Walk alone, live alone, eat alone and meditate alone. Cut off all connections ruthlessly. Hide yourself away. Do not build ashram. Do not hoard disciples. Do not mix. Do not associate. - Swami Sivananda (excerpts from Concentration and Meditation)
Many friendly sociable good people who are interested in yoga and meditation practice, but somehow, they don't really understand the core teachings and practice of yoga and meditation of silencing the mind, would feel very intimidated or offended by the teachings and practice of turning the mind inwards for self-introspection and silencing the mind, through the practice of seclusion and solitude (cutting off from all social interactions and connections), where the sociable friendly good people would feel very uncomfortable and intimidated being with those who do not engage in social interactive activity and conversation. They criticize people who observe silence, seclusion and solitude as being 'unfriendly', as their minds are being conditioned by certain ideas and standards to categorize people into 'friendly people' or 'unfriendly people' in the social world based on what they think is friendliness and unfriendliness.
Those who don't talk much, or don't engage in a social interactive conversation with other people, or don't invade or interfere with other people's way of life, thinking and behavior, who don't comment or acknowledge about other people (whether it's something good or bad), are being recognized as 'unfriendly' or 'uncaring' in the sociable society.
"People in a room do not talk to each other is so wrong." This is the thinking and belief of the passionate worldly minded people.
People attending a 'silent meditation retreat/course' complain about people in the retreat/course are so unfriendly because they don't talk or aren't interactive with one another?!
But what kind of bad actions have these people who are being perceived by friendly sociable good people as 'unfriendly and uncaring people' done to other people? Nothing. In fact, they are helping the world to have less conflict and have more peace by observing silence when they do not go around judging or expecting other people to behave in certain ways that they think it should be. They do their own things and don't invade or interfere with other people's way of life and do not generate inconvenience for other people. That is already a great contribution to the society. We should be grateful and thankful to them.
The nature of those who observe silence appears to be 'not fun', non-concerning and non-engaging with other friendly sociable people who expect all human beings should be fun to hang out with, should be active in social interaction, to be talkative, to be engaging and connecting with other human beings physically and verbally, it's not surprised that why people feel 'wrong', 'awkward', 'unwelcome', 'disrespected', 'hurt', 'offended', 'intimidated', 'unconcerned', 'unnoticed', 'unacknowledged', and so on, when they come in contact with those who observe silence. All these reactions of a disturbed state of the mind are coming from their own minds reacting towards something that they dislike and disagree with, that is different from their familiar social cultural practice, and it's nothing to do with whether other people are being 'friendly' to them, or not.
People would feel disturbed and offended by other people whom they think are not being 'friendly' enough towards them, as they expect friendly treatment from others the way that they think it should be. There's an issue with themselves, not with other people. Other people have the freedom to behave as they are, to be friendly or unfriendly towards anyone.
Because of most friendly sociable good people would feel greatly disturbed and offended by other people who observe silence of the mind, that's why it's better for the yoga and meditation practitioners to retreat from the society to observe seclusion and solitude.
'Friendliness' in the path of yoga and meditation is nothing to do with accumulating friendships, constantly visiting each other to stay connecting, to be hanging out from time to time to do some social activities together, and get into worldly conversation of commentary, criticism, mocking, flirting, boasting, story telling, mourning, grumbling, debate and discussion, and so on. 'Friendliness' in Yoga is when the mind is being free from ill-thinking, ill-will, anger, hatred, jealousy, dissatisfaction, disappointment, fear, offensiveness, defensiveness, judgment, expectation, interference, invasion, violence or hostility towards all and everyone, free from discrimination of friends or not friends, superiority or inferiority, that based on personal likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements.
When people don't do anything that intentionally to hurt us, or disturb our peaceful life, or cause inconvenience to us, or interfere with our freedom of thinking, action and speech or way of life and conduct, that is what true friendliness is about.
