be free, be happy, be peaceful

May all find the teacher within to guide oneself towards unconditional love and peace

Friday, May 31, 2019

Freeing the mind from being conditioned by worldly thinking and belief

The minds that are under the influence of ignorance, that are ignorant towards itself is being conditioned by worldly egoistic social/cultural/religious thinking and belief, are being limited to be in certain ways and not to be in certain ways to feel good, happy and meaningful, or not. There will be judgment or identification of "If I'm like this, I'll be okay, good and happy. And if I'm not like this, I'll be not okay, not good and not happy." or "If life is like this, it's good and meaningful. And if life is not like this, it's not good and meaningless." or "Things/people should be like this or shouldn't be like that, then it's right and good, or else it's bad and wrong."

Such as many 'yoga teachers' would think and believe that they need to attend Internationally recognized 'yoga teachers training courses' and be 'qualified' and 'certified' to be 'yoga teachers', to be 'authorized' and 'allowed' to teach yoga to other people, and need to be attending ongoing 'yoga courses' to be upgrading one's knowledge and teaching skills, and also believing that 'possessing all these names and forms' would also make them responsible 'good', 'well-trained' and 'well-informed' yoga teachers. Or, many 'yoga students' who think and believe that 'yoga teachers' who attended Internationally recognized 'yoga teachers training courses' to be 'qualified' and 'certified' to be 'Internationally recognized yoga teachers affiliated with such and such yoga alliance/association/organization' as well as attending ongoing 'yoga courses' to be upgrading their knowledge and teaching skills or those who have been 'teaching yoga' for such and such years, that they must be 'good and responsible yoga teachers', or else, they are not good or responsible yoga teachers. But yoga and teaching yoga to others are not determined by all these names and forms at all.

Such as many people including many yoga enthusiasts and physical/mental health professionals, who think and believe that 'the practice of silence', 'seclusion', 'solitude', 'dispassion', 'renunciation from worldly affairs/ties/connections/relationships/activities/interactions/communications', 'refraining the mind from going out chasing after the objects of the senses that stimulate the mind and to gratify the desire of craving and aversion which empower the ego/egoism that feed the ignorance', or 'reducing/limiting mind imprints of ceaseless inputs and outputs to silent the restless modification of the mind' are something 'sad', 'bad', 'wrong', 'unhealthy', 'insane', 'mad', or 'meaningless', as all these observances appeared to be contradicted with the 'normal' and 'healthy' worldly thinking/belief/values/behavior/practice/way of living. But, these are the observances that would free the mind from ignorance and suffering.

The egoistic minds that are under the influence of ignorance and egoism need the presence of someone else or something to be constantly acknowledging/validating one's existence or purpose, or to feel 'needed/wanted' by other people, to be acknowledged and identified by oneself and others as "I am a lovable, knowledgeable, intelligent, generous, friendly, helpful, good, kind and caring person who is needed/wanted by other people to be there in their life."

Meanwhile, the minds that are free from ignorance, that are not being conditioned by worldly egoistic thinking and belief, are free being anyway, being undetermined by the quality of names and forms, impermanent changes, time, space and causation (actions and the consequences of actions), without judgment or identification of "If I'm like this, I'll be okay, good and happy. And if I'm like that, I'll be not okay, not good and not happy." or "If life is like this, it's good and meaningful. And if life is not like this, it's not good and meaningless." or "Things/people should be like this or shouldn't be like that, then it's right and good, or else it's bad and wrong."

The selfless minds that are void of ignorance and egoism don't need the presence of anyone or anything to be constantly acknowledging/validating one's existence or purpose, or to feel 'needed/wanted' by other people, to be acknowledged and identified by oneself and others as "I am a lovable, knowledgeable, intelligent, generous, friendly, helpful, good, kind and caring person who is needed/wanted by other people to be there in their life." even though they might be performing actions that are 'helping'/'supporting'/'benefiting' other people, without attachment, identification or association.

The minds that are void of ignorance and egoism have no 'problems/troubles/disturbs/hurts/disappointment/dissatisfaction' that need to be 'shared with' or 'heard by' other people, and don't need other people keep asking oneself "How are you/Are you okay?", to feel being noticed, acknowledged, heard, understood, sympathized, empathized, cared, liked, loved, helped, supported or touched by 'other people'.

It's everyone's freedom for what and how they think/believe/behave/desire/don't desire. Only those who have sufficient awareness to be aware of and acknowledge the ignorance in one's mind would have initiative to free the mind from ignorance.

