Renunciation is an important part of yoga sadhana for those who are aware of the consequences of ignorance and egoism in oneself, who sincerely want to realize yoga to be free from ignorance and suffering. Those who just want to do some yoga exercises to gain some benefits to look good and feel good about oneself, who enjoy being passionate towards worldly life and social activities, who think ignorance doesn't exist in them, they don't have to follow the path of renunciation.
After learning and practicing yoga for some years having developed a certain degrees of non-attachment and correct understanding towards the teachings and practice of yoga, yoga practitioners who want to realize yoga will have to eventually renounce the worldly life, and retreat into solitude and seclusion for a prolonged period of time.
This is not about going for a short term of a few days or few weeks of yoga retreat holidays where people indulge in yoga related activities that they enjoy doing, that make people feel good and meaningful, spending time being with people who are like-minded, connecting and interacting with people who share the same ideas and values, while being able to stay connected and interacting with family and friends and the world, giving and receiving love and support, praise and encouragement to and from one another, but it's about renouncing the worldly life of all sorts of relationships with people or animals or things and social activities, and retreating into solitude and seclusion for at least 5 - 6 years. Allow everyone and everything to be what they are, as they are, without interference with anyone or anything expecting/wishing them to be the way that we think they should be.
Renunciation from worldly life or retreating into solitude and seclusion for a prolonged period of time might be perceived by many people, including those who think they love yoga and are practicing yoga, as 'running away from life or the world', or 'being selfish, abandoning and uncaring' towards family, friends and the society, as most minds are being conditioned by worldly thinking and belief of a strong attachment and identification towards certain values of life consisting of family and friends, community, social interactions and worldly affairs.
Our worldly life consists of all relationships and things and activities is what we think is what we are, and we take all these names and forms to be the highest value/meaning of life existence (family and friends, culture and spirituality or religion, what we do or don't do, what we have or don't have, what we achieve and don't achieve, and what we contribute or don't contribute to the society). For many people, it's 'wrong', 'bad', 'inappropriate', 'inhuman', 'selfish' and 'crazy' to not connecting or interacting with family and friends, or the society. And it's okay. Everyone has the freedom for how they perceive and understand, judge and think about everything.
But this is also why people perceive/experience all kinds of suffering in this worldly life existence. And it's okay, because people rather choose to go through suffering than to find out how to be free from suffering.
We might not like suffering and we don't want suffering or what we think and believe as 'wrong' and 'bad' or 'hurtful' and 'undeserving', but we are not aware of the root cause of all suffering, and we don't like or disagree with the teaching/practice that will lead the mind to realize the cause of suffering and how to be free from suffering, due to deep rooted ignorance and egoism.
At one moment, we feel good, happy, meaningful and contented when things are the way that we like it to be or how we think it should be, when our wishes and desires are being gratified. At another moment, we feel hurt, annoyed, frustrated, agitated, disappointed, dissatisfied, upset, unhappy, angry, hating, fear and worry when things are not the way that we like it to be or how we think it should be, when our wishes and desires are not being gratified. And we tell ourselves and others that this is life, this is human nature, this is normal for all human beings. But then, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we constantly do and say things that would cause damage and disharmony in oneself and in the world, out of hurt, annoyance, frustration, agitation, disappointment, dissatisfaction, upset, unhappiness, anger, hatred, animosity, fear and worry.
Whether we like and agree with it, or not, the entire practice of yoga is about the annihilation of egoism of attachment, identification and the desires of craving and aversion, to free the mind from impurities arising from its own egoistic action/reaction, to be free from ignorance, to transcend suffering.
Although one has been doing yoga practice for a long time and has heard about selflessness, but one cannot realize yoga (selflessness), if one doesn't work on freeing the mind from the egoistic attachment and identification towards the worldly life existence as 'I', 'This is who and what I am', 'This is my body', 'This is my mind', 'This is my thinking/belief/culture/religion/ethnicity', 'These are my values', 'These are my achievements and contributions', 'This is my life', 'This is my family', 'These are my children', 'These are my friends', 'These are my brothers and sisters', 'This is where I belonged', 'This is my country', and 'This is my world'. All these names and forms are just what they are, they are impermanent, they don't belong to 'I', and they are not 'I'.
The ego constantly straining the body and the mind expecting the body and mind to be like this or like that, to be able to do this or that, to be able to achieve what 'I' like and what 'I' want. 'I' want my body and my mind to be like this, 'I' don't like them to be like that. 'I' want my body and my mind to be able to do this and achieve that. And we think we love our body and mind, but we don't. We just want the body and the mind to be capable to gratify all my desires or wishes of what I like and what I want.