When people in the society who think they are friendly people criticizing or mocking those whom they think are unfriendly people, then they don't know the true meaning of friendliness, as themselves are being unfriendly, by having such ill-thinking and criticism towards other people whom they disagree with, and feel offended or intimidated by other people's silence of action and speech, and they interfere with other people's freedom of actions, to act or not to act (where the action of not talking to other people when there are people around is being perceived as unfriendly, offensive and wrong for the worldly friendly sociable good people who believe and expect people should be talking and interacting with one another passionately.)
There is nothing wrong, offensive or intimidating when people are not interested to engage in any 'friendly' and 'caring' conversation with us. But the expectation from us towards other people that all 'normal' and 'good' people must somehow be engaging in interactive conversation with us to show friendliness to us, is what make us feel offended, intimidated, or wrong, when we don't receive the interaction the way that we expect it to be. We are the one who is intimidating and offending other people's freedom of action and behavior. But we don't see it this way.
If people truly love the world and want to build a peaceful harmony society, it's not about expecting other people to conform to our own way of life, thinking, belief, cultural practice and behavior that we think is the way it should be. But it's to respect everyone to be different and allowing everyone to be different, without invading or interfering with other people's way of life, thinking, belief and behavior that are different from ours.
It's okay if people don't want to be sociable with other people for any reasons or for no reason at all. It's okay if people are not interested in engaging in some form of interactive activities or conversation with us. It's okay if people want to keep to themselves and are not interested to connect with anyone, to live a quiet secluded life. At least they don't do anything intentionally that would hurt or disturb our life or the environment. We are free to feel what we want to feel, but if we feel disturbed by other people's particular behavior is because we are disturbed by our own mind reaction towards their behavior that we dislike and disagree with.
When people talk too much, or talk non-sense or subject that we aren't interested in, especially when we want some quiet time to ourselves, or when people want to know too many things that we prefer to keep to ourselves, we complain about them for being overly warm and too friendly or busybody.
When people don't talk to us or interact with us, and don't ask anything about us that we would like to share with other people, we also complain about them for being 'cold', 'unfriendly' and 'uncaring'.
Contemplate and be free.
Many friendly sociable good people who are interested in yoga and meditation practice, but somehow, they don't really understand the core teachings and practice of yoga and meditation of silencing the mind, would feel very intimidated or offended by the teachings and practice of turning the mind inwards for self-introspection and silencing the mind, through the practice of seclusion and solitude (cutting off from all social interactions and connections), where the sociable friendly good people would feel very uncomfortable and intimidated being with those who do not engage in social interactive activity and conversation. They criticize people who observe silence, seclusion and solitude as being 'unfriendly', as their minds are being conditioned by certain ideas and standards to categorize people into 'friendly people' or 'unfriendly people' in the social world based on what they think is friendliness and unfriendliness.
Those who don't talk much, or don't engage in a social interactive conversation with other people, or don't invade or interfere with other people's way of life, thinking and behavior, who don't comment or acknowledge about other people (whether it's something good or bad), are being recognized as 'unfriendly' or 'uncaring' in the sociable society.
"People in a room do not talk to each other is so wrong." This is the thinking and belief of the passionate worldly minded people.
People attending a 'silent meditation retreat/course' complain about people in the retreat/course are so unfriendly because they don't talk or aren't interactive with one another?!
But what kind of bad actions have these people who are being perceived by friendly sociable good people as 'unfriendly and uncaring people' done to other people? Nothing. In fact, they are helping the world to have less conflict and have more peace by observing silence when they do not go around judging or expecting other people to behave in certain ways that they think it should be. They do their own things and don't invade or interfere with other people's way of life and do not generate inconvenience for other people. That is already a great contribution to the society. We should be grateful and thankful to them.
