Paths are many, but Yoga is only one...

Many people keep asking this same question.

“What type of yoga are you practicing?”

It really doesn’t matter what type of yoga we are practicing, as long as we apply the essence of yoga teachings into our practice of many different paths, we are heading towards one same direction – Yoga.

Unless our practice doesn’t apply any of the essence of yoga teachings, such like, selflessness (egoless), compassion, wisdom, purification (of inner impurities in the mind), dispassion (towards worldly objects), discrimination (of what is real and unreal), non-attachment (undisturbed by the condition of the body and the mind, unaffected by whatever the mind perceives through the senses), non-reaction (do not generate craving or aversion), non-doership (of all actions and inactions), renunciation (from the fruit of action), non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation, fearlessness, acceptance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, forgiveness, patience, perseverance, determination, willpower, non-dualism, morality, self-control, contentment, calmness, equanimous, generosity, faith, surrendering (the ego and selfishness)…

Then our practice is heading to some other directions.

But there is nothing wrong about going towards different directions.

Everyone has the freedom and rights to decide what direction we want to head to. Right choice or wrong choice is still our own responsibility.

Be happy.

No complaints, no unhappiness on the path of yoga...

At the beginning of our practice, before we realize selflessness and compassion, we need to inquire towards what is selflessness and compassion. We also try to practice what we think is selfless compassion. After we realized what is selflessness and compassion, all and everyone are selfless and merely the manifestation of compassion, where the thoughts, actions and speech are part of the manifestation out of selfless compassion. We are no longer trying to practice selfless compassion, but this life existence is indeed selfless and compassionate. All and everything are not separated from selflessness and compassion.

If we realized the nature of selfless compassion in all and everything, there won’t be any unhappiness in us. It’s because nothing can make us happy or unhappy, if we realized we all are selfless and compassionate. There is no anger, hatred, frustration, discontentment, disappointment, hurt, resentment, fear and worry, when selfless compassion is present. It’s because there is no egoistic attachment and passionate desire in all kinds of actions and the result/consequence of actions. There is no selfish intention or expectation in all the selfless compassionate actions. If there is tiny intention or expectation in the action, then this action is not really selfless and compassionate, and it will bind us to the result of the action. There is still some egoistic attachment and desire there. There will be discontentment and disappointment if the result is not being what we want it to be, or there will be pride and arrogance if the result is being what we want it to be.

In this present moment now, if there are still some complaints and unhappiness in this mind, if there's still unhappiness about something that the mind perceives through the senses of what it sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches, feels and thinks, then it is because this mind hasn't realized its nature of selfless compassion. The mind is still under the influence of ignorance. There's attachment from the thinking mind towards the modification of the mind, and there's desire of craving and aversion towards all the names and forms that it perceives through the senses. The egoistic mind (under the function of the intellect and the ego) ceaselessly reacts towards all the names and forms which also disturbs, or affects, or determines the mind for how it thinks and feels.

It is not the things that the mind perceives that generate happiness or unhappiness. They cannot make the mind happy or not happy. It is the delusive identification with the body and the mind as 'I', and the attachment towards all the names and forms that make the mind thinks that it is being disturbed by all these names and forms, and determining whether it is happy or not happy due to what it thinks it is experiencing. If there is no attachment, and if the thinking mind knows that it's just the body and the mind, but it's not 'I', then it won’t be affected by whatever names and forms that are being perceived through the senses, and it won’t be affected by whatever condition that the body and the mind is experiencing in this present moment now, or what they experienced in the past.

Without the mind, there's no perception of anything, no names, no forms, no attributes.

What is good? What is bad? What is happiness? What is unhappiness?

If the mind realized selflessness, there is no identification with the body and the mind as 'I', there is no likes or dislikes. There is no craving or aversion. There is no good or bad. There is no happiness or suffering. Everything is just being what it is. All the different qualities of names and forms are just what they are, when the mind realizes selflessness. There is no self-interest, self-protection, self-arrogance, selfish intention, selfish expectation. There is no separateness or discrimination of good beings and bad beings, and there is no separateness of all and everything in the universe.