When one realized yoga or selflessness, there's no separateness of 'I' and what the mind perceives as 'my family', 'my friends', 'my brothers and sisters', 'all the others', and so on. There's no 'We are one big family', 'We are all human beings', or 'We are connected together'. There's no 'we'.
Connection exists only when there is still the perception of separateness of different individuals, that two or more separate objects/particles/souls/beings connect together. Connection doesn't exist in oneness, or non-separateness. When there is connection, there is disconnection. It is still within the perception of duality. And the main teaching and practice of yoga is to realize non-duality, or oneness, or non-separateness. One doesn't need to stay connected with any other beings to feel that we are connected to each other.
Those who really want to know what is yoga, they will realize it when the mind experiences complete silence being in solitude and seclusion, being cut off from the worldly life of all relationships with everyone and everything, and worldly objects and activities that the mind loves and familiars with, for a prolonged period of time.
We like to say we love yoga and we think we have been practicing yoga for a long time, and we feel satisfied, confident, good and happy when our body becomes stronger and more flexible and is able to do many of the yoga asana poses that we want to be able to do, but then we would give ourselves many 'reasonable' excuses about why we don't need or don't want to renounce worldly life to cut off all the tendencies of all kinds of attachment, clinging, longing and craving.
Some yoga practitioners would have no difficulty to perform their daily routine of yoga asana and pranayama practice regularly, and gaining great improvement in physical health and fitness level, strength and flexibility and skill to perform many of the yoga asana poses for some years, and attaining momentary good and happy feelings, sense of self-worth, confidence and meaningfulness in the mind due to the effects and achievements from performing the yoga practice regularly and/or from teaching and sharing the yoga practice to others, being able to live the life that they want, but not many are interested in observing complete silence in solitude and seclusion for a prolonged period of time, to be isolated from people and things that they love and the worldly life and activities that they are familiar with. The ego needs to feel loved and be connected with the world, to feel good, happy, confident, or meaningful.
Some people will have no difficulty to go into a silent retreat centre for a few weeks, and stop connecting and interacting with other people and stop doing the activities that they like to do for that few weeks, as they know this is just a very short term restriction, but when the mind has to go through a prolonged period of time being cut off from people and things and activities that they love and like, there will be pain/suffering arise in the mind.
Meanwhile, some people might think that they have developed a good foundation of non-attachment and detachment, because they can let go certain things in life, but most probably that is because the mind has found some other new attachment to cling onto, such like new friends, or new relationships, or 'new toys' to play with, or new activities to do in life.
While some people love to go for weeks and months of 'yoga retreat', but know that most of the yoga retreats in the world are not about silencing the mind, but it is about living with a community that are like-minded, doing activities and interacting with other people who share the similar ideas and values, which makes the ego feels comfortable, good, happy and meaningful, but this doesn't help the mind to be free from ignorance and egoism.
Only when the mind can live in solitude and seclusion for a prolonged period of time, when the mind no longer needs to attach onto any beings or objects or activities to feel loved and connected, to feel good, happy, confident and meaningful about itself and life existence and the world, then this being can live and mix freely in the society, love everyone and everything unconditionally, care for humanity and benefit the world efficiently. There's no loneliness, boredom, longing, clinging, craving, dissatisfaction, incompleteness, emptiness, void, meaninglessness, or fear in this mind.
"Do good to others, help others, give love and care to others, because it is meaningful and it makes us feel good and happy for being able to do good and give help, love and care to others." - This is not the teaching of yoga at all. This is the ego needs to attach onto certain qualities of names and forms to feel good and happy and meaningful about itself and life existence. This is empowering the ego. It's not freedom. The one who is free from the ego, simply just do good, just give help, love and care to others, NOT because 'I' want to or need to feel good and happy and meaningful about myself and my life for being able to do good, to give help, love and care to others.
The minds that are free from ignorance and egoism remain equanimous, peaceful and kind towards all beings without discrimination under any difficult conditions, situations and circumstances. These minds don't need to renounce worldly life to retreat into solitude and seclusion, as they are free from egoism of attachment, identification, desires and impurities, and they are undisturbed/undetermined by all the perceptions of good and bad qualities of names and forms, and hence being free from all kinds of disturbs or suffering. These minds don't need to display any yoga asana poses through the physical body or performing certain external practices under certain names and forms to show that they are practicing yoga.
