good karma and merits, but they have some energy/time/interest/initiation/inspiration/desire/aspiration/ability/possibility for doing something that benefits the over-all well-being of their own body and mind.

There might be something that they want to attain from engaging in some kind of yoga practice.

- There is certain degrees of yearning towards liberation to be liberated from doubts and painful suffering,

- There is the initiation and desire of "I want to be free", "I want to be happy", "I want to have peace", or even, under wishful desire of "I want to develop and possess super physical and mental power to do and achieve everything that I desire and to control everything to be the way that I desire",

- To be recovering from certain existing physical and mental illness/weakness/injury/limitation and to avoid certain preventable physical and mental illness/weakness/injury/limitation,

- To be maintaining and empowering physical and mental health and fitness condition,

- To improve the over-all physical appearance and mental state, to look good and feel good about themselves,

- To be able to perform and demonstrate many of the challenging yoga asana poses,

- To empower the sense of self-esteem and self-worth or meaningfulness,

- To overcome negative thinking and the disturbed unhappy state of mind,

- To improve concentration to enhance study and work performance,

- Having the conscious awareness and initiative of want to stop hurting oneself and/or others,

- To expand one's social networking and friends making, to be socializing and interacting with some others of similar interests,

- There is free time and energy to learn and do or experience something or anything,

- Challenging oneself, or being challenged by some others,

- Being inspired and aspire to become 'yoga teacher', or to become like 'some others that oneself admires',

- Want to change the world to be a better place,

- Want to have some peaceful quiet moment and space for oneself, to be away from the over-whelming madness in the surrounding environment or in the world, 

- And under any particular type of inspirations, aspirations, desires, and intentions.

These minds are being restless and exhausted swaying back and forth between happiness and unhappiness, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, goodness and badness, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, joyfulness and joylessness, positiveness and negativeness, hopefulness and hopelessness, togetherness and separateness, enjoyment and suffering, and so on, however, if they have the basic physical and mental function and ability and energy to be learning something physically and mentally, and to perform certain physical and mental activity, and have certain opportunity and possibility of engaging in certain physical and mental yoga practice such as Asana, Pranayama, Yama, Niyama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi, where all these practices and observations served as the tools to turn the outgoing tendency of the mind inward, to render the mind calm, quiet, focus, and clear.

The path of mind conquest or self discipline, is the most common and all rounded path of yoga, that suits most minds that are interested to be learning and engaging in some kind of yoga practice regularly, especially the inspired and aspiring minds that aspire to become 'yoga teachers' under their own particular reason. But this is also the path of yoga that is easily being contaminated, misused, and/or commercialized widely, even though there is nothing wrong in making an honest livelihood from conducting yoga classes or teaching yoga to others.

The different types/styles/brands of yoga classes/workshops/teachers training courses deriving from and attaching onto different schools/lineages/teachers/gurus, exist for the yoga enthusiasts to learn the basic teachings and practice from certain yoga teachers by attending the yoga classes/workshops/courses that are available easily in everywhere, even if these yoga classes/workshops/courses are heavily commercialized being transformed into a form of commodity/trade/service, and there's neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, but after learning about the basic knowledge and understanding on the teachings and practice of yoga, the yoga students need to develop independent self-practice, without the need to be attending ongoing yoga classes, or to be accompanying by and interacting with some others, or to be supervised and encouraged by some others, in order to be self-independent, self-initiative, and self-discipline to perform the yoga practice diligently and regularly by oneself, alone, in solitude and seclusion.

