Happy New Year to all of you! Everyday and each moment is a new beginning and a new chance for us to do what we need to do. No need to look back, hold no regrets or disappointment... Appreciate and be grateful and enjoy the present moment now! Love and peace to all...
Om Shanti,
Meng Foong
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - Essence of Vedanta
A person who has got an active temperament, takes to the Yoga of Action. It is meditation on the spiritual reality through action (Karma Yoga). Yoga may also be meditation through love of God (Bhakti Yoga), or it may be meditation through will (Raja Yoga), or it may be meditation through wisdom (Jnana Yoga). But all Yogas are processes of meditation, meditation on the ultimate spiritual reality which is everywhere without which we cannot exist, without which we cannot think. Nothing is possible without its existence.
Essence of Vedanta - Swami Sivananda
Essence of Vedanta - Swami Sivananda
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - Essence of Vedanta
If you want God and God alone, kick off the world ruthlessly. Enough of tea and coffee; enough of novels and cinemas; enough of father, mother, brothers, children, friends and relatives! You come alone and you will go alone!
Essence of Vedanta, Swami Sivananda
Essence of Vedanta, Swami Sivananda
Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - Essence of Vedanta
No grief should be felt at any time, because the moment you are disturbed, upset or grieved, you must understand that you have not properly grasped the technique of Yoga. For, if you have properly understand the technique of Yoga, you'll know how to transcend every situation into Yoga. Ignorance is the cause of pain. We cannot be in a state of pain or sorrow if we have a proper conception of Yoga.
Essence of Vedanta - Swami Sivananda
Essence of Vedanta - Swami Sivananda
Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - Essence of Vedanta
You do not know anything about self-analysis, mind control, self-restraint, concentration and introspection. You have lived in vain! You have wasted this precious life! Hotels, restaurants, cinema houses, are your abode of Immortality. Really you are leading a miserable life. If you can talk something on dry politics, you think you are a hero!
Essence of Vedanta, Swami Sivananda
Essence of Vedanta, Swami Sivananda
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The fourfold of Sadhana - viveka, vairagya, mumukshutva, shat-sampad
In the great teaching of both yoga and Buddhism, dispassion or non-attachment or detachment is the very important practice for us to advance in yoga and meditation to know the truth or to attain self-realization.
The fourfold of Sadhana - The qualities of a Sadhaka (people who are in search for the truth and self-realization)
1.) Viveka (right discrimination) - to know what is real and unreal.
2.) Vairagya (dispassion or non-attachment) - letting go of what is unreal of what is impermanent and selfless (not 'I'), great contentment free from greed, no egoistic desire, no craving, no aversion.
3.) Mumukshutva (intense yearning for liberation) - the one and only desire that will bring us true freedom
4.) Shat-sampad (the six virtues) -
a.) Sama - tranquility of the mind
b.) Dama - self-restraint or control of the senses
c.) Uparati - cessation from worldly activities
d,) Titiksha - forbearance or power of endurance
e.) Sraddha - faith in God, Scripture and Self
f.) Samadhana - concentration or one-pointedness of mind
For those who are in search for liberation or emancipation or self-realization, and is disgusted with the fleeting names and forms that are subject to impermanence and is tired of the bondage of ignorance and impurities, cause and effect, birth and death, then the practice of dispassion or non-attachment is a must.
Without dispassion or non-attachment, liberation is impossible.
A "Buddhist" without the practice of dispassion or non-attachment is not really a Buddhist even though he or she is going to the temple everyday and performs a lot of rituals and offerings.
A "yogi" without the practice of dispassion or non-attachment is not really a yogi even though he or she is doing a lot of asana, pranayama, and meditation practice. It's because he or she will be attaching onto the actions and the fruit of actions of the asana, pranayama and meditation practice, attaching onto and craving for the effects/benefits that come from the different yoga practices, being influenced by the egoistic likes and dislikes, desire of craving and aversion, want and don't want, having expectation, judgment, comparison and competition, being determined/affected by the impermanent states of the mind and conditions of the physical body...
For anyone who is not interested in self-realization, and is satisfied and happy with the life condition now of having a limited and conditioned body and mind, then the practice of dispassion or non-attachment or detachment is not an important practice for them. Just live life, eat, drink, sleep, work, play, laugh and cry, indulging in the desire of craving and aversion until this life ends... There's nothing wrong with that... It is everyone's freedom to do what they want to do with their own lives. Enjoy and be happy.
Om shanti.
The fourfold of Sadhana - The qualities of a Sadhaka (people who are in search for the truth and self-realization)
1.) Viveka (right discrimination) - to know what is real and unreal.
2.) Vairagya (dispassion or non-attachment) - letting go of what is unreal of what is impermanent and selfless (not 'I'), great contentment free from greed, no egoistic desire, no craving, no aversion.
3.) Mumukshutva (intense yearning for liberation) - the one and only desire that will bring us true freedom
4.) Shat-sampad (the six virtues) -
a.) Sama - tranquility of the mind
b.) Dama - self-restraint or control of the senses
c.) Uparati - cessation from worldly activities
d,) Titiksha - forbearance or power of endurance
e.) Sraddha - faith in God, Scripture and Self
f.) Samadhana - concentration or one-pointedness of mind
For those who are in search for liberation or emancipation or self-realization, and is disgusted with the fleeting names and forms that are subject to impermanence and is tired of the bondage of ignorance and impurities, cause and effect, birth and death, then the practice of dispassion or non-attachment is a must.
Without dispassion or non-attachment, liberation is impossible.
A "Buddhist" without the practice of dispassion or non-attachment is not really a Buddhist even though he or she is going to the temple everyday and performs a lot of rituals and offerings.
A "yogi" without the practice of dispassion or non-attachment is not really a yogi even though he or she is doing a lot of asana, pranayama, and meditation practice. It's because he or she will be attaching onto the actions and the fruit of actions of the asana, pranayama and meditation practice, attaching onto and craving for the effects/benefits that come from the different yoga practices, being influenced by the egoistic likes and dislikes, desire of craving and aversion, want and don't want, having expectation, judgment, comparison and competition, being determined/affected by the impermanent states of the mind and conditions of the physical body...
For anyone who is not interested in self-realization, and is satisfied and happy with the life condition now of having a limited and conditioned body and mind, then the practice of dispassion or non-attachment or detachment is not an important practice for them. Just live life, eat, drink, sleep, work, play, laugh and cry, indulging in the desire of craving and aversion until this life ends... There's nothing wrong with that... It is everyone's freedom to do what they want to do with their own lives. Enjoy and be happy.
Om shanti.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
无私和无我 - 慈悲与智慧 - 超越痛苦的道路
慈悲让我们能够执行无我的行为或无私的行动，以造福利益所有众生，包括我们自己也是众生之一，没有歧视，没有分别。 智慧使我们不执着于所有慈悲无私的行为或行动，没有目的，没有条件，没有要求，没有期待或期望。 因无所住而生其心。 因为慈悲与智慧的存在，我们将完全没有喜爱或渴望，没有厌恶或排斥，没有失望，没有不满，没有愤怒，没有仇恨，没有嫉妒，没有贪欲，没有自私的欲望，没有恐惧，没有烦恼，没有悲伤，没有忧郁或其他任何的杂质。 这是无形像，无名和无色的境界 - 不二法门，没有品质，无因果，无生死，无好坏，无分别，无条件，无限制。 无眼睛，无耳朵，无鼻子，无舌头，无身体，无意识。 这是真正的自由。 这是解放和超越痛苦的道路 - 慈悲与智慧 - 无私和无我。 领悟到这一点 - 当下去觉悟我们真正的自性，获取真正的自由。
Selflessness - The path of real freedom, liberation
Compassion
allows us to perform selfless actions to benefit all beings including
our own self is also one of the beings, without discrimination.
Wisdom
allows us to stay detached from the compassionate actions and the fruit
of actions, without attachment, without expectation.
All selfless actions are intention-less.
Under the presence of compassion and wisdom, there is no craving, no
aversion, no likes, no dislikes, no disappointment, no dissatisfaction,
no anger, no hatred, no jealousy, no greed, no selfish desire, no fear,
no worry, no sadness, no depression, no hurt, or any other impurities.
This
is the state of namelessness and formlessness – non-duality, without
qualities, causeless, birth-less, death-less, beyond good and bad,
unconditioned, unlimited.
No eyes (sight), no ears (sound), no nose (smell), no tongue (taste), no body (touch), no mind (thoughts current).
This is real freedom.
This is the path of liberation – the path of compassion and wisdom – the path of selflessness.
Realize this – the nature of impermanent names and forms of living or non-living objects, and be free.
Monday, December 13, 2010
A conversation with Nyioh...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Meng Foong, greeting...