Be free.
After learning and practicing yoga for some years having developed a certain degrees of non-attachment and correct understanding towards the teachings and practice of yoga, yoga practitioners who want to realize yoga will have to eventually renounce the worldly life, and retreat into solitude and seclusion for a prolonged period of time.
This is not about going for a short term of a few days or few weeks of yoga retreat holidays where people indulge in yoga related activities that they enjoy doing, that make people feel good and meaningful, spending time being with people who are like-minded, connecting and interacting with people who share the same ideas and values, while being able to stay connected and interacting with family and friends and the world, giving and receiving love and support, praise and encouragement to and from one another, but it's about renouncing the worldly life of all sorts of relationships with people or animals or things and social activities, and retreating into solitude and seclusion for at least 5 - 6 years. Allow everyone and everything to be what they are, as they are, without interference with anyone or anything expecting/wishing them to be the way that we think they should be.
Renunciation from worldly life or retreating into solitude and seclusion for a prolonged period of time might be perceived by many people, including those who think they love yoga and are practicing yoga, as 'running away from life or the world', or 'being selfish, abandoning and uncaring' towards family, friends and the society, as most minds are being conditioned by worldly thinking and belief of a strong attachment and identification towards certain values of life consisting of family and friends, community, social interactions and worldly affairs.
Our worldly life consists of all relationships and things and activities is what we think is what we are, and we take all these names and forms to be the highest value/meaning of life existence (family and friends, culture and spirituality or religion, what we do or don't do, what we have or don't have, what we achieve and don't achieve, and what we contribute or don't contribute to the society). For many people, it's 'wrong', 'bad', 'inappropriate', 'inhuman', 'selfish' and 'crazy' to not connecting or interacting with family and friends, or the society. And it's okay. Everyone has the freedom for how they perceive and understand, judge and think about everything.
But this is also why people perceive/experience all kinds of suffering in this worldly life existence. And it's okay, because people rather choose to go through suffering than to find out how to be free from suffering.
We might not like suffering and we don't want suffering or what we think and believe as 'wrong' and 'bad' or 'hurtful' and 'undeserving', but we are not aware of the root cause of all suffering, and we don't like or disagree with the teaching/practice that will lead the mind to realize the cause of suffering and how to be free from suffering, due to deep rooted ignorance and egoism.
At one moment, we feel good, happy, meaningful and contented when things are the way that we like it to be or how we think it should be, when our wishes and desires are being gratified. At another moment, we feel hurt, annoyed, frustrated, agitated, disappointed, dissatisfied, upset, unhappy, angry, hating, fear and worry when things are not the way that we like it to be or how we think it should be, when our wishes and desires are not being gratified. And we tell ourselves and others that this is life, this is human nature, this is normal for all human beings. But then, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we constantly do and say things that would cause damage and disharmony in oneself and in the world, out of hurt, annoyance, frustration, agitation, disappointment, dissatisfaction, upset, unhappiness, anger, hatred, animosity, fear and worry.
Whether we like and agree with it, or not, the entire practice of yoga is about the annihilation of egoism of attachment, identification and the desires of craving and aversion, to free the mind from impurities arising from its own egoistic action/reaction, to be free from ignorance, to transcend suffering.
Although one has been doing yoga practice for a long time and has heard about selflessness, but one cannot realize yoga (selflessness), if one doesn't work on freeing the mind from the egoistic attachment and identification towards the worldly life existence as 'I', 'This is who and what I am', 'This is my body', 'This is my mind', 'This is my thinking/belief/culture/religion/ethnicity', 'These are my values', 'These are my achievements and contributions', 'This is my life', 'This is my family', 'These are my children', 'These are my friends', 'These are my brothers and sisters', 'This is where I belonged', 'This is my country', and 'This is my world'. All these names and forms are just what they are, they are impermanent, they don't belong to 'I', and they are not 'I'.
The ego constantly straining the body and the mind expecting the body and mind to be like this or like that, to be able to do this or that, to be able to achieve what 'I' like and what 'I' want. 'I' want my body and my mind to be like this, 'I' don't like them to be like that. 'I' want my body and my mind to be able to do this and achieve that. And we think we love our body and mind, but we don't. We just want the body and the mind to be capable to gratify all my desires or wishes of what I like and what I want.