There is neither right nor wrong, if after many years, one still needs to rely on attending ongoing yoga classes/workshops/courses, to be physically and mentally motivated to perform the yoga practice under the company of some others in the group yoga classes, as well as under the supervision/instruction/encouragement of the yoga teachers in the group or private yoga classes, or else one doesn't know what to do and/or isn't motivated to perform the yoga practice by oneself, alone. Or, to be continuously reminding oneself on the basic teachings and practice of yoga. Or, merely to be continuously learning more new styles or routines. Or, maybe there is no suitable conducive space available to oneself at home or anywhere for performing the yoga practice except in the space provided by the yoga teachers/schools/centres/studios, even if oneself can perform the yoga practice independently by oneself, alone, without the need of companionship, interaction, instruction, supervision, or encouragement from any others. By attending ongoing yoga classes/workshops/courses regularly, regardless of under any particular reason, regardless of highly/slightly commercialized or non-commercialized, and regardless of whether the mind develops correct understanding, or not, it is already a great wholesome activity that benefits oneself and others.

The path of devotion and/or the path of action also can be contaminated, misused, or commercialized, where under the name of highest devotion towards 'God' or 'Guru', and under the name of serving 'God' or 'Guru' or 'others', unconditionally, many desperate suffering disturbed minds are wittingly and/or unwittingly being exploited and/or abused physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually, and/or financially, by the other minds that are highly corrupted.

The minds that are undertaking any of these paths to begin with, might change path later on, or might be undertaking more than one path or all paths simultaneously at different stages under different reasons or just want to experience different paths and/or all paths to see which one suits oneself most, or eventually, the minds start to realize that there is no separateness or distinction among the different paths, where all paths exist among one another, where there is no this path and that path, but all are one, as the minds evolve further and develop greater clarity and understanding towards the universal teachings of Yoga Vedanta, or the dhamma.

It is all about preparing the mind to be focus, calm, quiet, and clear, that enables self-inquiry and self-realization to be happening, naturally, intentionlessly, and effortlessly.

The paths of Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Raja Yoga (if being practiced diligently and persistently under correct understanding and right attitude) will eventually merge into Jnana Yoga, intentionlessly, effortlessly, and naturally.

The passionate mind will become dispassionate.

The non-intellectual mind will become highly intellectual.

The mentally and emotionally dependent mind will become mentally and emotionally independent.

The irrational and superstitious mind will become rational and scientific.

The fearful mind will become fearless.

The outgoing wandering wavering indecisive mind will become one-pointed, firm, and precise.

The doubtful mind will become doubtless.

The non-understanding mind will become understanding.

The close-minded will become open-minded.

The ignorant egoistic impure possessive obsessive lustful jealous violent angry hating hurtful greedy ambitious prideful selfish uncomfortable distracted disturbed restless suffering murky mind will become silent and clear.

Wisdom (the absolute knowledge, the correct understanding, the universal dhamma) is there as it is, under the absence of the veil of ignorance under the state of absolute clarity, regardless of being rendered under which type of practice under any path.

Jnana Yoga

The rare minds that are naturally dispassionate and rational being endowed with or that have developed certain degrees of clarity and basic correct understanding under the presence of higher intellectual reasoning power as well as mental and emotional independence, either genetically and biologically inherited by birth, or developed from young after birth, or after have been engaging in the other paths of Bhakti Yoga, or Karma Yoga, or Raja Yoga, to be rendering the mind focus, calm, quiet, and clear (one-pointedness being in the present), to be thinning-out and eradicating the ego and egoism, or have been purifying and sharpening the intellectual reasoning power via the observation of renunciation, dispassion, solitude, seclusion, and silence, to be free from the influence or contamination of worldly egoistic conditional and influential ideas, beliefs, values, practices, actions, reactions, behaviors, visions, inspirations, and aspirations to reason everything, then these minds are suitable for undertaking directly, or evolving indirectly and eventually onto the path of right discrimination and wisdom, or the path of self inquiry and self realization - Jnana Yoga, to know Thyself, or to attain direct self realization towards the truth of all these names and forms that the mind comes in contact with.

The path of Jnana Yoga cannot be contaminated, misused, or commercialized, even if some corrupted impure minds try their best to do that.