There is no “my family and friends” or “not my family and friends”. There is no people that I like or people that I don’t like. There is no superiority and inferiority. Everyone is equally selfless and impermanent. All the separateness of “you and I”, “he and I”, “they and I”, is gone and disappeared. There is no friends or not friends. There is no loneliness, no craving for love and attention from “somebody” who is separated from “I”. When everyone and everything is not separated from “I”, how can there be loneliness?
 

Out of selfless compassion, this mind will be compassionate towards all beings including itself is also one of the beings. There's no difference.

That’s why yoga is all about knowing who we really are, or what the mind really is, and we/the mind will be free. We all are selfless and compassionate in our true nature, the real and infinite existence. We are not affected or determined by any names and forms that the mind can perceive or understand through its function. We are not disturbed or determined by the good and bad karma that is generated by this body and this mind. We are not affected by the births and deaths of the mind perception of a worldly life existence.

It doesn’t matter in this present moment now, if we are still haven't realized selflessness yet. No judgment. Forgive and accept the imperfection and ignorance being there as it is, and keep practicing until we, or the thinking minds, realize selflessness.

Let go the identification with the selfless mind and the impermanent states of the mind. Learn to be the witness or the observer of the modification of the mind. We will soon realize that we are not the mind. We are not the body either. There's no 'I', but merely the selfless impermanent existence and function of the mind and body. This selfless body and mind is subject to impermanent changes, forming, decaying, and deforming. The infinite selfless compassion exists even before this body and mind exists and will continue to exist when this body and mind stops existing. There's neither beginning nor ending. All manifestations are manifested from the infinite Self. We can negate all kinds of selfless impermanent names and forms that we can perceive through this perceptive mind, but we cannot negate the one that is negating everything, (there's no "I" in all and everything, where all and everything is not "I"), which is what I am.

Everything that has a beginning will have an end. Everything that exist will cease existing. Everything may go through forming and deforming, existence and non-existence. But the infinite birthless and deathless Self is beyond existence and non-existence. Everything can be non-existing after some time, but the Self is always here. Without the Self, nothing exists. Just like without the sun, the air, the water, the earth and the space, nothing can exist. Everything exist because of all these elements. All these elements exist because of the Self.

There is no gain and no loss. Everything come from zero, and will go back to zero. What is there to be proud of or mourned about?

If we are truly selfless and compassionate, there is no fear, no gain, no loss...

Came across a conversation about some people who practice spiritual activities such like yoga, meditation, reiki, qi gong and some other practices (white or black magic), that they are actually stealing other people’s energy intentionally in many different ways (that’s freaky!).

While some people will absorb other people’s energy (either positive or negative energy) without any intention, without the awareness of it.

This makes some of the people who are aware of this “energy stealing activity” or "absorbing other people's energy", become so tensed and worried all the time and having fear of becoming one of the victims of it. We will try to develop a protection shield for ourselves to avoid our energy being stolen by anybody or don't want to absorb any negative energy from other people.

This actually creates an obstacle in the path of realizing selflessness and compassion.

It’s because it creates a strong barrier (protection wall) between us and other people. We cannot be opened to other people and are becoming more selfish instead. We are moving further away from selflessness, oneness and compassion. We are not expanding our heart, but are narrowing and closing our heart to everyone. We are constantly living in fear and worry.

Some people even think that their spouse or partner is actually stealing or exhausting their energy from them, making them suffer low-energy, sickness, depression and being exhausted all the time (Somebody must be "being so kind", is there telling everybody about protecting themselves from being the victim of “energy vampires” among their closed family and friends, as well as anybody that come in contact with them). This is insane, because this creates tensions in the relationship with everyone. There is no trustworthy and openness in any relationships at all. This is so unhealthy.

Some even say that our accumulated merits and virtues also can be stolen by these “energy vampires”. This is impossible, because nobody can “steal” or “replace” the karma (good or bad) that we have committed and generated by ourselves and will be harvest by ourselves. Such a huge ignorance to think that someone can give us or take away the merits and virtues.

Even before our energy is being stolen by somebody, we are already exhausting so much energy from being in fear and worry, and being so tensed all the time.