Can i ask a question?
[You]
Hello.
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
If we say yoga is the experience of the present moment. So it is not necessary to be in any ''asana'' where by sitting also an ''asana''. So why there are still a lot of yoga ''asana''?
[You]
Most people need to do asana to purify and calm down the mind by influencing the energy field in the body through positions of the body. The body positions influence the prana. The mind is influenced by energy (prana). When the body is in positions that are having the effect of calming the energy, the mind also will be calmed from being in those positions of the body. The mind that is full of impurities or ignorance, and are having lots of tensions/knots/energy block, need to be purified through many types of yoga practice, such like yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, relaxation, chanting, selfless service, concentration and meditation...
All these practices are there to help to make the mind concentrates at the present moment now, and be stilled, free from duality of good and bad.
If you know what is real non-attachment, then even if you have not a mobile body to do asana (such like being paralyzed), you are practicing yoga... really practice.
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
So yoga will be : experience the present moment while influence the body energy?
[You]
Not really. If you have gone beyond the body, the mind and the energy, not being affected nor influenced by the energy anymore (not attached to the body and the mind), then you can do without asana practice. As long as you are still identified with the body and the mind, and are being influenced by energy, you need asana practice and other practice to help you to influence the energy field in the body to purify and calm the mind. Asana practice is like other practices of control of the thoughts, actions and speech, pranayama, concentration, chanting, selfless service and meditation are there to help us to develop non-attachment towards the body and the mind.
If there is no attachment*, then there is no energy can affect you anymore... Then there is no more necessary to have any forms of practice. Your practice becomes nameless and formless. It is because you are already beyond the body and the mind, and are free from the influence of the energy...
*Non-attachment towards the body and the mind. Not identify with the body and the mind. Not associate with the body and the mind. Not affected by the condition of the body and the mind. The body and the mind will always be affected and influenced by energy (they are composed of energy, if we stop feeding the body and the mind with energy, the body and the mind will cease functioning). But if we know our true Self, which is beyond the body and the mind, then whatever is happening in the body and the mind, whatever the condition of the body and the mind is, it won't affect "you". "You" are not the body or the mind. The body and the mind is experiencing some conditions of different names and forms, but "you" are the knower or the witness or the observer that is knowing or witnessing or observing what the body and the mind is experiencing. The body and the mind is just being what it is (being influenced by energy, elements, and cause and effect)... The body and the mind is subject to impermanence and will encounter growth, changes, sickness, old age, pain, suffering and death (due to ignorance, attachment, karma, cause and effect, qualities that are subject to impermanence), but "you" are beyond all these phenomena.
"You" are beyond birth and death... "You" are the knower or the witness that is aware of the body and the mind is going through many rounds of birth and death. Before this body and mind exists, and after the body and mind exists, and after the body and the mind ceased existing, "you" are always there. "You" are beyond existence and non-existence.
Asana practice will definitely influence the energy that is influencing the body and the mind. The body and the mind will definitely feel good after the asana practice, but it is the body and the mind feels good being influenced by the asana practice, not "you". "You" are aware of the body and the mind is feeling good. And this good feeling is momentary. It is subject to impermanence also. It will pass away, be disturbed and disappeared. If you are not attached to this state of peacefulness that comes from asana practice, and go beyond all the states of the mind, "you" are who you are... "You" are not being affected by the condition of the body, the mind and the energy field. "You" are always at peace... This peacefulness doesn't come from the asana practice but it is from the true Self... The true Self doesn't need "asana practice" to feel good... It is always peaceful and blissful unaffected by any impurities or ignorance...
I can't really explain more than "this" to you on a conversation like this. Words are limited and conditioned, it can be very different meanings for different people. People might misunderstood what i am talking about...
English and Chinese are having very different way of understanding also...
For example, if drinking coffee cannot affect me, eating non-sattvic food cannot affect me, watching horrible movie cannot affect me, listening to depressing songs cannot affect me, feeling very unpleasant sensation cannot affect me, thoughts in the mind (positive or negative) cannot affect me, smelling very unpleasant smells cannot affect me, being with very negative people cannot affect me, being in very bad situation cannot affect me, (if I don't crave for the pleasant experiences nor averse for the unpleasant experiences, if I'm not attached to what I see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think, and have no craving, no aversion, if I'm not being over-powered or influenced by the likes and dislikes that come from the mind, if I'm free from anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, dissatisfaction and lustful desire) then I am not being affected by anything that is influenced by energy. Nothing is not energy... But yoga is going beyond the influence of energy (which determines the different qualities of good and bad that attached to names and forms, and influences the condition of the body and the mind)... This "beyond" is due to non-attachment. True non-attachment. It is happening every moment in life, in our heart.
It is about not generate reaction of craving and aversion towards whatever the mind perceives through the senses. Not being affected by all the states of the mind - dullness (tamas), agitation (rajas), calmness (sattva).
We are the knower or the witness or the observer of the mind. we are knowing or witnessing or observing the mind as it is but we are not the mind, and not identify nor associate with the mind, and not react towards the mind...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Last sentence is very beautiful, i really can feel it.
Sometimes it's surprise that how come got two ''me''.
[You]
The mind is influenced by energy, but not our true Self... True Self is not affected by energy, elements, cause and effect, existence and non-existence, birth and death, pain and pleasure, positive and negative, good and bad qualities, happiness and unhappiness...
There is only one "you".
But when we are being attached to the impure lower self or the ego, we are the "naughty" one that is influenced by ignorance and selfishness, and is affected by names and forms, craving and aversion. When we are not attached to the impure mind or the ego, we are the higher Self which is free from ignorance or impurities, craving and aversion... It is the same "you"... Either with ignorance or free from ignorance... There's no separation.
Due to ignorance, unwittingly we are attached to the body, the mind and all the names and forms, being over-powered by clinging, craving and aversion, fear and worry...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
For the non-attachment, for example, i hurt myself and i feel the feeling of pain and for me the feeling is so ''real'', how can i convince myself not to attach to the pain?
[You]
The feeling of pain that arise when the body gets hurt or injury is "real" of course, but it is impermanent. It will pass away sooner or later. Think about many years ago you have hurt or injured your body, that painful feelings are gone already. Of course during that moment, you did experience some painful sensations, but now, it is not there anymore. If you think the poison is not real, and drink the poison, for sure you will suffer. That is ignorance.
If I cut myself with a knife, of course it will cause pain in the body... Who says the painful sensations is not real? But it is impermanent... It will pass away... There is a cause - a cut in the body. There is an effect - painful sensation. This is the law of cause and effect. It is the truth of everything. Now, if we are encountering comfortable or dis-comfortable feelings and sensations, that is because there is a comfortable or dis-comfortable cause that we had created. And now, the cause is ripen, and we harvest the effect... Everything is cause and effect. This body and this mind exists due to a cause... They won't exist if there is no cause...
Death is both the cause and effect for birth. Birth is both the cause and effect for death. That's why it is called the wheel of birth and death. Where is the beginning, where is the ending? All our practice is for us to exit the wheel of birth and death, by realizing who we really are and stop generating the cause and effect that keeps rolling the wheel of birth and death... Once we stop the cause of having birth (no clinging, no attachments, no craving, no aversion), there will be no death... When there is no death, there is no birth... The body and the mind ceased existing... All suffering that exist due the the existence of the body and the mind is gone... Killing ourselves will not stop the cycle of birth and death, it will only generate another birth to reap the existing karma... To "clear up" all the existing karma and stop generate more karma, is the only way to stop having birth... And to achieve this is by the practice of selflessness and non-attachment, eliminating the ego, stop generating the chain reaction of craving and aversion...
If we are attached to the mind and the ego, all our actions will be influenced by selfishness and are generating the chain reaction of cause and effect. If we are not attached to the mind and the ego, all our actions are selfless, compassionate, and are free from the chain reaction of cause and effect...
The one who are in pain, who feels pain, is the body and the mind.
The one who feels hurt, sad, angry, jealous, happy, like and dislike, want and don't want, good and bad, high confident and low confident, low self-esteem and arrogance, is the ego...
Without the mind and the functions of the senses, there is no feel, no pain, no happiness, no unhappiness, no good, no bad...
Painful feelings are impermanent. As well as pleasant feelings also are impermanent... All are impermanent. This body, this mind, this life existence, this world... Everything are impermanent and constantly changing... They don't exist forever and don't stay unchanged...
Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form. No differences...
If you aware of the body is experiencing pain, but you do not generate reaction of aversion, and observe the pain as it is, this pain will also disappear very soon... It might take a long time but it still will be disappeared...
This body is not us.
This mind is not us.
Who are we then?
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
I am.