The minds that don't have the basic correct understanding or mental and emotional independence won't be taking the path of Jnana Yoga, because it is too difficult, intimidating, impossible, unreachable, non-comprehensible, non-interesting, or even too boring for them. Meanwhile, the minds that are taking the path of Jnana Yoga, are already endowed with some essential basic correct understanding (right discrimination and dispassion - Viveka and Vairagya) as well as mental and emotional independence or maturity, where these minds won't be fooled, or influenced, or manipulated, or threatened, or intimidated, or bullied, or lured, or exploited, or determined by the corrupted activities and behaviors of the corrupted minds.

How can anyone trade/sell/buy wisdom, or liberation from ignorance, or unconditional peace, or absolute knowledge, or self realization, or enlightenment, or the universal dhamma, or the universal truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self that exists in all and everyone and everything, within and without?

The yoga teachers don't and couldn't sell all THAT to anyone, but there is nothing wrong to be making an honest livelihood to support the momentary life existence and function of the body and mind, while exerting energy/time/effort/inevitable cost into engaging in certain activities to transmit the knowledge, teachings, and practice of yoga to some others who are interested in learning and practicing and realizing yoga.

Even after paying some fees, or donations, or offerings to the yoga teachers to learn about the teachings and practice of yoga, the yoga student (the mind) still needs to perform all the practice physically and mentally, regularly and diligently, under its own continuous effort and perseverance, all by itself, to prepare itself for self inquiry, and to attain direct self realization through intense willpower, effort, perseverance, and determination, via direct experience towards the truth of selflessness, impermanence, limitation, conditional, and non-self within the body and mind and in the surrounding environment in all kinds of names and forms that the mind perceives through the senses, while may or may not be undergoing additional evitable and inevitable obstacles or difficulties, of undergoing unpleasant and undesirable difficult conditions and situations internally and/or externally, or coming in contact with painful suffering directly or indirectly, that are all neither good nor bad.

The minds on the path of right discrimination or wisdom, they can be and might be, but they don't need to be engaging in any forms of chanting, prayers, japa and mantra reciting, or serving 'God'/others/the world under particular name and form, or observing yama and niyama, or performing asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, and dhyana practice regularly or irregularly under particular name and form, or coming in and out of Samadhi.

All and everything, all kinds of impermanent abilities, limitations, and conditions, all kinds of experiences, all kinds of easiness and difficulties, all kinds of uncertainty and impermanent changes, all kinds of impermanent pleasurable enjoyments and painful suffering, all kinds of goodness and badness, the entire physical structure operating by different bodily systems, and all the impermanent states of mind, are the dhamma/teachings/teachers/gurus/realization/knowledge/wisdom.

All and everything, in action or inaction, understanding or non-understanding, known and unknown, agreeable or disagreeable, true or untrue, perfection or imperfection, pure or impure, contaminated or non-contaminated, finite or infinite, including the existence and function of the different paths of yoga and/or buddhism and their different brunches/lineages, all kinds of pleasurable enjoyments and painful sufferings, all kinds of ignorance and consequences of ignorance, the direct experience and realization, realized or non-realized, wise or ignorant, peaceful or peaceless, long-lived or short-lived, easy life or difficult life, knowledgeable or non-knowledgeable, intelligent or non-intelligent, educated or non-educated, aware or unaware, healthy or unhealthy, good or bad, right or wrong, happiness and unhappiness, positiveness and negativeness, success and failure, gain and loss, accomplishment and non-accomplishment, and etc, all kinds of manifestations under whatever types of cause and effect and impermanent changes, and the existence and function of the modification of the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind under different states of consciousness, are all Selfless, Impermanent, Limited, Conditional, and Non-self.

The violent disturbed minds that would hurt themselves and others and the surrounding environment, as well as the minds that ignite, provoke, and promote others to hurt themselves and others and the surrounding environment, are all functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance.