When one realized yoga or selflessness, there's no separateness of 'I' and what the mind perceives as 'my family', 'my friends', 'my brothers and sisters', 'all the others', and so on. There's no 'We are one big family', 'We are all human beings', or 'We are connected together'. There's no 'we'.
Connection exists only when there is still the perception of separateness of different individuals, that two or more separate objects/particles/souls/beings connect together. Connection doesn't exist in oneness, or non-separateness. When there is connection, there is disconnection. It is still within the perception of duality. And the main teaching and practice of yoga is to realize non-duality, or oneness, or non-separateness. One doesn't need to stay connected with any other beings to feel that we are connected to each other.
Those who really want to know what is yoga, they will realize it when the mind experiences complete silence being in solitude and seclusion, being cut off from the worldly life of all relationships with everyone and everything, and worldly objects and activities that the mind loves and familiars with, for a prolonged period of time.
We like to say we love yoga and we think we have been practicing yoga for a long time, and we feel satisfied, confident, good and happy when our body becomes stronger and more flexible and is able to do many of the yoga asana poses that we want to be able to do, but then we would give ourselves many 'reasonable' excuses about why we don't need or don't want to renounce worldly life to cut off all the tendencies of all kinds of attachment, clinging, longing and craving.
Some yoga practitioners would have no difficulty to perform their daily routine of yoga asana and pranayama practice regularly, and gaining great improvement in physical health and fitness level, strength and flexibility and skill to perform many of the yoga asana poses for some years, and attaining momentary good and happy feelings, sense of self-worth, confidence and meaningfulness in the mind due to the effects and achievements from performing the yoga practice regularly and/or from teaching and sharing the yoga practice to others, being able to live the life that they want, but not many are interested in observing complete silence in solitude and seclusion for a prolonged period of time, to be isolated from people and things that they love and the worldly life and activities that they are familiar with. The ego needs to feel loved and be connected with the world, to feel good, happy, confident, or meaningful.
Some people will have no difficulty to go into a silent retreat centre for a few weeks, and stop connecting and interacting with other people and stop doing the activities that they like to do for that few weeks, as they know this is just a very short term restriction, but when the mind has to go through a prolonged period of time being cut off from people and things and activities that they love and like, there will be pain/suffering arise in the mind.
Meanwhile, some people might think that they have developed a good foundation of non-attachment and detachment, because they can let go certain things in life, but most probably that is because the mind has found some other new attachment to cling onto, such like new friends, or new relationships, or 'new toys' to play with, or new activities to do in life.
While some people love to go for weeks and months of 'yoga retreat', but know that most of the yoga retreats in the world are not about silencing the mind, but it is about living with a community that are like-minded, doing activities and interacting with other people who share the similar ideas and values, which makes the ego feels comfortable, good, happy and meaningful, but this doesn't help the mind to be free from ignorance and egoism.
Only when the mind can live in solitude and seclusion for a prolonged period of time, when the mind no longer needs to attach onto any beings or objects or activities to feel loved and connected, to feel good, happy, confident and meaningful about itself and life existence and the world, then this being can live and mix freely in the society, love everyone and everything unconditionally, care for humanity and benefit the world efficiently. There's no loneliness, boredom, longing, clinging, craving, dissatisfaction, incompleteness, emptiness, void, meaninglessness, or fear in this mind.
"Do good to others, help others, give love and care to others, because it is meaningful and it makes us feel good and happy for being able to do good and give help, love and care to others." - This is not the teaching of yoga at all. This is the ego needs to attach onto certain qualities of names and forms to feel good and happy and meaningful about itself and life existence. This is empowering the ego. It's not freedom. The one who is free from the ego, simply just do good, just give help, love and care to others, NOT because 'I' want to or need to feel good and happy and meaningful about myself and my life for being able to do good, to give help, love and care to others.
The minds that are free from ignorance and egoism remain equanimous, peaceful and kind towards all beings without discrimination under any difficult conditions, situations and circumstances. These minds don't need to renounce worldly life to retreat into solitude and seclusion, as they are free from egoism of attachment, identification, desires and impurities, and they are undisturbed/undetermined by all the perceptions of good and bad qualities of names and forms, and hence being free from all kinds of disturbs or suffering. These minds don't need to display any yoga asana poses through the physical body or performing certain external practices under certain names and forms to show that they are practicing yoga.
Be free.
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Very beautifully put ~ thank you. Many people themselves yogi now, it is fashionable ~ but there are very few Yogis in the world.
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