Being alone doesn't induce the sense of 'loneliness'. Being alone is not something sad, bad, or unhealthy. It's the thinking that is under the influence of worldly social/cultural/religious thinking and belief about "Loneliness is deriving from being alone, and being alone is something sad, bad and unhealthy." that causing the mind thinks and feels lonely, sad, bad and unhealthy for being alone. As there are many people who are not alone also would suffer from 'loneliness', while there are people who often being alone by oneself don't suffer from 'loneliness', neither will they feel disturbed when surrounded by other people, just that they don't associate/involve with other people's actions and reactions, and they do not interfere with other people's different ways of thinking/belief/behavior/practice/living.

Most mental health professionals would suggest and encourage people who suffer from 'loneliness' to be with other people, to talk to other people, to interact with other people, or to engage in some form of physical/mental/emotional activities with other people so that they will feel less lonely, and it might make people feel less lonely when their minds are being busy with the engagement with physical/mental/emotional activities with some other people, but it doesn't really free the mind from the suffering of 'loneliness'. Because 'loneliness' is not caused by being alone, or isolation from other people, or not engaging in any activities with other people.

It's the egoism of attachment/clinging towards the presence of other people being around and the desire of craving for receiving acknowledgement, attention, empathy, sympathy, love, care, liking, understanding, or support from other people and the attachment/craving towards the mind stimulation of inputs and outputs derived from engaging in social physical/mental/emotional interactions/activities with other people, that the mind feels lonely/miserable/sad/wrong/unhealthy for being alone without any physical/mental/emotional contact with 'someone' or 'something' for an extended period of time. It's like the addiction towards certain substances and the mind will feel great/satisfied/happy/relieved momentarily within the effectiveness of the substances, but once the effect of the substances is gone, the mind will crave for getting the effect of the substances again, and again, and it will feel uneasy/unhappy/dissatisfied/irritated/agitated/anxious/aggressive/sad/miserable/sicked if it's craving for the effect of the substances is not being gratified over an extended period of time.

Just like low self-esteem, dissatisfaction, disappointment, hurts, anger, fear, worry, guilt, regret, pride, arrogance, unhappiness, meaninglessness and etc, 'loneliness' is the by-products of ignorance and egoism and being conditioned by worldly egoistic thinking and belief to think/feel/analyze/judge/behave/desire/act and react towards all the mind perception of names and forms or life experiences in certain ways, it's not coming from particular environment, condition, situation, people, things or happening being sad, bad, wrong, negative, depressing, disappointing, disturbing, hurtful or unhealthy. Such as by giving the mind what it likes and wants and not giving the mind what it doesn't like and doesn't want would give momentary satisfaction to the mind, but it doesn't free the mind from 'dissatisfaction'. By doing what the mind likes to do and achieving what the mind wants to achieve might give the mind the momentary sense of confidence, happiness and meaningfulness, but it doesn't free the mind from the sense of 'low self-esteem', 'unhappiness' and 'meaninglessness'.

'Loneliness' doesn't exist in the selfless/'I'less/egoless and silent mind. In silence and selflessness, who is there to perceive/experience/feel/identify with loneliness, low self-esteem, dissatisfaction, disappointment, unhappiness, meaninglessness, hurts, anger, fear, worry, guilt, regret, pride, arrogance and etc?

Be free.

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Non-duality in silence

'Silence' is a very common yet important word/teaching/practice/observation/realization in yoga and Buddhism.

In silence, there's neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative, neither meaningfulness nor meaninglessness, neither enjoyment nor suffering, neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction, neither attachment nor non-attachment, and so on. What and who is there to be arguing/complaining/moaning/mourning/unhappy/angry/disturbed/offended/hurt/belittled/disrespected/suffering/enjoying/craving/liberated in silence?

As long as the mind is still being conditioned by worldly egoistic thinking, ideas, beliefs, values and practice to act and react ceaselessly towards all the perceptions of names and forms (of agreeable/disagreeable, pleasant/unpleasant, desirable/undesirable experiences), and is functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, the mind couldn't go beyond the mind perception of names and forms that generates the impression of duality, which doesn't allow the mind to see the truth of things as it is.

And hence, the importance of renunciation from worldly affairs/family ties/relationships/connections/interactions/activities and observation of seclusion and solitude for a certain period of time when the mind is ready, to free the mind from being conditioned by worldly thinking, ideas, beliefs, values and practice unwittingly, where the understanding of the mind is being influenced by the subjective judgment towards everything based on a particular thinking and belief that conditioning how the mind analyzes, judges, feels, acts and reacts, where the mind is being ignorant towards the ignorance and egoism in the mind, even if the mind is being highly knowledgeable, super intelligent, talented and skillful in doing something or many things in the world, and having the good intention to be doing something good.