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The presence and experience or manifestation of all kinds of obstacles or difficulties on the path of yoga and/or buddhism, or in daily life, are not because of 'bad karma' or 'sin', but merely the consequences or by-products of ignorance coming from the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance in the mind that gives rise to corrupted and ignorant thinking, reasoning, understanding, ideas, beliefs, values, practices, inspirations, aspirations, desires, actions, reactions, or behaviors that are hurting or limiting/affecting/impacting oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment. But more importantly, the veil of ignorance is not something bad, or wrong, or negative, or short-coming, or weakness, or shame deserving, or suffering deserving, but it is a common natural manifestation in all minds under the presence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness upon the state of consciousness and semi-consciousness.

Although the veil of ignorance is something common and natural, and there is neither right nor wrong, but the minds that are functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance are most probably not aware of that, or might be aware of that but don't understand towards all THAT, and hence, either wittingly and/or unwittingly, the minds keep generating actions and reactions (behaviors) that might hurt itself and/or others and the surrounding environment, intentionally or unintentionally, directly and indirectly.

That's why it is the highest duty of all minds to be engaging in the mind purification and silencing process (conscious mind evolution towards liberation from ignorance), to be free from the influence of the veil of ignorance, to know Thyself, to know the universal truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self, where the mind will stop hurting or doesn't hurt itself and/or others and the surrounding environment.

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Upon the mind is rendered calm, quiet, focus, and clear, contemplate or reflect upon the truth of the essential teachings of yoga and/or buddhism -

"A yogi or vedantin is not determined by the impermanent limited and conditional condition, ability, disability, limitation, eat or doesn't eat, do or doesn't do, think or doesn't think, feel or doesn't feel, has or doesn't have, known or unknown, and achievement or non-achievement of the physical and mental function of the body and mind. All 'karma' will burn in toto (disappear), the 'wheel of ceaseless births and deaths' will come to a stand still (disappear), the world of names and forms (of duality/separateness/impermanent changes/decay and disintegration/limitation/conditional/restlessness) ceased existing (disappear), in silence, upon self realization, upon reaching the state of Turiya - beyond the three states of consciousness/semi-consciousness/unconsciousness, beyond the three Gunas/energy fields/energy levels/elements/states of mind/hormonal changes/impermanent changes, limitations, and conditions." - The essence of Yoga Vedanta.

"All are selfless. All are impermanent. All are limited and conditional. All are non-self. Non-believing/following/worshiping/glorifying, not to say, non-blind believing/following/worshiping/glorifying, as well as non-blind practicing and non-blind propagating. Inquiring and attaining the truth of everything under the limited and conditional impermanent selfless conscious awareness, conscious freewill, self-initiation, self-effort, self-discipline, self-control, self-introspection, self-investigation, and self-inquiry, under the presence of non-grasping. Silencing the restless mind, a.k.a. removing the veil of ignorance, and attaining direct self realization towards the truth of everything." - The essence of Buddhism.

"You come alone. You go alone. You are left alone now. Live alone. Eat alone. Walk alone. Meditate alone. Do not mix. Do not associate. Do not hoard disciples. Do not build ashrams." - The repeated advice of Swami Sivananda

"The only one book to read is the heart." - The advice of Ajahn Chah

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Both the teachings and practice of Yoga Vedanta and Buddhism are grounded in non-grasping, non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation, perseverance, determination, forbearance, patience, acceptance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, intense yearning for liberation/freedom/knowledge/peace, renunciation, dispassion, right discrimination, solitude, seclusion, mental and emotional independence, desirelessness, non-violence, non-greed, non-hatred, the middle path, simplicity, non-hoarding, non-possessiveness, truthfulness, non-interference, respect, self-control, self-discipline, self-effort, self-inquiry, self-realization, direct experience, non-believing/following/worshiping/glorifying, non-blind practicing, non-blind propagating, open mind, silence, non-dualism, oneness, non-separateness, unconditional peace, the annihilation of the veil of ignorance, a.k.a. the absence of the idea of 'I'/conscious self acknowledgement/sense of separateness between 'I' and 'not I' (the ego), egoism, impurities, and restlessness, or the stillness/silence of the restless egoistic impure thought current/thinking process/thought activity/modification or state of the mind, or Samadhi, as well as the universal timeless intentionless changeless permanent infinite truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self, and the intentionless and attributeless nature's law of cause and effect (that is widely being misinterpreted as the 'good/bad/neutral karma' or 'merits and virtues and sins').