The point is, if we are truly selfless, then nobody can steal anything from us. Why? It’s because when there is no “I”, there is nothing that belongs to “I” that can be “taken away” or “stolen” from “I”.

And if we are selfless, we will be completely being compassionate towards everybody and will give and share everything that we “have” with anybody. If people need energy, “we” give them what they need (from the universal consciousness, not from “I”, because there is no “I”, there is no “my energy”). They don’t need to steal anything from us. They can have it and just take it. It is for them to consume this energy as well. Like the sunlight and the air that we breathe in and out, everyone can consume the sunlight and the air for free. We don’t need to steal the sunlight or the air… It is for everybody.

Somebody might want to argue about “What about some people take advantage of the sunlight or water to make into electricity to make money or to control other people? Are they not stealing something that is entitled to everybody (actually all these elements come from the universe, they do not belong to anybody) and sell it back to everyone, and make a profit from it?” But think deeply, these people are actually doing something to make convenience for other people. They do work hard on producing the electricity making use of the sunlight or the water, and if we want to use the electricity for our own convenience, then of course we have to pay for it.

And ask ourselves, who didn’t take advantage of the elements (the sun, the air, the water, the earth, the space)? Without them, we cannot survive, cannot exist. Whether somebody is taking advantage of the elements or not, it is still something that everyone is sharing to exist, but none of the elements belong to anybody at all. Did we ever pay anything in return to the universe for depending on all these elements to be exist? It is a selfless and compassionate gift from the universe for everyone and everything to exist, it doesn’t matter if we appreciate them or not, be grateful and thankful or not.

This body is made up of elements. It will decompose and return back to the elements. There is no gain nor loss.

When we bought a piece of land with a house on it, we don’t actually own the land or the house! “Legally” we have our name written on the sales and purchase agreement, and we paid “somebody” to “buy” the land with the house on it. “Legally”, we “own” the land and the house. But think deeply, the first person who sell the land to us, from whom he bought the land from? How much did he paid and to whom that he paid to? All lands belong to the earth, the universe. Who are we to steal the land and make it “ours” by creating some “ownership” through “legal sales and purchase agreement”? And who had invented or issued this “legal sales and purchase agreement” at the beginning?

About the house, before this house was built on the land that doesn’t really belong to us, all the animals, insects, birds and other beings are living on this land and this space freely, long before this house was built, before we moved into this house, and live in this house. We might need to pay for the cost for building the house, for the material and workmanship. But we don’t own the space within and without the house. We will continue to share this land and this house with some animals, insects, birds or other beings that have been living here on this land long before us. Who are we to chase these nature beings away from our “property”?

It doesn’t matter “legally” we have “paid” for it and have it “under our name”.

And this house is subject to impermanence. It comes from the universe (the material for building the house), it is made up of elements, and it will go through impermanence, changes, decaying and deforming. It will go back to the universe. We can’t even own the material that built the house. This house doesn’t belong to us at all. We cannot own it or take it away with us when we leave this body with the name that had “bought” the land with the house. Anytime, a storm, or fire, or flood, or wind will destroy this house in a few seconds.

When we know what is selflessness and oneness, that there is no separateness between us and everything in the entire existence of the universe, then everyone and everything is not separated from us. Everyone and everything is us.

Just like all the individual cells in this physical body, they all are within this body and they form up the entire structure for this body to exist and to have life existence. This body exists because they exist. Without them, this body doesn’t exist. What is there to be worry about being “hurt” or “something being stolen” by these cells in this body?

If somebody who is “I”, is “stealing” something from “I”, then it is (myself) stealing something from (myself). Then what do “I” lose in this action of stealing? Absolutely nothing… It is like my left hand is stealing the bread from my right hand, and put it into my mouth.

Energy constantly running from one cell to another cell, but still, all these cells and the energy are part of this physical body. All the cells are sharing this energy, to survive. There is no selfishness nor sense of belonging or possession. Without this energy, nothing exists. This energy doesn’t belong to any individual cell at all, but every cells can share this energy and survive.