The nature of those who observe silence appears to be 'not fun', non-concerning and non-engaging with other friendly sociable people who expect all human beings should be fun to hang out with, should be active in social interaction, to be talkative, to be engaging and connecting with other human beings physically and verbally, it's not surprised that why people feel 'wrong', 'awkward', 'unwelcome', 'disrespected', 'hurt', 'offended', 'intimidated', 'unconcerned', 'unnoticed', 'unacknowledged', and so on, when they come in contact with those who observe silence. All these reactions of a disturbed state of the mind are coming from their own minds reacting towards something that they dislike and disagree with, that is different from their familiar social cultural practice, and it's nothing to do with whether other people are being 'friendly' to them, or not.
People would feel disturbed and offended by other people whom they think are not being 'friendly' enough towards them, as they expect friendly treatment from others the way that they think it should be. There's an issue with themselves, not with other people. Other people have the freedom to behave as they are, to be friendly or unfriendly towards anyone.
Because of most friendly sociable good people would feel greatly disturbed and offended by other people who observe silence of the mind, that's why it's better for the yoga and meditation practitioners to retreat from the society to observe seclusion and solitude.
'Friendliness' in the path of yoga and meditation is nothing to do with accumulating friendships, constantly visiting each other to stay connecting, to be hanging out from time to time to do some social activities together, and get into worldly conversation of commentary, criticism, mocking, flirting, boasting, story telling, mourning, grumbling, debate and discussion, and so on. 'Friendliness' in Yoga is when the mind is being free from ill-thinking, ill-will, anger, hatred, jealousy, dissatisfaction, disappointment, fear, offensiveness, defensiveness, judgment, expectation, interference, invasion, violence or hostility towards all and everyone, free from discrimination of friends or not friends, superiority or inferiority, that based on personal likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements.
When people don't do anything that intentionally to hurt us, or disturb our peaceful life, or cause inconvenience to us, or interfere with our freedom of thinking, action and speech or way of life and conduct, that is what true friendliness is about.
When people in the society who think they are friendly people criticizing or mocking those whom they think are unfriendly people, then they don't know the true meaning of friendliness, as themselves are being unfriendly, by having such ill-thinking and criticism towards other people whom they disagree with, and feel offended or intimidated by other people's silence of action and speech, and they interfere with other people's freedom of actions, to act or not to act (where the action of not talking to other people when there are people around is being perceived as unfriendly, offensive and wrong for the worldly friendly sociable good people who believe and expect people should be talking and interacting with one another passionately.)
There is nothing wrong, offensive or intimidating when people are not interested to engage in any 'friendly' and 'caring' conversation with us. But the expectation from us towards other people that all 'normal' and 'good' people must somehow be engaging in interactive conversation with us to show friendliness to us, is what make us feel offended, intimidated, or wrong, when we don't receive the interaction the way that we expect it to be. We are the one who is intimidating and offending other people's freedom of action and behavior. But we don't see it this way.
If people truly love the world and want to build a peaceful harmony society, it's not about expecting other people to conform to our own way of life, thinking, belief, cultural practice and behavior that we think is the way it should be. But it's to respect everyone to be different and allowing everyone to be different, without invading or interfering with other people's way of life, thinking, belief and behavior that are different from ours.
It's okay if people don't want to be sociable with other people for any reasons or for no reason at all. It's okay if people are not interested in engaging in some form of interactive activities or conversation with us. It's okay if people want to keep to themselves and are not interested to connect with anyone, to live a quiet secluded life. At least they don't do anything intentionally that would hurt or disturb our life or the environment. We are free to feel what we want to feel, but if we feel disturbed by other people's particular behavior is because we are disturbed by our own mind reaction towards their behavior that we dislike and disagree with.
When people talk too much, or talk non-sense or subject that we aren't interested in, especially when we want some quiet time to ourselves, or when people want to know too many things that we prefer to keep to ourselves, we complain about them for being overly warm and too friendly or busybody.
When people don't talk to us or interact with us, and don't ask anything about us that we would like to share with other people, we also complain about them for being 'cold', 'unfriendly' and 'uncaring'.
Contemplate and be free.
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