[You]
Pain comes from the body, perceived by the mind through the function of the senses... It is not "you" getting the pain... "You" are aware of the body and the mind is experiencing pain...
And be free...
As long as we are having this body and this mind to perceived thoughts, feelings and sensations, pleasant and unpleasant sensations, pain and discomforts will always exist with the body and the mind. Lying down, standing, walking, sitting, unmoving or moving for a long time will also generate discomforts. Until there is no cause for birth and death to take place. That's why purification is the fundamental practice to eliminate all the cause for birth and death. By going beyond the mind and not attached to the mind will allow us to stand as a witness towards all these pain and discomfort experiences perceived in the mind, and remain equanimous unaffected by them. This equanimity will further enable us to know the truth of ourselves and everything... If there is no equanimity, it is not possible for us to realize the truth...
Om shanti Nyioh...
If you know what is intention-less and non-expectation, what is selflessness and compassion, what is renounce from the fruit of action, what is selfless action and inaction in action, what is non-duality, namelessness and formlessness, what is non-attachment... "You" are what you are and "you" are free...
There is no fear, no worry... Just being aware of all the impermanent names and forms that the mind is perceiving through the senses... Everything is just being what it is... No good, no bad... No happiness, no suffering... No birth, no death...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Hmmmmm, i am experiencing the mind thinking process.
[You]
Om... You are aware of your mind is digesting all these words... Maybe understand, maybe not. Maybe agree, maybe not. Maybe accept, maybe not. It really doesn't matter.. It is just the mind reacting to what it perceives from reading these words or hearing these words... You are the knowledge/wisdom. You don't need to get knowledge or wisdom from me, from books, from guru or from anyone... You are the wisdom...
All the knowledge arise in you when you know non-attachment, form is emptiness, emptiness is form, no good no bad...
Ignorance blocks us from realizing our true Self and hinders us from knowing the truth of everything...
That's why we need purification through the practice of asana, pranayama, concentration and meditation as tools for us to go beyond energy and the mind. When the mind is pure and still, it is a reflector for us to "know" our true Self and the truth of everything... The mind is not a bad thing. It is not a "thing". It is made up of thoughts. Without thoughts, there is no mind... Beyond the mind, is namelessness and formlessness... No happiness, no unhappiness... Everything is just being what it is.
If this "conversation" is too much for the mind to digest, let it go... When the time is right, all these words will appear in your mind again...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
I am knocking my head unconsciously.
[You]
Even these words are names and forms, are impermanent.. They will pass away... It is meaningful and meaningless as well...
Don't attach to these words also. Perceived and let go.. No judgment, no expectation. "You" are not getting anything out of these words... The body and the mind will be benefited from all these knowledge and yoga practice, but "you" don't get any benefits... "You" don't need to...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Then why am i reading it, just for the sake of reading?
[You]
Words will help you to evolve if you can let go. But words will bring you delusion and confuse if you have attachment...
True knowledge comes from within yourself... Buddha also said, don't believe what i said to you... You have to know the truth by yourself, in yourself...
Reading and discussion is good to gain more knowledge, but it is just a knowledge if you didn't truly experience it by yourself. The truth has to come from within your own Self... Then that is the truth... Not somebody tells you about this and that. You have to truly experience the truth as it is... Then there is no words... Silence... No understanding (understanding come from the mind, the mind trying to understand it. If the mind has no recollection of what is it, the mind cannot understand it. If the mind never perceived a word or a thing called "apple", it will not understand what is "apple", until it sees one, taste one, touches one, smells one, think of one, then it will know what is "apple" when the word "apple" appear before the mind. Just like the mind cannot understand namelessness and formlessness. The eyes can see things outside the eyes, but it cannot see itself)... But you are what it is...
You are the truth itself.
Everything is in you... You are everything. All the answer is in you...
You are the knowledge. You don't "know" or "understand" the knowledge. You are the knowledge.
[You]
Doing a lot of "practice" or going to many retreats will not help much to progress in the path of removing ignorance if we don't know what is non-attachment and don't know how to practice non-attachment in everyday life. It is right here, in us, at this present moment now... It is all about non-attachment towards the duality of good and bad that comes from all the names and forms, and letting go of clinging, craving and aversion...
All those practices and attending retreats will give us momentary peacefulness in the mind and good feelings when we are following the disciplined program at the retreat center which has a helpful environment for reducing many inputs and restricting the activities of the body, the senses and the mind, and rendering the mind calm without external disturbance, and make the mind turns inward to observe the truth as it is. This will make the mind calm and at peace. But that is not the goal of practice... This calm and peaceful mind is a tool for us to inspect the truth of ourselves and everything... When we know the truth of things and ourselves, knowing who we really are, we are able to let go and be free from the clinging onto all the names and forms, and stop generating reactions of craving and aversion, and ceasing the cycle of birth and death, and be truly free... If we attached to this state of calmness in the mind and generate craving and clinging towards this calmness from doing yoga practice, then it won't bring us any further...
And usually, as soon as we get back into our daily life, we are lost in the mind again, lost in the past and projecting into the future, being influenced by lots of impurities (fear, worry, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, desires and etc...) that arise in the mind, and are continuing being disturbed and affected by our own mind, being influenced by the craving and clinging towards likes and dislikes, being over-powered by the outgoing mind that like to express itself and to receive attention from other people, and are attached to all the names and forms about "This is good, this is bad...", "This makes me feel good, this makes me feel bad...", "I am good, I am not good...", "I want this, I want that...", "I want to do this, I want to do that..." and etc... Making ourselves so busy wanting this and wanting that, and losing lots of vital energy through the mind's activities and through expressing the mind through actions and speech. This is because there is no non-attachment or the willpower for detachment is not strong enough.
If we are attached to the mind and are identified with this bubbling mind, we will be in restlessness... The body also will be in low energy (losing lots of prana through thoughts, actions and speech which come from the selfish ego that is full of attachments, clinging, intentions and expectations)...
Goodnight Nyioh... Sleep well. Observe your mind as it is... If the mind wants to think about all these words, let it be. If the mind can let go, stop thinking, let it be... The truth will reveal itself to you when you can observe everything as it is, without attachment, without reaction...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Thanks Meng Foong.
[You]
Om shanti... Bye for now...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Om shanti, nite.
Meng Foong, greeting...
Can i ask a question?
[You]
Hello.
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
If we say yoga is the experience of the present moment. So it is not necessary to be in any ''asana'' where by sitting also an ''asana''. So why there are still a lot of yoga ''asana''?
[You]
Most people need to do asana to purify and calm down the mind by influencing the energy field in the body through positions of the body. The body positions influence the prana. The mind is influenced by energy (prana). When the body is in positions that are having the effect of calming the energy, the mind also will be calmed from being in those positions of the body. The mind that is full of impurities or ignorance, and are having lots of tensions/knots/energy block, need to be purified through many types of yoga practice, such like yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, relaxation, chanting, selfless service, concentration and meditation...
All these practices are there to help to make the mind concentrates at the present moment now, and be stilled, free from duality of good and bad.
If you know what is real non-attachment, then even if you have not a mobile body to do asana (such like being paralyzed), you are practicing yoga... really practice.
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
So yoga will be : experience the present moment while influence the body energy?
[You]
Not really. If you have gone beyond the body, the mind and the energy, not being affected nor influenced by the energy anymore (not attached to the body and the mind), then you can do without asana practice. As long as you are still identified with the body and the mind, and are being influenced by energy, you need asana practice and other practice to help you to influence the energy field in the body to purify and calm the mind. Asana practice is like other practices of control of the thoughts, actions and speech, pranayama, concentration, chanting, selfless service and meditation are there to help us to develop non-attachment towards the body and the mind.
If there is no attachment*, then there is no energy can affect you anymore... Then there is no more necessary to have any forms of practice. Your practice becomes nameless and formless. It is because you are already beyond the body and the mind, and are free from the influence of the energy...
*Non-attachment towards the body and the mind. Not identify with the body and the mind. Not associate with the body and the mind. Not affected by the condition of the body and the mind. The body and the mind will always be affected and influenced by energy (they are composed of energy, if we stop feeding the body and the mind with energy, the body and the mind will cease functioning). But if we know our true Self, which is beyond the body and the mind, then whatever is happening in the body and the mind, whatever the condition of the body and the mind is, it won't affect "you". "You" are not the body or the mind. The body and the mind is experiencing some conditions of different names and forms, but "you" are the knower or the witness or the observer that is knowing or witnessing or observing what the body and the mind is experiencing. The body and the mind is just being what it is (being influenced by energy, elements, and cause and effect)... The body and the mind is subject to impermanence and will encounter growth, changes, sickness, old age, pain, suffering and death (due to ignorance, attachment, karma, cause and effect, qualities that are subject to impermanence), but "you" are beyond all these phenomena.