This energy doesn’t belong to us. We are sharing this energy with all beings in the entire universe. How can anyone steal something that is already there for everyone to share with, unlimitedly, unconditionally, inexhaustibly.

But, if we don’t know what is selflessness, oneness and non-separateness. If we are still identified with the selfish ego (the “I”) and are attached to this individual self-identification that is separated from all other beings. Then, this sense of “I-ness” and “mine-ness” will create the separateness between us and everything. For sure, “somebody” who is separated from us and who is not us, can steal “something” that is “mine” from “I”, and “I” will lost “something” that belongs to “I”.

Be selfless, be compassionate, be wise…

No need to live in fear of being a victim of “energy vampire” or being an "energy sponge".

This body doesn’t belong to us, the energy that support the existence of this body also doesn’t belong to us. Nothing is us or ours. What is there to lose or to gain? Everything comes from the universe, and will go back to the universe. Nothing more, nothing less...

Peace and light to all.

The practice of observing the natural breath as it is...

Sit in any comfortable sitting position or lie on the floor in Savasana. Bring the mind focus at the present moment now, on the natural breath. Be aware of the air coming in and going out from the nostrils.

Let go of any tensions – physical, mental and emotional tensions. All these tensions are inter-related. By releasing one of these tensions will also help to release the other tensions. That’s why yoga exercises or yoga practice is a great purification process for the body and the mind.

We don’t just learn how to let go of tensions, but more important, we learn how to not generate tensions at the first place by practicing non-attachment. When there is no attachment, there is no need letting go. When there is no tensions, there is no need relaxation. When there is no ignorance, there is no need wisdom. When there is no impurities, there is no need purification. When there is no suffering, there is no need liberation…

Observe the natural breath as it is. Not comparing each breath, not judging the breath as slow or fast. In fact, the breath itself, it is not slow nor fast. The breath has no quality or intention to be slow or fast. It is just being what it is. The idea of “slow” or “fast” is a condition/quality that comes from the mind, when the mind is having comparison and will judge such speed is slow and such speed is fast. But the breath itself is not slow nor fast.

For example, in the same speed of walking, it might be slow for some people, but it might be fast for some other people. Slow or fast is very subjective to the speed that we are familiar with, not because it is a certain quality. When the speed is slightly slower than what we are familiar with, we will judge it as “slow”. When the speed is slightly faster than what we are familiar with, we will judge it as “fast”. This is a common reaction of judgment coming from the mind, especially when we perform the sun salutation at different speed or when we hold the asana for different length of time.

As well as the differences of “easy” and “difficult” level in the exercises in a yoga asana class. The exercise itself is not easy nor difficult. The poses or exercises have no quality or intention to make us feel easy or difficult. It is when our body can perform the exercise easily and feels comfortable in performing the pose or the exercise, our mind will judge that pose or exercise as “easy”. But when our body cannot perform the pose or the exercise, or when it feels discomfort while performing the pose or the exercise, then our mind will judge that pose or exercise as “difficult”. But the exercise itself has no quality or intention to be “easy” or “difficult”. The same exercise can be very “easy” for certain people but it can be very “difficult” for some other people.

By observing and accepting the natural breath as it is, we are learning to observe and accept the reality as it is. When we can accept the reality as it is, the mind will be at peace, no disturbance. There is no judgment, comparison, expectation, or any craving nor aversion. Everything is just being what it is. There is no duality when we can observe everything as it is.

Not expecting what benefits that we are going to get from performing this action of observing the breath. Let the benefits or the result come naturally. We don’t expect nor crave for anything to happen. When we know how to let go of all these mind’s activities and speculations, the mind will quiet down. when the mind is quiet, the Truth will reveals itself to us, even though we didn’t expect to know the Truth…

Apply this truth onto all the other things (all the names and forms) that we perceive in the mind through the senses of what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think. We will stop judging about “this is good” or “that is bad”, and “this is easy” or “that is difficult”. This non-judgmental attitude will be a very effective practice for us to be able to let go of craving and aversion towards all the names and forms that are being labelled as “good” or “bad” by our own mind. All the things with different names and forms have no quality nor intention to be “good” or “bad”, to be “pleasant” or “unpleasant”. They have no quality or intention to make us happy or to make us suffer.