There is neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, where most minds are being conditioned more or less by all those worldly egoistic ideas, beliefs, justifications, values, practices, actions, reactions, behaviors, visions, inspirations, and aspirations, to analyze, evaluate, understand, behave, and desire or expect everything in certain way. 

As the mind evolves towards greater degrees of clarity as well as deeper and clearer understanding, the mind starts to understand the meanings of the essential teachings of Yoga Vedanta and/or Buddhism, as well as about all those worldly egoistic ideas, beliefs, justifications, values, practices, actions, reactions, behaviors, visions, inspirations, and aspirations.

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Neither right nor wrong in the different understanding towards the same teachings 

There is neither right nor wrong in the function of the mind that is being determined/affected/influenced/disturbed/conditioned and limited by the perception of duality.

Upon reaching the state of absolute clarity, those same minds transcend all kinds of duality, where they perceive, acknowledge, and see things as they are, neither positively nor negatively, neither meaningfully nor meaninglessly, where all and everything are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self. There is neither grasping nor non-grasping at this stage, as there is no ego being there to assert grasping or non-grasping.

Suffering arise upon the presence of grasping. There is no suffering upon the absence of grasping, or there is neither grasping nor non-grasping.

There is nothing wrong with the many different understanding and the evolution of the understanding towards the same teachings by the same mind at different stages, not to say, by the many different minds at different stages.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Healthy body happy mind?

Just like the many common and popular terms of 'mental and emotional healing' and/or 'spiritual healing', or 'be positive, be strong', or 'you can fly', or 'you deserve', or 'you are unlimited', or 'you can be/do/achieve anything that you desire', and etc, similarly, the term of 'healthy body happy mind' is also one of the many common and popular terms in the world of yoga, and they are neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, but all these common and popular terms are nothing to do with the teachings and practice of yoga.

The minds that are still functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance, need to be prompted/inspired/motivated/attracted by certain pleasant, desirable, agreeable, enjoyable, motivational, or attractive 'benefit'/'result'/'goal'/'achievement', in order to be inspired and aspired to do something or anything. And hence, there are many different types of 'motivational positive encouragement' existing to motivate the minds to be engaging in certain kind of yoga practice to begin with. If there is persistence and regularity in the engagement in some kind of yoga practice, the mind might or might not start to realize and understand towards all those 'motivational positive encouragements' are not the objective, or the highest goal, or the end of the yoga practice.

Very few minds that are already endowed with the basic correct understanding from young, and that have the intense immovable yearning towards liberation, self discipline, and the mental and emotional independence, where they will devote their entire life existence and function, or their entire attention and energy onto the path of yoga and/or buddhism diligently to inquire the truth of everything internally and externally to know Thyself, even if they have read or heard from someone or somewhere, or they have realized and understood from the very beginning that the path of yoga and/or buddhism is not an easy or pleasant path, but rather there are many challenging obstacles and difficulties arising from time to time, internally and externally, where they endure or forbear, and break through or move around all kinds of unpleasant or even painful obstacles or difficulties, and upon the direct self realization towards knowing Thyself takes place, they might or might not return to the world of ignorant egoistic impure restless suffering minds, served as the reflective object and/or subject for the suffering minds that are in searching for genuine guidance or way towards liberation, to reflect/contemplate upon themselves to know Thyself.