"You" are beyond birth and death... "You" are the knower or the witness that is aware of the body and the mind is going through many rounds of birth and death. Before this body and mind exists, and after the body and mind exists, and after the body and the mind ceased existing, "you" are always there. "You" are beyond existence and non-existence.
Asana practice will definitely influence the energy that is influencing the body and the mind. The body and the mind will definitely feel good after the asana practice, but it is the body and the mind feels good being influenced by the asana practice, not "you". "You" are aware of the body and the mind is feeling good. And this good feeling is momentary. It is subject to impermanence also. It will pass away, be disturbed and disappeared. If you are not attached to this state of peacefulness that comes from asana practice, and go beyond all the states of the mind, "you" are who you are... "You" are not being affected by the condition of the body, the mind and the energy field. "You" are always at peace... This peacefulness doesn't come from the asana practice but it is from the true Self... The true Self doesn't need "asana practice" to feel good... It is always peaceful and blissful unaffected by any impurities or ignorance...
I can't really explain more than "this" to you on a conversation like this. Words are limited and conditioned, it can be very different meanings for different people. People might misunderstood what i am talking about...
English and Chinese are having very different way of understanding also...
For example, if drinking coffee cannot affect me, eating non-sattvic food cannot affect me, watching horrible movie cannot affect me, listening to depressing songs cannot affect me, feeling very unpleasant sensation cannot affect me, thoughts in the mind (positive or negative) cannot affect me, smelling very unpleasant smells cannot affect me, being with very negative people cannot affect me, being in very bad situation cannot affect me, (if I don't crave for the pleasant experiences nor averse for the unpleasant experiences, if I'm not attached to what I see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think, and have no craving, no aversion, if I'm not being over-powered or influenced by the likes and dislikes that come from the mind, if I'm free from anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, dissatisfaction and lustful desire) then I am not being affected by anything that is influenced by energy. Nothing is not energy... But yoga is going beyond the influence of energy (which determines the different qualities of good and bad that attached to names and forms, and influences the condition of the body and the mind)... This "beyond" is due to non-attachment. True non-attachment. It is happening every moment in life, in our heart.
It is about not generate reaction of craving and aversion towards whatever the mind perceives through the senses. Not being affected by all the states of the mind - dullness (tamas), agitation (rajas), calmness (sattva).
We are the knower or the witness or the observer of the mind. we are knowing or witnessing or observing the mind as it is but we are not the mind, and not identify nor associate with the mind, and not react towards the mind...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Last sentence is very beautiful, i really can feel it.
Sometimes it's surprise that how come got two ''me''.
[You]
The mind is influenced by energy, but not our true Self... True Self is not affected by energy, elements, cause and effect, existence and non-existence, birth and death, pain and pleasure, positive and negative, good and bad qualities, happiness and unhappiness...
There is only one "you".
But when we are being attached to the impure lower self or the ego, we are the "naughty" one that is influenced by ignorance and selfishness, and is affected by names and forms, craving and aversion. When we are not attached to the impure mind or the ego, we are the higher Self which is free from ignorance or impurities, craving and aversion... It is the same "you"... Either with ignorance or free from ignorance... There's no separation.
Due to ignorance, unwittingly we are attached to the body, the mind and all the names and forms, being over-powered by clinging, craving and aversion, fear and worry...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
For the non-attachment, for example, i hurt myself and i feel the feeling of pain and for me the feeling is so ''real'', how can i convince myself not to attach to the pain?
[You]
The feeling of pain that arise when the body gets hurt or injury is "real" of course, but it is impermanent. It will pass away sooner or later. Think about many years ago you have hurt or injured your body, that painful feelings are gone already. Of course during that moment, you did experience some painful sensations, but now, it is not there anymore. If you think the poison is not real, and drink the poison, for sure you will suffer. That is ignorance.
If I cut myself with a knife, of course it will cause pain in the body... Who says the painful sensations is not real? But it is impermanent... It will pass away... There is a cause - a cut in the body. There is an effect - painful sensation. This is the law of cause and effect. It is the truth of everything. Now, if we are encountering comfortable or dis-comfortable feelings and sensations, that is because there is a comfortable or dis-comfortable cause that we had created. And now, the cause is ripen, and we harvest the effect... Everything is cause and effect. This body and this mind exists due to a cause... They won't exist if there is no cause...
Death is both the cause and effect for birth. Birth is both the cause and effect for death. That's why it is called the wheel of birth and death. Where is the beginning, where is the ending? All our practice is for us to exit the wheel of birth and death, by realizing who we really are and stop generating the cause and effect that keeps rolling the wheel of birth and death... Once we stop the cause of having birth (no clinging, no attachments, no craving, no aversion), there will be no death... When there is no death, there is no birth... The body and the mind ceased existing... All suffering that exist due the the existence of the body and the mind is gone... Killing ourselves will not stop the cycle of birth and death, it will only generate another birth to reap the existing karma... To "clear up" all the existing karma and stop generate more karma, is the only way to stop having birth... And to achieve this is by the practice of selflessness and non-attachment, eliminating the ego, stop generating the chain reaction of craving and aversion...
If we are attached to the mind and the ego, all our actions will be influenced by selfishness and are generating the chain reaction of cause and effect. If we are not attached to the mind and the ego, all our actions are selfless, compassionate, and are free from the chain reaction of cause and effect...
The one who are in pain, who feels pain, is the body and the mind.
The one who feels hurt, sad, angry, jealous, happy, like and dislike, want and don't want, good and bad, high confident and low confident, low self-esteem and arrogance, is the ego...
Without the mind and the functions of the senses, there is no feel, no pain, no happiness, no unhappiness, no good, no bad...
Painful feelings are impermanent. As well as pleasant feelings also are impermanent... All are impermanent. This body, this mind, this life existence, this world... Everything are impermanent and constantly changing... They don't exist forever and don't stay unchanged...
Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form. No differences...
If you aware of the body is experiencing pain, but you do not generate reaction of aversion, and observe the pain as it is, this pain will also disappear very soon... It might take a long time but it still will be disappeared...
This body is not us.
This mind is not us.
Who are we then?
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
I am.
[You]
Pain comes from the body, perceived by the mind through the function of the senses... It is not "you" getting the pain... "You" are aware of the body and the mind is experiencing pain...
And be free...
As long as we are having this body and this mind to perceived thoughts, feelings and sensations, pleasant and unpleasant sensations, pain and discomforts will always exist with the body and the mind. Lying down, standing, walking, sitting, unmoving or moving for a long time will also generate discomforts. Until there is no cause for birth and death to take place. That's why purification is the fundamental practice to eliminate all the cause for birth and death. By going beyond the mind and not attached to the mind will allow us to stand as a witness towards all these pain and discomfort experiences perceived in the mind, and remain equanimous unaffected by them. This equanimity will further enable us to know the truth of ourselves and everything... If there is no equanimity, it is not possible for us to realize the truth...
Om shanti Nyioh...
If you know what is intention-less and non-expectation, what is selflessness and compassion, what is renounce from the fruit of action, what is selfless action and inaction in action, what is non-duality, namelessness and formlessness, what is non-attachment... "You" are what you are and "you" are free...
There is no fear, no worry... Just being aware of all the impermanent names and forms that the mind is perceiving through the senses... Everything is just being what it is... No good, no bad... No happiness, no suffering... No birth, no death...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Hmmmmm, i am experiencing the mind thinking process.
[You]
Om... You are aware of your mind is digesting all these words... Maybe understand, maybe not. Maybe agree, maybe not. Maybe accept, maybe not. It really doesn't matter.. It is just the mind reacting to what it perceives from reading these words or hearing these words... You are the knowledge/wisdom. You don't need to get knowledge or wisdom from me, from books, from guru or from anyone... You are the wisdom...
All the knowledge arise in you when you know non-attachment, form is emptiness, emptiness is form, no good no bad...
Ignorance blocks us from realizing our true Self and hinders us from knowing the truth of everything...
That's why we need purification through the practice of asana, pranayama, concentration and meditation as tools for us to go beyond energy and the mind. When the mind is pure and still, it is a reflector for us to "know" our true Self and the truth of everything... The mind is not a bad thing. It is not a "thing". It is made up of thoughts. Without thoughts, there is no mind... Beyond the mind, is namelessness and formlessness... No happiness, no unhappiness... Everything is just being what it is.
If this "conversation" is too much for the mind to digest, let it go... When the time is right, all these words will appear in your mind again...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
I am knocking my head unconsciously.
[You]
Even these words are names and forms, are impermanent.. They will pass away... It is meaningful and meaningless as well...