We will stop prejudge things as “this” and “that”, and have no expectation about things that they have to be like “this” or like “that”.

Once we let go of judgment, comparison and expectation, then everything is just being what it is, they are not something good nor bad. All these names and forms cannot affect us nor disturb us, nor to determine us for how we are or who we really are.

We are being conditioned by our own mind with the functions of the intellect (recognition and judgment of names and forms that creates duality) and the ego (the one who asserts likes and dislikes that creates craving and aversion).

When we come in contact with what the intellect recognized as “good”, “pleasant”, “happy” and “positive”, then the ego will feel good and happy. But when we come in contact with what the intellect recognized as “bad”, “unpleasant”, “unhappy” and “negative”, then the ego will feel bad and unhappy.

If we hear some words in the language that our intellect cannot recognize what does it means, then we won’t react towards what we heard. If somebody said something nasty to us in a language that we don’t recognize, we won’t get disturbed or upset about it. But when someone translates the meaning of those nasty words to us in a language that we can recognize, then we will be so disturbed and furious.

It is all come from our own mind, not from the things out there. It is not the things out there that make us happy or upset. It is us, being attached to the mind, identify with the mind, associate with the mind, and react towards the mind’s activities and impurities, that create the momentary pleasant or unpleasant feelings and emotions. We think we are happy or we are not happy according to how the mind recognizes and feels. But the things have no intention or quality to make us happy or unhappy.

Truly we are being conditioned and limited by our own mind. So many things that the ego likes and dislikes, they are meaninglessly determining how we should feel. Whether we get the things that we like or the things that we don’t like, we are also not satisfied, full of tensions, fear and worry. Even before we get the things that we like or don’t like, we are also full of tensions, discontentment, fear and worry. Either we are being disturbed by the craving for the things that we like, or the aversion towards the things that we don’t like. We are constantly getting frustrated if we don’t get the things that we like, or afraid of losing the things that we like, or we are missing the things that we had lost and which we like. And we are getting frustrated when we get the things that we don’t like, or are afraid of getting the things that we don’t like, and when we couldn’t get rid of the things that we don’t like…

Go beyond this mind. Be the witness of this mind and not identify with the mind, the intellect, the ego and its activities or impurities (anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, fear, worry, frustration, irritation, agitation, excitement, depression…), the likes and dislikes, the craving and aversion, and be free…

Go beyond this body. Be the witness of this body and not identify with the body, and not being affected nor determined by the condition of this body, and be free…

This is our yoga practice. From moment to moment, we are practicing non-attachment towards the body and the mind. Not generate reaction of craving and aversion towards what the mind perceives through the senses. Remain unaffected nor disturbed by all the names and forms that we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think. Become selfless and know who we really are, and realize our true nature (compassion and wisdom) – Selflessness.

When we practice yoga and meditation from moment to moment (not just during a yoga class of asana, pranayama, concentration, meditation, selfless service, chanting, prayers, study of the scriptures…), actually we are maintaining this awareness as the witness of all the experiences that the body and the mind is experiencing from moment to moment, whether when we are awake or asleep, whether we are in action or in actionless.

We are not affected nor disturbed by our own mind. This mind will always be disturbed by “this” and “that”. But it is not us being disturbed. It is just the mind being disturbed by what it perceives through the senses. We will not be disturbed by all these names and forms.

The body and the mind will go through impermanence or changes, and are affected and determined by elements, energy and karma. But our true Self is not affected nor disturbed nor determined by all these things. It is uncontaminated by good or bad karma that comes from the body and the mind.