Being highly knowledgeable, super intelligent, talented and skillful, and having the good intention to be doing something good, also doesn't guarantee that the mind is free from ignorance and egoism, and hence, unwittingly be disturbed or determined by the mind perception of names and forms through the senses of what the mind sees, hears, smells, tastes, senses/feels and thinks/understands, where the mind is unwittingly being over-powered by the passionate desires of craving and aversion towards the different qualities of names and forms that the mind likes and dislikes, agrees and disagrees with, wants and doesn't want based on a particular thinking/belief/values/practice, that generates and determines the sense of satisfaction/dissatisfaction, happiness/unhappiness, goodness/badness, positiveness/negativeness, meaningfulness/meaninglessness, rightfulness/wrongfulness, completeness/incompleteness, accomplishment/non-accomplishment, appropriateness/inappropriateness, unloneliness/loneliness, worthiness/unworthiness, pleasurable enjoyment/painful suffering, and so on. The mind is not free.

It's everyone's freedom whether they think there's a need to free the mind from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance, or not. The minds that are ignorant towards the ignorance in the mind, they don't think there's a need to be free from ignorance, and that's their freedom of thinking and action. There's nothing wrong if the mind perceives/experiences suffering but it doesn't think there's a need to be free from the cause of suffering. Some minds are aware of suffering and knowing its nature of impermanence, and be unattached towards the perception of suffering, or it hasn't get tired of restlessness while enjoying momentary satisfaction derived from the gratification of its passionate desire of craving and aversion, or prefer to be getting momentary relief from suffering through taking drugs/substances and getting help/sympathy/love/support/attention from others, and it doesn't think there's a need to be free from suffering.

Only the dispassionate ones who are aware of ignorance and the by-products of ignorance, can understand the greatness of liberation from ignorance, the root cause of suffering/restlessness, and would have intense yearning for liberation and be determined to silent the restless modification of the mind to transcend the selfless existence and function of the restless egoistic impure modification of the mind derived from ignorance.

Unfortunately, majority of the society (including many yoga enthusiasts and health professionals), where the minds are not free from ignorance and egoism, where the minds think, behave, analyze, judge, act, react and live life in a particular way according to what the worldly egoistic social/cultural/religious thinking/belief/values/practice categorized as 'normal', 'right', 'good', 'healthy' or 'sane', they would think/believe/categorize/condemn human beings who think/behave/act/react/life life differently from the 'normal' human beings, who don't think, behave, act, react and live life like the majority of the society are 'abnormal', 'wrong', 'bad', 'unhealthy', 'insane' or 'mentally ill'. There would be strong criticism or disagreement coming from the majority of the society of family/friends/relatives/community/health professionals towards the practice of silence as they can't perceive/understand beyond what their minds know/believe and are being ignorant towards their minds are being conditioned by worldly egoistic thinking and belief to think, believe, act, react and behave in certain ways.

Only those who are determined to free the mind from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance where the mind is functioning under the influence of worldly egoistic thinking/belief/values/practice/action/reaction to think, act, react, behave and live life in a particular way that the worldly minded egoistic society think and believe as something normal/right/good/healthy/sane for all human beings, can renounce the world effortlessly regardless of any amount of difficulties and obstacles. In the past, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha and many other saints and sages 'had to' renounce/retreat from the society to be in seclusion and solitude for many years, to be able to 'conquer' the restless modifications of the mind and successfully attained Silence or liberation, not to say in this era.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

World saver?


Yoga teachings and the practices might appear to be 'the best thing in the world' for those who are seriously interested in transforming their own mind, to transcend ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering. But, not all and everyone else in the world would be interested in transforming their minds, or to transcend ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering, or be interested in the teachings and practice of yoga, or they could be following/observing some other form of teachings/practices that also would lead them to be free from ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering, and they might not see yoga teachings and the practices are 'the best thing in the world', and there's nothing wrong with that. It's everyone's freedom for what they want to think, believe and practice, or not.