Do not mistaken such devotion onto the path of yoga and/or buddhism as 'Being a monk or a nun living in the temple or ashram with the monk/nun community', as that doesn't guarantee that the mind is practicing yoga and/or buddhism as it is.

There is nothing wrong with 'healthy and fit physical body' and 'happy minds'. 

It is indeed very good to have a 'healthy and fit physical body' with minimum illness, injury, weakness, limitations, or disabilities. It saves lots of unnecessary expenses, conserves life existence/effort/energy, and generates less evitable inconveniences to oneself and others, if one has the basic general knowledge or universal common sense, correct understanding, and proper action taking to avoid or prevent all kinds of evitable unnecessary physical illness, injury, limitation, or disability that is not due to inevitable genetically inherited physical and/or mental condition from the beginning of formation and birth, or if upon the presence of any kind of treatable/recoverable illness or injury, one has the self initiative and understanding to take immediate action to be rehabilitated from the existing treatable illness or injury attentively as soon as possible, before it becomes worst if being left unattended without proper action taking or necessary medical treatments.

It is also very good to have a 'happy mind', even if that state of happiness/satisfaction/comfort is also merely a momentary state of the mind, that is limited and conditional, that is coming and going, that will appear and disappear, that will arise, change, and pass away, but a mind that is in a state of happiness/satisfaction/comfort, will most probably be nicer and kinder to oneself and others, and will be less violent and hurtful unto oneself and others, even if such pleasant behavior is only presence during that momentary state of happiness/satisfaction/comfort.

Just as some people where their mind is being over-powered by the veil of ignorance, will appear to be more difficult than usual, and behaving irrationally and violently upon the presence of hunger or tiredness that is not being satisfied immediately, and even more so upon the presence of hunger or tiredness is persisted not being attended for an extended duration (non-gratification of needs/desires), while they appeared to be more easy going and a lot nicer when there is absence of hunger or tiredness, or upon the hunger or tiredness is being attended immediately and disappeared (gratification of needs/desires).

Such minds are unwittingly being the slave of the conscious/semi-conscious desires of craving and aversion, as well as the non-conscious urges/fluctuation of hormonal changes/involuntary autonomous bodily functions/conditions/situations. Such minds would become agitated/grumpy/bad mood if it doesn't get to sleep when it desires to sleep, or it doesn't get enough of sleep, or the sleep is disturbed by something or someone, or upon waking up but not fully awake yet.

Even though it is not necessarily, but it is a lot easier for the mind that is in a good mood or in state of comfort, happiness, or satisfaction, to be 'more easy going', or 'nicer', or 'kinder', or 'forgiving', or be able to 'let go' and 'not be bothered by' something or anything, even if that is conditional, and it is only possible for a limited duration.

Especially under the absence of the basic essential correct understanding towards what is happening in the mind itself, on top of under the presence of grasping as well as the absence of certain degrees of self control, the mind that is in a state of unhappiness/disturbance/great disappointment/unpleasantness/discomfort/dissatisfaction/painful suffering/exhaustion/tiredness/hunger and thirst, will tend to be violent and hurtful unto oneself and others and the surrounding environment, either wittingly or unwittingly, randomly or deliberately, intentionally or unintentionally.

And more importantly, if under the absence of correct understanding on top of the presence of incorrect understanding, the mind might unwittingly or ignorantly harming the existence and function of the body and mind as well as directly or indirectly harming others and the surrounding environment during the process to achieve a 'healthy and fit physical body' and/or 'happy mind'. Such as some minds feel good, happy, satisfied, or accomplished upon successfully damaging/hurting/manipulating/exploiting/destroying some others or something in order to achieve what they like and desire.

Meanwhile, 'healthy and fit body' and 'happy mind' are not necessarily relate to one another, or the shadow of one another.

Under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance, the mind can still be unhappy about something or everything even if the body is super healthy and fit, or is highly energetic and free from illness/injury/weakness/stiffness/limitation, or under the presence of correct understanding, the mind can still be cheerful and happy even if the body is unhealthy and unfit, or is undergoing certain unpleasant and undesirable illness, injury, weakness, stiffness, limitation, disability, discomfort, or painful suffering.