This body and this mind is depending on the elements and energy to be exist. Without elements and energy, nothing can exist. But the true Self is not depending on elements and energy, nor affected or determined by them. The true Self is beyond existence and non-existence. Anything that exist is subject to impermanence and will ceased exist (form and deforming). It has a beginning and an end. But the true Self is without beginning, without ending, infinite, absolute. It is not affected by impermanence. The true Self is nameless and formless, without quality, without birth and death, without the thinking mind, the selfish ego, the limited intellect, the impermanent body and senses that are determined by elements and energy and are subject to form and deforming, “birth” and “death”, the law of impermanence…

The body and the mind will go through birth and death. But not our true Self. It is beyond birth and death, beyond existence and non-existence. In fact, there is no “birth” or “death”. Everything is just forming and deforming. Transition from one form to another form. That’s all.

Be grateful and thankful, and appreciate this life existence, this body and mind, for us to be here to experience, to learn, to share, to evolve, and to go back to our true nature of who we really are.

When there is no mind, there is no perception of names and forms. There is no perception of good and bad, happiness and unhappiness. There is no world.

What is good? What is bad? What is “auspiciousness”? What is “inauspiciousness”? What is “happy”? What is “sad”?

Know who we really are and be free…

* * * * * * * * * *

*Practice this concentration of observing the natural breath, being at the present moment now, for as long as we are comfortable at, for as many times as we want. Keep observing the breath naturally without any effort, strain or struggle. It doesn’t matter for how many times the mind might wanders away, we bring it back onto observing the breath patiently and persistently. Until we forget the environment, forget the body, forget the action of observing the breath, and the mind is calm and still. No past, no future, no judgment, no expectation, no intention, no duality, no meditator who meditate, no action of meditating, no object of meditation… Insight or wisdom will arise naturally.

Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - Essence of Vedanta

Stop, O mind, thy plannings! Enough, enough of thy cravings for the body and for the intellect. Make good of every minute that is at thy disposal. Time is a rat that slowly cuts the thread of life. It may break at any moment. Believe not that you will be living to enjoy the objects of life. Death may lay his icy hands on this body and shatter it at any time. Cherish not objects of the world. Wish not for glory in life. Plan not to immortalize thy name in the world, lest thou wilt be immortalizing it in vacuum. Speak not to people, lest thou wilt be speaking to the skies. Beat not space thinking it is a drum. Stop imagining. Stop scheming.

停止，啊 意识，你的计划！足够了，你对身体和智力的欲望已经足够了。好好的利用任你处置的每一刻。时间就是好比一只老鼠在慢慢的咬切你的生命线，它随时可能会中 断。不要去相信，你将会活着，是为了去享受生命中的物质。在任何时候，死神随时会用他的冰冷之手去碰触你的身体，把它粉碎。不要去贪爱世界里的物质。不要希望从生命中得到荣耀。不要计划在世界上永恒保存你的名字，否则就好像要把你的名字保存在真空之中。不要对任何人说话，否则你就好像在对天空说话。不要去 敲打空间，把它设想成是一个鼓。停止幻想。停止策划。

- Swami Sivananda

Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - Essence of Vedanta

One must try to get more insults. Even if people think that he is a good man, he should try to make them feel that he is a rogue and thus get rid of their love for him. The whole world should oppose him. Then only he will prosper. The whole world should desert him and kick him aside. No earthly happiness can bring true realization. All should hate him. Then only his soul will be disciplined. There should be no help from the world of the mortals.

我们必须尝试获取更多的侮辱。即使是所有的人都认为他是一个好人，然而，他应该尽量让他们觉得他是一个流氓。那么，就可以摆脱他们，把他们对他的爱赶走。全世界的人都应该反对他。只有那样，他才会持续蓬勃发展。全世界的人都应该抛弃他，并把他踢到一旁。人世间任何的快乐并不可以带来真正的醒悟。所有的人应该讨厌他。只有那样，他的意识将会受到严肃的训练。他不应该从人世间得到任何的帮助。

- Swami Sivananda, Essence of Vedanta

Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - 瑜伽的智慧

If you wish to see everything, pluck out the eyes of the consciousness. If you wish to move everywhere, break the legs of consciousness. If you want to seize everything, cut off the hands of consciousness. If you wish to become everything, kill the consciousness. If you wish to become Immortal, murder the consciousness, with the axe of wisdom. When you get the whole, you do not cling to the part. Cling passionately to the Infinite Being; you will be in want of nothing; you shall be filled up to the brim. Shut all the doors of the senses; sit in the room of the heart; meditate on the Glorious Truth. Drown yourself and dissolve yourself in the Ocean of that Truth.