Yoga practice is about purifying and quieting one's mind, while allowing other minds to mind their own mind the way that they want, without intention/desire to be interfering with other minds, without expectation towards other minds have to be in certain ways. That's real freedom in yoga. Freedom is not so much about "I am free to think, speak, act and live life the way that I want." but it's more about "It doesn't matter if this body and mind is being restricted/limited to think/speak/act/live life in this world, but freeing this mind from ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness, desire, expectation, and all kinds of disturb and suffering, respecting and allowing all the others to be free to be what they are, without interference or control towards others' thinking, belief, practice, behavior or way of life that are different from this one, is freedom."

The one who identifies oneself as "I am a loving and compassionate being who loves the world, and hence, I need to save the world from 'badness' and 'destruction', and I aspire/desire to make the world a 'good place' for all and everyone." is the ego, desiring "I want the world to be like this and not like that." or expecting "The world should be like this and not like that." And above all, not everyone wants a world that is according to what 'I' desire, or the way that 'I' think and believe is 'good for all and everyone'.

Those who truly love the world, they might be performing actions in the world for oneself and others, but there's no such egoistic identification/attachment/desire/intention/expectation. They just perform actions, without intention to change the world to be the way that 'I' desire, without the idea of "I am doing this for the world and all and everyone" or "I am saving the world and all and everyone from badness and destruction" and allowing all and everyone to be free to think/believe/practice/behave as they are, and respect others' desire for a world that they want, that might be different from what 'I' want.

Those who truly love the world, there's no egoistic individual/group aspiration/desire to be achieving a world that has to be in a particular way according to what 'I' think and believe how it should be, but just do one's best that one believes it's good and beneficial for the world and allowing the fruit of actions to be what it is, and love the world as it is, even if it's not the way that 'I' would like it to be.

There will be more peace and harmony in the world if everyone can let go their aspiration/desire to achieve a world that they think and believe how it should be.

Minds that have been conditioned by worldly egoistic and heroic thinking/belief/values/practice to think and believe in certain ways, to act and react in certain ways, to judge and expect towards everything in certain ways, to be empowered to aspire and inspire, to perform actions to achieve what 'I' and 'my group' want to achieve, to attain the sense of accomplishment, pride, righteousness and meaningfulness, they might not be able to understand this or agree with this. And that's their freedom of thinking/belief/action/reaction.

Those who understand, they don't mind if others don't understand or disagree, and they don't expect others to also understand or agree with oneself. It's the ego that feels frustrated and offended if others don't understand and disagree, and it would expect others to also understand and agree with its aspiration/ideas/vision/thinking/belief/desire.

World peace is not attained through 'over-powering', or 'controlling', or 'defeating', or 'influencing' all the others to be under one's control/influence and to be adopting/supporting one's desire/vision of 'a good world for all and everyone' about how everyone should or shouldn't think/believe/practice/behave/live life, to create a world that 'I' and 'my group' desire. But, it's letting go the 'aspiration'/'desire' to make/change/influence the world to be the way that 'I' desire, that 'I' think and believe how it should be.

Be free.

Disturbed / hurt by remembering/thinking about past unpleasant experiences

Minds that feel being disturbed or hurt by 'something' that is being perceived/acknowledged as 'hurtful', 'wrongful', 'bad', 'disturbing', or 'undeserving', they are actually being disturbed or hurt by the remembrance towards the perceived names and forms that doesn't exist in NOW, unwittingly attached onto the perceived names and forms (past experiences in the form of memories), being determined by the past memories as well as keep feeding these memories to keep them 'alive' to be shadowing/haunting the mind repeatedly in NOW.

The past is not just about whatever happened some time ago.

What is here in NOW is constantly changing/passing away and instantly becoming part of the past memory that is made up of a continuous chain of countless pieces of thoughts/images.

For example, maybe someone says and does something that is hurtful/wrongful/bad/disturbing to this person (this mind) in this present moment NOW.

The mind immediately processes this experience and will analyze and assert, "This is something hurtful/wrongful/disturbing that I or anyone don't deserve to be experiencing." and react with "I am/feel disturbed and hurt by this." and by the time the mind is analyzing and asserting about 'this experience', 'this experience' is already beyond NOW being stored as part of the memory. But somehow, the mind will continuously feel disturbed and hurt by the continuous remembrance of "This is something hurtful/wrongful/bad/disturbing that I or anyone don't deserve to be experiencing." and continuously react with "I am/feel disturbed and hurt by this." Even when 'this experience' that instantly becomes 'that experience' which existed moment/seconds/minutes/hours/days/weeks/months/years ago, that doesn't exist in the NOW, and even when the memory starts to fade away and changed into some blurred images that are not exactly what it really was as it happened, the mind will still be disturbed and hurt by the remembrance towards 'the disturb/hurt reacted towards that experience'.