No doubt that, it will be very good if all and everyone can have a 'healthy and fit physical body' as well as a 'happy mind' at the same time. There will be more peace and harmony or less unrest and disharmony, in this world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

More importantly, a 'happy mind' doesn't necessarily mean that the mind is free from the influence of the veil of ignorance and the by-products of ignorance.

There are many minds are being happy and feeling good and satisfied because of the gratification of certain desires of craving and aversion, or the manifestation of the momentary conditional sense of confidence, strength, success, achievement, or accomplishment, upon experiencing/achieving/receiving/possessing/enjoying what the mind likes, agrees, and desires, that the mind thinks and believes and recognizes as 'superior' quality or status, while not experiencing/getting/receiving/possessing/suffering what the mind doesn't like, doesn't agree, and doesn't desire, that the mind thinks and believes and recognizes as 'inferior' quality or status.

The gratification of the desires of craving and aversion, or the momentary conditional sense of confidence, strength, success, achievement, or accomplishment, as well as during the process of achieving all THAT, are not necessarily be free from certain activities that are harming/hurting/exploiting some others or the surrounding environment directly and/or indirectly, either wittingly and/or unwittingly, that impact all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment short-termly, medium-termly, or long-termly, under the presence of boundless empowered greedy desires, inspirations, aspirations, visions, and ambitions waiting to be materialized and fulfilled endlessly.

It is also common and natural that most minds would like to have longevity or long life span, to be able to live as long as possible, as well as to be aging gracefully and joyfully, and to enjoy all kinds of enjoyments as much as possible, if it is not possible to be immortal and forever youthful infinitely, devoid of decay, aging, old age, weakness, stiffness, illness, injury, immobility, limitation, disability, or death.

Many minds might relate 'healthy and fit body' with 'longevity', because scientifically or biologically, a 'healthy and fit body' has the bigger possibility of having a longer life span.

'Healthy and fit or youthful and energetic body' and 'longevity' are not necessarily the shadow of one another, where there are many people don't or didn't live long due to certain impactful activities/conditions/situations even when the body is/was still in the tip top good health, fitness, youthful, and energetic condition.

Except certain inevitable intentionless natural causes of death regardless of short or long life span (impactful accidents and diseases/non-human's ignorance induced natural disasters/genetically inherited underlying condition/natural process of decay and disintegration), there are many evitable unnecessary non-natural causes of death as well as physical and/or mental painful suffering, is due to the hurtful and impactful activities/conditions/situations/ties and connections/relationships/interactions/communications/affairs deriving from the minds that are functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance, a.k.a. the idea of 'I'/the ego (the conscious and semi-conscious self awareness or self acknowledgement under the presence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness upon the state of consciousness and semi-consciousness), egoism, impurities, and restlessness.

There are many evitable unnecessary human's ignorance induced detrimental and impactful conditions, situations, affairs, activities, ties and connections, relationships, interactions, communications, accidents, illnesses, diseases, injuries, damages, abuse, bully, violence, fighting, killing, unrest, oppression, invasion, intrusion, war, discrimination and prejudice, unjust and cruelty, exploitation and desperation, or all kinds of evitable painful physical and mental/emotional suffering inflicted by oneself and/or others, that are impacting, threatening, damaging, and detrimental towards the surrounding living environment and atmosphere, or the life existence and function as well as the over-all physical and mental well-being of all and everyone.