Don't attach to these words also. Perceived and let go.. No judgment, no expectation. "You" are not getting anything out of these words... The body and the mind will be benefited from all these knowledge and yoga practice, but "you" don't get any benefits... "You" don't need to...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Then why am i reading it, just for the sake of reading?
[You]
Words will help you to evolve if you can let go. But words will bring you delusion and confuse if you have attachment...
True knowledge comes from within yourself... Buddha also said, don't believe what i said to you... You have to know the truth by yourself, in yourself...
Reading and discussion is good to gain more knowledge, but it is just a knowledge if you didn't truly experience it by yourself. The truth has to come from within your own Self... Then that is the truth... Not somebody tells you about this and that. You have to truly experience the truth as it is... Then there is no words... Silence... No understanding (understanding come from the mind, the mind trying to understand it. If the mind has no recollection of what is it, the mind cannot understand it. If the mind never perceived a word or a thing called "apple", it will not understand what is "apple", until it sees one, taste one, touches one, smells one, think of one, then it will know what is "apple" when the word "apple" appear before the mind. Just like the mind cannot understand namelessness and formlessness. The eyes can see things outside the eyes, but it cannot see itself)... But you are what it is...
You are the truth itself.
Everything is in you... You are everything. All the answer is in you...
You are the knowledge. You don't "know" or "understand" the knowledge. You are the knowledge.
[You]
Doing a lot of "practice" or going to many retreats will not help much to progress in the path of removing ignorance if we don't know what is non-attachment and don't know how to practice non-attachment in everyday life. It is right here, in us, at this present moment now... It is all about non-attachment towards the duality of good and bad that comes from all the names and forms, and letting go of clinging, craving and aversion...
All those practices and attending retreats will give us momentary peacefulness in the mind and good feelings when we are following the disciplined program at the retreat center which has a helpful environment for reducing many inputs and restricting the activities of the body, the senses and the mind, and rendering the mind calm without external disturbance, and make the mind turns inward to observe the truth as it is. This will make the mind calm and at peace. But that is not the goal of practice... This calm and peaceful mind is a tool for us to inspect the truth of ourselves and everything... When we know the truth of things and ourselves, knowing who we really are, we are able to let go and be free from the clinging onto all the names and forms, and stop generating reactions of craving and aversion, and ceasing the cycle of birth and death, and be truly free... If we attached to this state of calmness in the mind and generate craving and clinging towards this calmness from doing yoga practice, then it won't bring us any further...
And usually, as soon as we get back into our daily life, we are lost in the mind again, lost in the past and projecting into the future, being influenced by lots of impurities (fear, worry, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, desires and etc...) that arise in the mind, and are continuing being disturbed and affected by our own mind, being influenced by the craving and clinging towards likes and dislikes, being over-powered by the outgoing mind that like to express itself and to receive attention from other people, and are attached to all the names and forms about "This is good, this is bad...", "This makes me feel good, this makes me feel bad...", "I am good, I am not good...", "I want this, I want that...", "I want to do this, I want to do that..." and etc... Making ourselves so busy wanting this and wanting that, and losing lots of vital energy through the mind's activities and through expressing the mind through actions and speech. This is because there is no non-attachment or the willpower for detachment is not strong enough.
If we are attached to the mind and are identified with this bubbling mind, we will be in restlessness... The body also will be in low energy (losing lots of prana through thoughts, actions and speech which come from the selfish ego that is full of attachments, clinging, intentions and expectations)...
Goodnight Nyioh... Sleep well. Observe your mind as it is... If the mind wants to think about all these words, let it be. If the mind can let go, stop thinking, let it be... The truth will reveal itself to you when you can observe everything as it is, without attachment, without reaction...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Thanks Meng Foong.
[You]
Om shanti... Bye for now...
[Yongtzer Nyioh]
Om shanti, nite.
Monday, December 6, 2010
A little note about "luck" or "karma"...
What is "luck"? (Most Chinese or Asian people believe in "luck")
For the minds that are still under the influence of ignorance and egoism, "bad luck" can be related to something bad, difficult, undesirable and unpleasant, while "good luck" can be related to something good, easy, desirable and pleasant.
In terms of Buddhism and yoga, we can relate this "luck" with karma, or cause and effect. "Good luck" equal to good karma/cause. "Bad luck" equal to bad karma/cause. However, there's neither good nor bad upon the absence of ignorance, where either "good" or "bad" luck/karma/cause that give rise to easy or difficult, pleasant or unpleasant, desirable or undesirable experiences/conditions/situations, are all selfless and impermanent.
We might be aware of we and other people whom we know in our life, are going through different experiences in life. Some agreeable experiences might bring us joy and happiness, and some disagreeable experiences might bring us painful sorrow and unhappiness.
When we experience painful sorrow and unhappiness in life, naturally we will think, "Why do we have such bad experiences even though (we think and believe that) we didn't do anything bad or wrong in life, and have tried to live a righteous life of good thoughts, actions and speech?"
While looking at some other people who didn't do much good deeds and have been doing lots of (what we think and believe as) wrong and evil actions and speech, but then, they are having all the "good, desirable and enjoyable things/experiences/conditions/situations" in life, and that makes us think, "This is so unfair!"
We might think that it must be something to do with "luck" or "karma".
Indeed, it is the law of cause and effect, or karma. Nothing is not karma, or everything is arising and passing away influenced by cause and effect.
If our mind is pure and bright (loving, forgiving, goodwill, generous and cheerful), everything will turn out to be good karma or "good luck" for us. Things, happenings, conditions or situations that seem to be obstacle, difficult, failure, undeserving, unpleasant, undesirable or not good for most people, it is actually good karma or "good luck" for us, and are igniting and helping us to grow and advance in certain way and somehow.
We are the one who creates our own luck (karma). No one can give us or take away our "good luck" or "bad luck" (good karma or bad karma), the seeds or cause that we have planted by ourselves, out of desires, through thoughts, actions and speech.
When we frown at ourselves and frown at other people (being bitter, angry and hating towards ourselves and other people, for some reasons), we are creating "bad luck" for ourselves. If our mind is being in the state of "unpleasantness", full of bitterness, anger and hatred, we are inviting "bad luck" or "unpleasant experiences/conditions/situations" to come into our life. The more we complain about many things, the more "bad luck" will be accumulating in our life.
When we smile at ourselves and other people (being joyful, loving and kind towards ourselves and other people, with or without any specific reason), we are creating "good luck" for ourselves. If our mind is full of joy, love and kindness, unconditionally, our "good luck" will be over flowing and those who come in contact with us will also be sharing our generosity, which is endless and unlimited, or will never be exhausted. Although, it doesn't remove the ignorance and the consequences of ignorance in other people. It cannot change the karma, or cause and effect that is ceaselessly being created by all the others in the world.
The more we give and share without asking anything in return, the more the "good luck" (virtue and merit) will be accumulating in our life, even if we are not craving for any "good luck", or have no attachment or intention to be generating and accumulating any good karma.
If we have been doing lots of good deeds through actions and speech, but our mind is still full of impure thoughts and is over-powered by corrupted thinking and belief, bitterness, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed and lustful desire, then it will be like we are building a beautiful wooden house with "good deeds", but at the same time, we are also inviting lots of termites and pests into the house with "impure thoughts". Just by doing good is not enough, but we also need to stop creating bad karma (all kinds of unpleasantness/ill-will/impurities in the mind), and not just at the physical actions and speech level, but also cultivate openness, generosity, light and purity in the mind.
Be grateful and thankful, stop complaining upon experiencing something that is difficult, unpleasant, undesirable and disagreeable. At the same time, freeing our mind from the desire of craving and aversion, or expectation. Without any intention, we will see the change of "luck" in our life very soon.
Endure or withstand all the bad karma ("bad luck") that are ripen and are happening to us in our life now without aversion or complaint. Let go of the past unhappy happenings, don't let them continuously to haunt us, hurt us, determine us, disturb us, or affect us. We have to take full responsibility for our own past karma that we had created for ourselves through our ignorant impure thoughts, action and speech, whether consciously or unconsciously, whether we remember or don't remember, whether we are aware or unaware.
At the same time, be loving, compassionate and forgiving towards our own self and towards all other beings. Be patient, generous, cheerful, thoughtful, motivational, supportive and uplifting towards ourselves and towards other people either through our thoughts, actions and speech, or any of them, without asking or expecting anything in return, without craving for good karma or "good luck" in return.
And be very patient. A tree needs time and nurturing to grow into a mature state to have flowers and fruit.
Our life will change by itself, by generating good karma and stop creating bad karma, without attaching towards our good deeds, without craving for good karma or aversion towards bad karma.