如果你想看到一切所有，那就拔出意识的眼睛。如果你希望无所不在的随处移动，那就打断意识的腿。如果你要抓住一切所有，那就切断意识的手。如果你希望成为一切所有，那就杀死意识。如果你希望永生，那就使用智慧之斧头来谋杀意识。当你得到一切所有，你将不会执着于其中的一部分。热烈的固守于无限存在，你将不会想要得到任何东西，你将被填满至边缘。关闭所有感官的大门;坐在心灵的房间之中;冥想着这个辉煌的真理。淹没自己，把自己解散溶解于真理的海洋之中。

- Swami Sivananda, Essence of Vedanta

Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - Essence of Vedanta

Alone you have to fly to the Alone. You are born alone. You will go alone. You will take nothing from this world. O man! your social relationships are only temporary. They are only aids in exhausting certain Karmas, nothing but these.

 

你必须独自飞往单独。你独自而来。也将会是独自而去。你并不会从这个世界上带走些什么。人啊！你所有的社会关系都只不过是暂时性而已。它们只是在帮助我们消耗某些因果业报，只不过是这些而已。

  

  - Swami Sivananda, Essence of Vedanta

"Borrowed" Wisdom...

True knowledge or wisdom is coming from within our Self, our very own realization of the truth of names and forms as it is. “Knowledge” or “wisdom” that is “borrowed” from reading and hearing, is a good guideline for us to strive to realize the real wisdom within us. But it will turn into pride and arrogance if we try to use the “borrowed” wisdom to “teach” or “criticize” other people.

There is no idea of criticism or the sense of superiority in the one who had developed insight and realized the wisdom from within.

When we (the mind) know the truth of impermanence and selflessness, there is no need of justification, or debate, or criticism towards the “opposition”, because there is no opposition in non-duality.

Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.

Form is not different from emptiness. Emptiness is not different from form.

The body and mind (the worldly life existence) is bound by names and forms, birth and death, cause and effect, action and reaction, duality, the law of nature and impermanence. As long as we (the mind) are still identifying with the body and the mind, thinking that we are “this” and we are “that”, then we are still bound by all these names and forms, actions and inactions, and cause and effect.

But the selfless nature of everything (the silent witness towards the modification of the mind) is not contaminated, or affected, or determined by all these names and forms that sprung from the mind, perceived by the mind and dissolved in the mind.

Without the mind, there is no perception, no names, no forms, no duality, no birth, no death, no good, no bad, no craving, no aversion, no likes, no dislikes, no action, no reaction, no colours, no shapes, no sounds, no smells, no tastes, no touch, no thinking, no thoughts, no feelings, no sensations, no existence, no non-existence, no past, no future, no time, no space, no causation, no “you”, no “I”, no karma, no impermanence, no happiness, no suffering, no body, no life, no world, no beginning, no ending.

Realize this, and be free. Truly free.

This freedom is not the impermanent conditioned and limited freedom for us to be able to do whatever that we want to do, or be able to control everything to be the way that we want it to be, and to go wherever that we want to go. It is beyond the impermanent ability and condition of this body, this mind, this life existence, beyond this world of limited and conditioned names and forms.

Mind doesn’t really exist. Without thought waves, there is no mind. It’s the ceaseless modification of the mind that generates the idea of the mind, or what the mind thinks and believes and identifies as “I”.

The existence of the mind is due to the unceasing continuous flow of thought waves or thought currents (impurities and duality deriving from the attachment/identification towards the perception of names and forms through the sense, the actions and reactions, the judgment, the desires of craving and aversion and expectation).

The moment when the thought waves are subsided, that’s where we (the mind) will have a glimpse at the selfless nature of everything (nameless, formless, attribute-less, non-separateness, birthless, deathless, neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative, all full, whole, content, bliss).