All THAT are the by-products deriving from the minds under the influence of all kinds of worldly egoistic ideas/affairs/beliefs/values/practices/visions/agendas/activities, especially selfish politicking or political power games, greedy commercial/financial/economical endless investment, development, growth, expansion, and empowerment (beyond the basic need of essential infrastructure development and management for all kinds of diversities to be existing and living in simplicity under a conducive peaceful and harmonious environment freely and indiscriminately), in order to support endless wealth and status accumulation and hoarding, or to gratify and materialize boundless desires, pleasurable physical and mental enjoyments, inspirations, aspirations, visions, and ambitions waiting to be fulfilled, being empowered by as well as empowering selfishness, possessiveness, sense of belonging and pride, mental and emotional dependence, the power of unity or togetherness, or more precisely, the power of control and authority for maximal survival and expansion (that is widely being misunderstood or linked to non-separateness or oneness or non-duality in yoga and/or buddhism), such as family-hood, brotherhood and sisterhood, gangsterism, nationalism, communism, capitalism, tribalism, leadership, organization, authorization, anarchy, monarchy, democracy, dictatorship, or authoritarianism, as well as the sense of self-esteem and self-worth, pride and shame, superiority and inferiority, envy and jealousy, fear and the urge to control and interfere or manipulate all and everything to be or not to be in certain way, discrimination and prejudice, and all kinds of corruption, exploitation, intrusion, invasion, occupation, fighting, or war, domestically and externally, either being generated wittingly and/or unwittingly, that directly and/or indirectly impacting all and everyone and everything, even to the minds that are functioning under the absence of grasping under the presence of correct understanding (non-feeding ignorance), not to say, even more so to the minds that are functioning under the presence of grasping and incorrect understanding (ignorance gives rise to ignorance, and that also feeds and empowers ignorance).

There are many unnecessary and evitable environmental damages or detrimental conditions and situations that give rise to unnecessary physical and mental painful suffering in the many minds are not because of the sake of 'survival', but the empowered boundless and endless greedy desires, inspirations, aspirations, visions, and ambitions of the minds of human beings functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance.

What is the point of having 'longevity' or 'continuously living as long as possible', under a 'healthy and fit and energetic physical body', to accumulate and hoard unlimited 'wealth and possessions', or to enjoy unlimited pleasurable enjoyments of the senses, while wittingly or unwittingly harming/hurting/exploiting all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment, directly or indirectly, in the process of achieving all THAT?

That is why the highly essential and practical teachings and observation or practice in yoga and/or buddhism about non-grasping, non-association, non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation, live in the present, letting go the desirable and undesirable past memories and future imaginations, renunciation, dispassion, desirelessness, contentment, non-greed, simplicity, generosity, kindness, respect, non-discrimination, inclusivity, forbearance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, non-possessiveness, solitude, seclusion, mental and emotional independence, open mind, non-blind believing/following/glorifying/worshiping/agreeing/disagreeing/practicing/propagating, silence (Mauna), concentration and meditation, all kinds of attention demanding and effort exerting/action taking exercises, self-introspection and self-investigation, self-inquiry and self-realization, and the middle path, to practically and effectively moving the body and mind (physically and mentally) away from continuously being bombarded, hammered, disturbed, conditioned, and influenced consciously/semi-consciously/unconsciously by so much over-whelming impactful worldly egoistic ideas/affairs/beliefs/values/practices/visions/aspirations/ambitions/agendas/activities/all kinds of 'motivational positive empowerment' to achieve endless higher and higher success, status, power, wealth, and enjoyment', in order to purify and quiet the restless egoistic impure modification of the mind, to develop, promote, and empower mental and emotional independence and correct understanding, to practically and effectively freeing the selfless impermanent limited and conditional perceptive, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, thinking, and acting faculty/mind from the influence of the veil of ignorance.

The mind that understands this, it appreciates and makes good use of the availability of a 'healthy and fit and energetic physical body' without harming/exploiting anyone or anything under the presence of unconditional peace and correct understanding, to perform actions/activities that are beneficial to all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, while being at peace being undetermined or undisturbed upon the non-availability of a 'healthy and fit and energetic physical body' to be performing any actions/activities.

Inquire the truth of everything.