If we continuously creating bad karma either wittingly or unwittingly, along side with creating good karma, it is like, planting a tree on a piece of dry land with no access to water or nutrients. Or, it is like planting a tree on a piece of land that is polluted by chemicals or there are lots of insects and animals are eating the leaves, or the flowers, or the fruit, even before we manage to harvest the fruit and taste the fruit.
If we are still being unhappy or dissatisfied with our life experiences now, after we have been doing lots of good deeds, then ask ourselves, "Are we really selfless and pure in all our thoughts, actions and speech? As if our mind is selfless and pure, there won't be any unhappiness or dissatisfaction about something arising in our mind."
If our mind is truly selfless and pure, then there shall be no complaints at all, because we will be happy, grateful and thankful for everything as we are (such as being able to sleep, can breath freely, can move the fingers and toes, or can go to the toilet to pee and shit, as there are many people are suffering because they cannot sleep, cannot breath freely, cannot move their fingers and toes, or cannot go to the toilet to pee or shit), and we will appreciate life as it is, not being determined by the undesirable, unpleasant and disagreeable life experiences, and not complaining about the things that we wanted to have, but we couldn't have or didn't have.
We are so much lucky than many people in the world, if we still have the attention and energy to be unhappy and dissatisfied about something. Even if we don't have anything that we want, and have all the things that we don't want, we still have our own Self.
In the end, there is nothing "good" or "bad" when we know the truth of everything, that everything is the manifestation of cause and effect, and everything is just being what it is.
"Illness", "old age", "injury", "accident", "conflict", "separation from the loved ones", "coming in contact with the disagreeable ones", "difficulty", "hardship", "failure", "unhappy experiences", "undesirable experiences", "failure", "obstacle", "non-accomplishment", "ignorance", "death", and etc, they all are not "bad luck" or bad karma. They are not something "bad". They are the manifestations from our past accumulated karma, consciously or unconsciously, out of ignorance and desires. They are just being what it is. They all are subject to selflessness and impermanence, and eventually they all will be passing away. We are the one who had created all these pleasant/unpleasant karma for ourselves (out of ignorance, desires and attachment), and by ourselves, we harvest the fruit of our past deeds. Good or bad, desirable or undesirable, pleasant or unpleasant, painful or enjoyable, it is our own products produced by ourselves.
It seems like a restless loop of continuous selfless cause and effect that doesn't have an end, however, the teachings of buddhism and yoga has the same teaching that "All these can be stopped or ended through the elimination of ignorance and the annihilation of the selfless modification of the mind, or SILENCE."
Be happy.
Be happy.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Thoughts sharing about the wheel of birth and death... (part 2)
"I agree, again. Ultimately, there is no difference between the path of the Arhat or the Bodhisattva. One is the stepping stone for the other to develop and manifest. I believe that you have to be an Arhat first to become a Bodhisattva next.
My own Blog should be viewed strictly in the context of an Expedient Means, just like your Blog serves the purpose of pointing people towards the exist in your own understanding of this vital issue… nothing else matters in the end, since we can not show them what this Reality is really all about.
But I also believe that we truly have to show them the exit – no comeback! That would be the Bodhisattvas job, right? To tell them that leading a Happy go Lucky Life today is only going to prep them for yet another Happy go Lucky Life tomorrow. However, that would in my understanding be a deception, since it is obviously too easy to achieve a happy transition through the Intermediate State of Reality and Rebirth by perpetuating a happy life in this reality? That is straight forward Cause & Effect going absolutely nowhere.
There is no future in this reality; happy or otherwise! We must defeat fundamental Ignorance! One mishap, downfall, misconception, accidental evil deed and we are doomed for a million life times – happy or not. The Tibetan Book of the Dead – Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese and Japanese ZEN in general – are quit clear about the basic function of the Causes & Effects we generate in this life and as represented by our Karma.
I understand that there are Buddhist teachings/ directions/ schools of thought that proclaim that the Six Classes of Beings combined with the Intermediate States exist in the same place and time, perfectly visible to all of us right here, right now. It is possible and probably even likely, as in my understanding, all of these State of Minds are driven by specific Modes of Perception and we can see from just a human point of view how vastly different these Modes of Perception can be.
Sorry, I hope I am not being a bother but my favourite teachers are ZEN Masters Huang Po, Ma Tsu, Hui Hai or Lin Chi…whose approach towards the Teaching of Mind in the context of this Reality is a bit like… a Sledgehammer?
Love & Peace!" - Elk Arne Clausen
"Yes, happy feelings have got nothing to do with whether we will exit the wheel of birth and death or not. A being can be doing a lot of selfish and evil actions and can still be very happy with himself. But that “happy” state of mind doesn’t stop the cause and effect to be effective. “Today” we cause pain for others (whether we are happy about it or not), “tomorrow” we will get the pain upon ourselves. It doesn’t matter if we are being “happy” committing lots of evil doings, we will still have to reap the karma that we had created for ourselves through our thoughts, actions and speech. It doesn’t mean that as long as we are “happy” at the moment of “death”, all our bad karma doesn’t count and we will be reborn into a new happy life without unhappiness and be happy forever… I think that is a great misunderstanding about escaping our karma by being “happy” at the moment of death… Whether being happy or not at the moment of death, we will still have to come back again to reap the karma that comes from our past thoughts, actions and speech.
There must be a reason why Buddha taught us about “don’t do bad” and “do good”, and the law of cause and effect. If we planted a mango seed, a mango tree it will become. If we planted an apple seed, an apple tree it will become. If we don’t want any trees, we don’t plant any seeds…
To annihilate ignorance is the meaning of our practice or the end of suffering. Ignorance is the root of suffering.
The point is, once ignorance is annihilated, or when wisdom is present, “suffering”, “the cause of suffering”, “the path of removing suffering” and “the end of suffering” disappear. What is there to exit? This body is still going to experience old age, illness, pain and death, the mind is still perceiving pleasant and unpleasant experiences, but the witness that is untainted by ignorance or egoism witnessing all these experiences is free from disturbance or suffering.
It is not about running away from suffering, but it is to know the truth of suffering and to observe and to accept the truth as it is, without craving or aversion. Even this perception of the existence of “suffering” is also part of the perception in the selfless mind. At this present moment now, observing this body and the modification of the mind as it is. It is neither something “suffering” nor “not suffering”. It is just being what it is.
If at this present moment now, this is what this body and mind is going through due to its past karma, then respect this present moment now as it is, no craving towards the “good” and “pleasant” experiences, no aversion towards the “bad” and “unpleasant” experiences. All are impermanent. Pleasantness or unpleasantness are all impermanent.
When names and forms disappears, what is “beautiful”? What is “ugliness”? What is “happiness”? What Is “unhappiness”? What is "heaven"? What is "hell"?
There is nothing wrong with people trying to retain good health and youthfulness or to maintain a good quality of life as long as we know the truth about all these things are subject to impermanence and they are not who we really are. When all these things change and are not being the way that we would like it to be, there is no disappointment, frustration or unhappiness. It is the craving and aversion that causes the mind perceiving suffering. The objects of names and forms don’t have the intention or attribute for being “the cause of suffering” or “the cause of happiness”, or to make us happy or unhappy. It is all coming from the mind under the influence of ignorance and egoism, when this mind attached onto names and forms, and recognizing or labeling them with the qualities of good and bad, and generates reaction of craving and aversion.
If the mind doesn’t know the truth of all these impermanent/transitory names and forms (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch/sensations, thoughts), and are being over-powered by the desire of craving and aversion in the mind, being over-powered by the likes and dislikes, wants and don’t wants that come from the idea of 'I', and attached strongly onto this life existence and all the experiences of “goodness” and “badness” in life, in the body and in the world due to the law of cause and effect, then the mind will be experiencing suffering either when it gets the things that it desires or when it gets the things that it doesn't desire.
The mind will be troubled by discontentment, fear and worry all the time, no matter if we have “something” or don’t have “anything”. The perceptive thinking mind is constantly being disturbed by the impurities in the mind (anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, lustful desire, expectation, judgment, comparison, disappointment, dissatisfaction, doubt, anxiety, confusion, depression, aggression, agitation, irritation, frustration and etc…). “I am suffering” is because of the attachment/clinging towards all the “good” and “bad” qualities of names and forms. And this is due to being ignorant (in the absence of wisdom) towards the truth of "the mind"/"who I am"/"names and forms".
The world (whether being peaceful or not peaceful) doesn’t make us suffer or make us not suffer.
This body (whether being strong and healthy or weak and ill) doesn’t give us suffering or take away the existing suffering.
This mind (whether being pure or impure, happy or unhappy) doesn’t change the truth of selflessness and impermanence.