All the yoga practice and meditation (non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-expectation, self-control, letting go the ego, desire-less, dispassion, discrimination of real and unreal, selflessness, compassion, purity, equanimous, calmness, and etc) are there to purify the mind, calming the mind and stilling the thought activities in the mind. So that we (the mind) can have a glimpse at the selfless nature of everything (selflessness, oneness, non-separateness, namelessness, formlessness, attributelessness, changelessness, birthlessness and deathlessness) and realize the truth of everything as it is.

It’s like the mirror. The mirror constantly, selflessly, unwittingly reflecting the images of everything in front of it. But the mirror doesn’t see itself, unless it’s being reflected through another reflector in front of it. The mirror doesn’t associate, or attach, or identify towards all the reflections being reflected on it. The mirror isn’t being changed, or contaminated, or affected, or influenced, or determined by all the reflections of different names and forms being reflected on it. The mirror doesn’t change, or contaminate, or affect, or influence, or determine all those names and forms being what they are, even though the reflections of those names and forms on the mirror might be distorted or blurred due to some defects on the mirror.

The practice of self-inquiry and meditation act as a tool same as another reflector to reflect upon the mind itself, to allow the mind to see itself, or know Thyself.

The mind is like the mirror itself. Selfless and non-discriminative. The mirror doesn’t discriminate any names and forms being reflected upon it. The projector screen also doesn’t discriminate any images being projected upon it. The nature of the mind doesn’t discriminate anything. ‘Discrimination’ exists in the mind deriving from the idea of “I”, or the ego, born out of ignorance.

Both the mirror and all the names and forms that are being reflected on the mirror are impermanent and selfless. The mind is the projector screen that reflects all the images of names and forms being projected by the modification of the mind itself. Both the mind (the projector screen) and all the modifications of the mind (the projected images) are impermanent and selfless. The projector screen is just what it is and doesn’t exist, not even being ‘a projector screen’ when there’s nothing that is being projected.

It’s the ego, or the idea of “I”, born out of ignorance in the mind that generates discrimination, attachment, identification, desires, craving and aversion, judgment, expectation, actions and reactions, and perceives ‘good and bad’, ‘right and wrong’, ‘positive and negative’, ‘likes and dislikes’, ‘agreements and disagreements’, ‘happiness and unhappiness’, ‘satisfaction and dissatisfaction’, ‘pleased and displeased’, ‘acknowledged and unacknowledged’, ‘praised and condemned’, ‘respected and disrespected’, ‘glorified and belittled’, ‘meaningfulness and meaninglessness’, ‘joy and sorrow’, ‘enjoyment and suffering’, and so on.

If we (the mind) are constantly being busy with the mind activities (the ceaseless perception of names and forms, attachments, identifications, passion, desires, craving, aversion, judgment, comparison, expectation and all sorts of emotions and feelings, actions and reactions), then it is very difficult for us (the mind) to get closer to the truth. The mind can’t see it even though the truth is always there as it is.

But never give up. Keep practicing non-attachment and letting go. Until the mind is just the mind, selflessly and impermanently reflecting the selfless mind perception of selfless names and forms. It is no longer determining the delusive existence of the non-existing "I", of what the mind thinks and identifies as who we are, what we are and how we are. The impermanent condition of the body and the mind as well as the mind perception of names and forms cannot contaminate, or determine, or affect, or change the birthless and deathless universal consciousness beyond the restless impure modification of the mind. No fear, no worry.

Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - Essence of Vedanta

It is not necessary that a spiritual giant should have a muscular body. The greatest Jnani may also be tubercular patient. There is no contradiction between the two.

一个灵性修行圣者未必会有强壮健全的身体。最伟大的智者也可能是结核病患者。两者之间并没有出现任何的矛盾。

Essence of Vedanta - Swami Sivananda

Swami Sivananda's words of wisdom - Essence of Vedanta

Maya will sit in your brain and intellect itself. Beware of her snares! Do not try to protect your ego. For the sake of Truth, you must be prepare even to cast off this body at any time. For what purpose are you here, on this earth, if not for drowning yourself in the Infinite Existence? You must get yourself buried in God! Then only you shall live! You gain by losing. You live by dying.

Essence of Vedanta - Swami Sivananda