When
the mind perceives happiness or unhappiness, it's about whether the
mind can go beyond the mind perception of dualism and the impermanent
changes of all the qualities of names and forms, and be free from
ignorance and egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving
and aversion, judgment and expectation, or not.
When
the mind is under the influence of ignorance and egoism, there is the
existence of an individual identification with the modification of the mind, the physical body and the worldly
self-image as 'I', and there's attachment towards the mind perception of
the duality of good and bad, positive and negative, auspiciousness and
inauspiciousness, happiness and unhappiness, pleasurable enjoyment and
suffering, likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements, and from
there, arise the desire of craving and aversion towards all the perceived
names and forms (of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches/sensations
and thoughts.)
The
perception of happiness and unhappiness or contentment and
discontentment in the impure egoistic mind, is determined by the
gratification or non-gratification towards the desire of craving and
aversion.
There is only a fine "line" between being happy and being unhappy. If
we can "erase" that separation "line" with wisdom or correct knowledge,
we (the thinking mind) will realize that there is no difference between
the two extremities. The mind is just what it is. It is neither happy
nor unhappy. It doesn't need to be happy and doesn't have to be unhappy. The sense of happiness and unhappiness are impermanent and they derive from the mind
attaching onto names and forms which have no intention or quality to be
good or bad, to be positive or negative, to make us happy or unhappy, to give us pleasure or
suffering. True happiness is beyond the mind perception of happiness and
unhappiness that comes from how the mind reacts towards the qualities
of names and forms.
We will stop categorize things/objects or happenings into good or bad, pleasurable enjoyment or suffering. We'll
stop longing for happiness or rejecting unhappiness. We will stop
craving for something being perceived as "good" and stop rejecting
something being perceived as "bad". That's where the true contentment and confidence, unlimited and unconditional peacefulness and happiness are.
People go for attending some yoga retreats or yoga classes in search for
happiness, or hoping and expecting that "yoga classes" or "yoga retreats"
or "yoga teachers" can or will give them happiness or make them happy
or chase away their unhappiness. But they will be very disappointed
because "yoga classes" or "yoga retreats" or "yoga teachers" cannot make
these desires come true. This
is because true happiness or peacefulness is coming from within, when
the mind is being free from ignorance, the ego and egoism (attachment,
identification, craving and aversion, expectation, selfishness, pride
and arrogance), and not by looking outward, expecting something "good"
from the external to give us happiness, to make us happy, or to make
unhappiness disappears.
As
long as we (who we think we are) still need to rely or depend on
certain qualities of names and forms, such like having good relationship
and friendship with some others, having a supportive family and like-minded
community, doing the things that we enjoy doing, achieving what we want
to achieve, receiving love, affection, companionship, acknowledgement,
praise and compliment, or performing the yoga practice, to give us
peacefulness or to make us feel good about ourselves (the idea of 'I'
and 'my life existence'), we will be disappointed, because it won't
satisfy our craving/longing for happiness and good feelings, unless the
mind is able to be free from an individual identification of the idea of
'I' or the ego, and stop chasing after all the transitory names and
forms to give us momentary satisfaction or sense of happiness, which is the
fundamental yoga practice in every moment, dealing with the selfless modifications of
this mind, in daily life experiences.
Physical yoga
practice (asana, pranayama, observations, restraints, chanting, kriyas, concentration) might generate momentary peacefulness and calmness in the
mind, but this state of peacefulness and calmness is subject to
impermanence, and is limited and conditional. The mind won't be at peace anymore if
we don't do any of these physical form of yoga practice. We will feel
bad/frustrated/depressed/meaningless when we are not doing any of these physical yoga practice,
because there is an identification identifying with the body and the mind that is
subject to impermanence under the influence of selfless energy and
elements, which can be influenced by the practice of asana, pranayama,
observations, restraints, chanting, kriyas, concentration practice to render it
calm and quiet. But then, all these effects of the practice are also impermanent.
Yoga is when the mind realizing selflessness of
being free from the individual identification with the body and the modification of
the mind under the influence of energy and elements to be
existing and functioning, that is selfless and impermanent, constantly changing . Upon the realization of selflessness, there is no 'I' existing
being disturbed/affected/determined by the forever changing conditions
of the body and the mind, as
well as all the mind perception of names and forms perceived through the senses.
Yoga practice is there to help the mind to purify the impurities in the
mind, balancing the energy field in the body and calming the mind, to
allow the mind to see the truth as it is, being free from desire of
craving and aversion, being able to allow the perceived reality to be
what it is, regardless of whether the reality is pleasant or unpleasant,
agreeable or disagreeable to the thinking mind, to prepare the mind for
deeper meditation of absorbing into silence, or the annihilation of the modification of
the mind, void of duality that derives from the mind perception
of names and forms.
Upon the absence of an identification with the body and the mind as 'I', then no
matter the body and mind is being in a positive or negative condition, surrounded by what the mind perceives as positive or negative people
and environment, it won't affect/determine/change the unconditional
peace of selflessness, on top of the practice of Pratyahara - Withdrawing the
senses from the objects of the senses, being unaffected or undisturbed by
the presence of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches/sensations and thoughts being what they are. We can
be with people who have a very negative state of mind, but we are not
being affected or influenced by them. Instead, we can be
uplifting them without being disturbed by their negativity, intentionlessly, and there's
no attachment towards the action and the fruit of action.
Go
beyond the craving for happiness/pleasantness/agreement and the
aversion towards unhappiness/unpleasantness/disagreement, and stop
identifying with the body and the thinking mind or the modifications of the mind as 'I', and the true happiness or
unconditional peace that is not subject to the state of the mind, the condition of the body, or the surrounding environment, is right here and always here. It never disappear
nor fade away. It doesn't increase or decrease. It is not being determined or affected by
all the goodness and badness, or happy and unhappy experiences that the mind
perceives through the senses via the sense organs of the physical body.
*Some
people are still being disturbed very much by the past bad, unhappy
or traumatic experiences, and continuously being unhappy and have fear in the present
moment now, and will want to know how to be able to be free from the
past unhappy memories that keep disturbing us
physically/mentally/emotionally in this present moment now, even though
those unhappy happenings are already gone or don't exist anymore.
The
simple way is to know why we couldn't let go of the past. Most people
couldn't let go of the past unhappy happenings is because they cannot
forgive themselves for being incapable to avoid/prevent such happenings,
or they can't forgive those whom they think and believe as the
ones who had inflicted the unhappy happenings that
they experienced in the past.
Practice loving kindness and
compassion towards oneself and what the mind perceives as 'other
beings'. Forgive ourselves and other beings whom had
intentionally or unintentionally had caused us painful and unhappy
experiences, out of ignorance. Learn to accept the reality of the past as it is, not
necessary the way that we would like it to be. Accept that we cannot
change the past or undo the past. Forgive everyone including what the mind
thinks is the imperfect self, and accept that all beings are imperfect
and none can please anybody, neither can everybody please us exactly the way
that we desire it to be. This will allow us (the thinking mind) to be
able to let go of the past unhappy memories, and move on in this
impermanent and selfless life existence without being disturbed or
determined by the past good and bad or happy and unhappy experiences.
Live
at the present moment now, and have gratitude and appreciation towards
all the "good" and "bad" experiences that we've been through which serve
as training ground for us (the ignorant impure egoistic thinking mind)
to realize compassion and selflessness (the path of yoga or
self-realization), is the path towards true freedom, true confidence and
true happiness.
Forgive and let go...
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