It is when the perceptive thinking mind attached onto all the perceived names and forms and identifying with all the experiences that the body and mind is experiencing, and thus, “suffering” manifests as part of the modification of the mind.
When there is no attachment, “suffering” disappears. It doesn’t matter if the body is still experiencing extreme pain, illness and death. Or when the mind is being disturbed by “this” and “that”.
Even though this body and this mind will still be experiencing pain and agony, but the selfless consciousness beyond the impermanent existence and function of the body and mind never increase or decrease, never gain or loss, never become purer or less pure, never become more peaceful or less peaceful.
Realizing the truth of selflessness and impermanence, and be free, not just by hearing or reading about it, not by understanding or knowing about it intellectually, but attaining oneness/non-separateness with the universal consciousness (selflessness) upon the annihilation of the idea of 'I', or the ego.
Yes, to be truly liberated from birth and death (the selfless impermanent modification of the mind), and be free from the endless restlessness (due to dissatisfaction and endless craving that come from the worldly conditioned ignorant mind along with the selfish ego and the limited intellect), is the ultimate goal of all our practice, but it is not because we want to escape the cycles of birth and death or to run away from “suffering” because we are dissatisfied and unhappy with what we are now, but it is by realizing who we think we are/what is this 'I', and realize all “suffering” are nothing but the attachment and identification towards all the transitory names and forms that are subject to impermanence, including this body, this mind, and the life existence, as well as the never ending craving that generates the chain reactions of cause and effect (endless cycles of birth and death in the form of ceaseless thought current). The more that we “don’t want” to have “birth and death”, the stronger the aversion towards "birth and death", is actually reflecting on how strong is the ignorant attachment and identification towards “birth and death”.
“Suffering” exists in our mind, and will dissolve in the mind as well when wisdom arise. Wisdom is always there, never disappeared nor does it become more or less. It is the veil of ignorance that hinders us/the mind from realizing the wisdom in us. The ego creates the wrong identification of “I” am “this” or “I” am “that”. When we/the mind realize the wisdom in us (when ignorance disappears), this “I-ness” disappears, there is no “I”. Then who is “suffering”?
“Suffering” has a beginning, it will definitely has an end. “Happiness” has a beginning, it will definitely has an end. “Good and evil” has a beginning, it will definitely has an end. This body has a beginning, it will definitely has an end. This life has a beginning, it will definitely has an end. Everything that has a beginning will definitely has an end. But the knower that is knowing everything has a beginning and has an end (even before “the beginning” and after “the end”), who is observing and witnessing all the births and deaths taking place, “that” is causeless, attributeless, beginningless and endless. “That” is Satchidananda – pure existence, pure knowledge, pure bliss, eternal, untainted by cause and effect, good and evil, positive and negative, unaffected by impermanence, names and forms, and elements…
This world exists because the mind exists. When there is no mind, there is no world. Without the mind, we don’t perceive all these names and forms. Happiness and unhappiness come from the mind, and will end in the mind. Good and evil come from the mind, and will end in the mind. Fear and worry come from the mind, and will also end in the mind. Everything springs from the mind, will also dissolve in the mind. Suffering comes from the mind, and will also end in the mind.
Om.
When our mind is full of hatred and aversion towards "suffering" and "the cause of suffering", how could we be possible to transcend suffering? When our heart is full of love and peace, free from hatred and aversion, then that itself is already transcending suffering...
Thank you for sharing great wisdom with us here. Truly appreciate it." - Meng Foong
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Thoughts sharing about the wheel of birth and death...
This is a response from the previous blog Cry for the dead? Cheer for the new born?
"Our True Self Nature and oneness with Ultimate Reality is all that matters in the end. Whatever this body of compounded aggregates does in this mind created world and reality is insubstantial after all, and only perpetuates the cycle of Life, Death and Rebirth. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really matter if you are doing this in a “happy mode” or not. The end result: old age, disease and death is always the same for all of us and regardless of our State of Mind in this world during our current life. I would therefore promote to read and practice the Tibetan Book of the Dead every day and in order to exit this reality altogether… “Love and Peace to all” alone is not going to save us but perpetuates “Love and Peace to all” in just another cycle of Life, Death and Rebirth… and another… and another… forever!" -Elk Arne Clausen
"it definitely is important to maintain a positive outlook and emanate compassion throughout our mortal lives because when this is practised diligently, it also becomes our second nature and preps us for the moment of death. yes, no doubt no one (neither murderer nor holy man) can escape the wreaths of old age, disease and death, but what matters is the mind state we are in when approaching these different stages of life. how we experience the process of dying itself will determine and shape our next life. if we had lived a life full of regret and negativity the mind will create terrifying demons that escort us through the bardo state and eventually lead us into an unfavourable rebirth. if we had lived a life full of pure heart and pure intentions, the journey to our next life will be a pleasant and illuminating one." - Yoga Hui
"I completely agree with the ideal of leading a happy and positive life as long as we are not quiet sure we are able to exist this time around. Reading, the Tibetan Book of the Dead almost every day, I am almost certain I am not quiet ready for the Intermediate State of Reality… or Rebirth. But I do also think that to prep myself for “the next life” should not be my priority in this life. The priority should be to exist altogether and there are basically two paths we can follow, the one of the Arhat or the Bodhisattva… difficult choice since the later almost certainly leads to more of this reality…" - Elk Arne Clausen
"Our True Self Nature and oneness with Ultimate Reality is all that matters in the end. Whatever this body of compounded aggregates does in this mind created world and reality is insubstantial after all, and only perpetuates the cycle of Life, Death and Rebirth. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really matter if you are doing this in a “happy mode” or not. The end result: old age, disease and death is always the same for all of us and regardless of our State of Mind in this world during our current life. I would therefore promote to read and practice the Tibetan Book of the Dead every day and in order to exit this reality altogether… “Love and Peace to all” alone is not going to save us but perpetuates “Love and Peace to all” in just another cycle of Life, Death and Rebirth… and another… and another… forever!" -Elk Arne Clausen
"Yes, to exit from this tiring and meaningless cycle of birth and death is the ultimate path.
But while we are sincerely “trying” to get out of this cycle of birth and death, we can choose to live our life in a negative way or positive way, in depression or cheerfulness, remain inaction or we can make good use of this “suffering body” to perform some actions selflessly that can bring some love and peace to other “suffering beings” and to evolve together in the path of transcending the wheel of birth and death.
Lots of enlightened beings chose to continue the cycle of birth and death to be here to help other “suffering beings” to be saved from the cycle of birth and death.
The suffering of this mortal body means nothing to these compassionate beings (Bodhisattva)." - Meng Foong
"it definitely is important to maintain a positive outlook and emanate compassion throughout our mortal lives because when this is practised diligently, it also becomes our second nature and preps us for the moment of death. yes, no doubt no one (neither murderer nor holy man) can escape the wreaths of old age, disease and death, but what matters is the mind state we are in when approaching these different stages of life. how we experience the process of dying itself will determine and shape our next life. if we had lived a life full of regret and negativity the mind will create terrifying demons that escort us through the bardo state and eventually lead us into an unfavourable rebirth. if we had lived a life full of pure heart and pure intentions, the journey to our next life will be a pleasant and illuminating one." - Yoga Hui
"I completely agree with the ideal of leading a happy and positive life as long as we are not quiet sure we are able to exist this time around. Reading, the Tibetan Book of the Dead almost every day, I am almost certain I am not quiet ready for the Intermediate State of Reality… or Rebirth. But I do also think that to prep myself for “the next life” should not be my priority in this life. The priority should be to exist altogether and there are basically two paths we can follow, the one of the Arhat or the Bodhisattva… difficult choice since the later almost certainly leads to more of this reality…" - Elk Arne Clausen
"Yes, live at the present moment now, not being disturbed by the past, not worrying for the future, not anticipating anything, taking care of the present moment now, the future will take care by itself.
To know our past, just look at ourselves now. To know our future, also look at ourselves now.
This is what Buddha taught us, to live at the present moment. The only reality is “now”, the past and the future doesn’t exist. Observe the reality as it is, accept the reality as it is, transcending the duality of good and bad that comes from all the names and forms. Not generate craving nor aversion, remain equanimous not being disturbed nor affected by whatever the mind perceives through the senses… (nameless and formless meditation – not attach to the mind and observe the mind as it is)
Stop doing bad.
Do good.
Purify the mind.
(without expectation for the result)
Transcending the craving or aversion towards birth or death, happiness or suffering. Some people are craving for birth and averse towards death. Some people are craving for death and averse towards birth. Some people are craving for neither birth nor death. And all are still forms of craving (both wants and don’t wants). The craving is still there. It is this craving that had started all these endless cycles of birth and death. To stop this cycle of birth and death, is to annihilate this craving of “wants” and “don’t wants”…
No craving towards pleasant sensations and good feelings, no aversion towards unpleasant sensations and bad feelings, remain equanimous undisturbed and unaffected by whatever the mind and the body is experiencing at the present moment now. Treat all the duality of names and forms equally.
Knowing that all these sensations and feelings are not us, they don’t belong to us, and they are impermanent. They arise, they stay, they change and they will pass away eventually. If we just observe and are aware of all these sensations and feelings and not generate reaction of craving and aversion, remain equanimous, all the existing good and bad karma will be depleted as well as all the accumulated past good and bad karma also will come up to the surface to be purified, until there is no cause for birth, and thus there will be no growth, no old age, no illness, no decaying and no death. It doesn’t matter if it takes many life times to deplete/purify all the accumulated karma.
These are the practice that we are practicing unceasingly whether we are awake, asleep, lying down, standing, walking or sitting, without any expectation for the result. Being mindful of our thoughts, actions and speech without attachment.
Out of compassion, we perform all these practices selflessly.
Stop generate “bad” karma by stop doing bad.
Stop generate “good” karma by not identify as the doer of good actions (intention-less, compassionate and selfless actions) and not craving for good karma in return (renounce from the fruit of actions). All good actions for ourselves and for other beings are being performed out of compassion.
Keep purifying the past accumulated karma which will be continuously manifesting in the body and the mind and will also dissolve in the body and the mind, and not generate anymore reactions of craving and aversion that will create the chain reaction of cause and effect.
If there is attachment (being affected by good or bad karma and generate reaction of craving and aversion), we are not practicing dhamma nor are meditating. When we are free from attachment (not being affected by good or bad karma and not generate reaction of craving and aversion), we are practicing dhamma or are meditating whether in action or in inaction (with form or formless).
Not longing to have birth, and not longing to have no birth either. Accepting the reality as it is from moment to moment…
The world is just being what it is. It is not something good nor bad.
If we attach to all the transitory names and forms that keep arising and passing away, then the world that we perceive is being projected as good or bad. If we do not attach to any names and forms, then the world is just being what it is. It is neither good nor bad…
Heaven and hell is right here, at this present moment now, in our own heart… Either we are detached from names and forms, and are free from craving (heaven). Or we are attached to names and forms, and are full of craving (hell)…
If we want to have a good life in the future, we perform good actions and stop performing bad actions. If we want to have a bad life in the future, we perform bad actions and stop performing good actions. If we don’t want to have any future lives (good or bad), we transcend all the duality of names and forms without attachment to neither good nor bad…
This is what I learned from Buddha’s teaching of how to transcend birth and death, and to transcend the suffering that arise due to the cycle of birth and death, and the existence of the mortal body with the functions of the senses which has a thinking mind with the function of the selfish ego that is full of craving and aversion.
At the end, when one has transcended all names and forms, there is no difference between the path of Arhat or Bodhisattva.
I’m open to learn more from all wise beings (with form and formless) who had fully transcended this body and mind, and the suffering that arise from the body and the mind." - Meng Foong
Thank you for the sharing...
Link to the original comments on Yoga News, http://yogamalaysia.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/cry-for-the-dead-cheer-for-the-new-born/#comment-139
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Humility manifests in those who are truly self-confident... Pride & arrogance manifests in those who are not sure what is true confidence...
The greatest obstacle for us to obtain the highest knowledge (realizing the wisdom in us) is pride and arrogance.
A truly confident person will not have any pride and arrogance but is being humble, and yet being very confident about himself or herself and is not looking down on any other beings nor is admiring any other beings. He or she doesn’t depend on any of the qualities that come from all the names and forms to feel confident about himself or herself. This true confidence manifests in him or her when he or she knows Thyself, or knowing the truth of himself or herself about the false identification of a limited life existence that we think and believe is who we are, or what is this perceptive cognitive assertive intellectual thinking mind that enjoys and suffers, or who/what am 'I', and knows the truth of what is real and unreal.
A truly confident person doesn't need to justify or to prove to himself or herself or to anybody else about anything.
There is no superiority. There is no inferiority. There is no good beings. There is no bad beings. There is no fear, no worry. When attachment or dependency towards all the qualities of names and forms disappears from those who have true confidence, then all kind of judgments, comparisons, competitions and expectations towards other people and towards our own self will also disappear naturally.
All are equal under the presence of wisdom and compassion. All are selfless and impermanent, regardless of good or bad, positive or negative, right or wrong, meaningfulness or meaninglessness, kind or unkind, pleasant or unpleasant, desirable or undesirable, agreeable or disagreeable, healthy or unhealthy, knowledgeable or non-knowledgeable, success or failure, living beings or non-living objects, and so on.
Success and failure have no meanings at all for those who are truly confident. Success and failure only exist in those who are lack of self-confidence and are being determined by success or failure to give them "confidence" or to take away their "confidence".
True confidence is always here in us. We will realize it when we know who we really are or who/what am 'I'. That it's not something that can be determined by "this" or "that". It is not about what we can do or cannot do. It is not about what we can achieve and cannot achieve...
Trying to gain recognition, or acknowledgment, or approval, or agreement from other people or from our own self is a sign that we are lack of true confidence. Longing for appreciation, praise and compliments, dislike and reject non-appreciation, criticism and condemnation is another sign of lack of true confidence. When we get recognition, acknowledgment, approval or agreement from other people and are getting appreciation, praise and compliments, we will feel good and "confident" about ourselves, and feel superior or proud and arrogant, but when we don't get any recognition, acknowledgment, approval or agreement from other people and are not getting any appreciation, praise and compliments, we will feel bad and "not confident" about ourselves, and feel inferior or low self-esteem. This conditional "confidence" is not the real confidence.
Learn to let go of craving towards appreciation, praise and compliments. Learn to let go of aversion towards non-appreciation, criticism and condemnations. This will develop equanimity in us.
Equanimity brings out true confidence and humility, which allows us to continue to evolve and improve without feeling bad, or low, or guilty about our own self for being imperfect, or are not perfected in our practice yet.
Om shanti.
A truly confident person will not have any pride and arrogance but is being humble, and yet being very confident about himself or herself and is not looking down on any other beings nor is admiring any other beings. He or she doesn’t depend on any of the qualities that come from all the names and forms to feel confident about himself or herself. This true confidence manifests in him or her when he or she knows Thyself, or knowing the truth of himself or herself about the false identification of a limited life existence that we think and believe is who we are, or what is this perceptive cognitive assertive intellectual thinking mind that enjoys and suffers, or who/what am 'I', and knows the truth of what is real and unreal.
A truly confident person doesn't need to justify or to prove to himself or herself or to anybody else about anything.
There is no superiority. There is no inferiority. There is no good beings. There is no bad beings. There is no fear, no worry. When attachment or dependency towards all the qualities of names and forms disappears from those who have true confidence, then all kind of judgments, comparisons, competitions and expectations towards other people and towards our own self will also disappear naturally.
All are equal under the presence of wisdom and compassion. All are selfless and impermanent, regardless of good or bad, positive or negative, right or wrong, meaningfulness or meaninglessness, kind or unkind, pleasant or unpleasant, desirable or undesirable, agreeable or disagreeable, healthy or unhealthy, knowledgeable or non-knowledgeable, success or failure, living beings or non-living objects, and so on.
Success and failure have no meanings at all for those who are truly confident. Success and failure only exist in those who are lack of self-confidence and are being determined by success or failure to give them "confidence" or to take away their "confidence".
True confidence is always here in us. We will realize it when we know who we really are or who/what am 'I'. That it's not something that can be determined by "this" or "that". It is not about what we can do or cannot do. It is not about what we can achieve and cannot achieve...
Trying to gain recognition, or acknowledgment, or approval, or agreement from other people or from our own self is a sign that we are lack of true confidence. Longing for appreciation, praise and compliments, dislike and reject non-appreciation, criticism and condemnation is another sign of lack of true confidence. When we get recognition, acknowledgment, approval or agreement from other people and are getting appreciation, praise and compliments, we will feel good and "confident" about ourselves, and feel superior or proud and arrogant, but when we don't get any recognition, acknowledgment, approval or agreement from other people and are not getting any appreciation, praise and compliments, we will feel bad and "not confident" about ourselves, and feel inferior or low self-esteem. This conditional "confidence" is not the real confidence.
Learn to let go of craving towards appreciation, praise and compliments. Learn to let go of aversion towards non-appreciation, criticism and condemnations. This will develop equanimity in us.
Equanimity brings out true confidence and humility, which allows us to continue to evolve and improve without feeling bad, or low, or guilty about our own self for being imperfect, or are not perfected in our practice yet.
Om shanti.
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