It's always, "You/They did this." or "You/They said that." This is truly unnecessary. Imagine if someone is completely forgetful about everything or has no function of memory to be remembering anything, what is there to disturb or hurt this mind?

It's not about erasing one's memories to be free from disturbs or hurts coming from continuously remembering the past experiences that the mind perceived as 'disturbing'/'hurtful'/'wrongful'/'bad', but it's developing the ability of 'non-attachment' to be unattached/non-clinging/non-grasping/non-craving/non-aversion towards all the thought/emotion activities in NOW perceiving all the pleasant/unpleasant names and forms or desirable/undesirable experiences, and all that is being stored as part of the memory that constantly arising and passing away in the mind in NOW.

If the mind is always being in the NOW, without attachment towards what is NOW and beyond NOW (memories or imaginations), being aware of but without attachment/clinging towards any thought/emotion activities of the mind as well as the pleasant/unpleasant memories/images constantly arising and passing away in the mind in NOW, then this mind won't be disturbed or hurt by anything at all, not even being disturbed by what is happening NOW or the constant flashback of memories of the past thought/emotion activities perceiving all kinds of pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable, desirable or undesirable names and forms.

The real practice of non-attachment, is not about having very few or zero things/objects/relationships/enjoyments in life, or ignoring/neglecting one's duty/responsibility and do nothing to improve, but it's about non-clinging/non-grasping/non-craving/non-aversion/non-judgment/non-expectation towards what is going on in the thinking mind (the modifications of the mind), of whatever the mind perceives in NOW and all that beyond NOW (memories and imaginations), allowing all the pleasant/unpleasant, agreeable/disagreeable, desirable/undesirable names and forms being there as they are and ceaselessly changing as they are, arising and passing away as they are.

Go beyond the worldly thinking and belief about "Life has to be in certain ways and people must behave in certain ways to live a good, happy, joyful and meaningful life, or else life is not good, happy, joyful or meaningful." Life is just what it is. It doesn't has to be in certain ways and people don't have to behave in certain ways, while life doesn't need to be good, happy, joyful and meaningful the way that the mind thinks and believes what is good/happy/joyful/meaningful. Life is neither good nor bad, neither happy nor unhappy, neither joyful nor joyless, neither meaningful nor meaningless.

Whether one is practicing yoga, or not, is not determined by whether one is doing some 'yoga practice' in the form of Pranayama, Asana, Yamas, Niyamas, Kriyas, Japa/Kirtan and etc, or not, but it's whether there is attachment towards the modifications of the mind, or not. If there's attachment, there's no peace. Peace is there as it is, in the absence of attachment.

Be free.

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

By-products of the thinking mind

Due to the function of the physical body processing all the physical inputs, there are some by-products (waste products), such as pleasant/unpleasant sensations, sweat, carbon dioxide, dead skin/tissues, pee and shit, and etc.

Similarly, upon the thinking mind processing all the mind inputs, there are also by-products, such as egoism, all kinds of impurity, emotions, feelings, actions, reactions and the consequences of action/reaction, and so on.

It doesn't matter whether it's the physical body and its by-products, or it's the mind and its by-products, they all are impermanent and selfless. And they are not 'I'.

Learn to be aware of the impermanent changes of the physical body and its by-products as well as the impermanent thinking mind and its by-products (all the mental/emotional modifications/activities), without attachment, identification, craving/aversion, judgment, comparison, or expectation. Allowing all these impermanent and selfless names and forms to be there as they are, arising and passing away.

Due to the function of the physical body, the body processes the food/liquid after eating/drinking, while the by-products of that, of sweat/pee/shit being generated has to be 'letting go', and one would just let them go and clean up the sweat/pee/shit and the body by oneself, to maintain personal and public hygiene and cleanliness, to help lower the risk of contracting or spreading diseases/illnesses in oneself and others in the surrounding environment. More importantly, when someone is sweating, peeing or shitting, one doesn't need anyone being there accompanying/watching/listening or to help to clean up the waste products and the body, unless it's a small infant/child or adult that is physically dependent on others for handling such matters. And there's nothing wrong if someone wants to ask help from others for handling such matters, even when one is capable to handle it by oneself.

Similarly, due to the function of the thinking mind, the thinking mind processes all the mind inputs, while the by-products of that, of actions/reactions/emotions/feelings/the consequences of action and reaction being generated that need to be 'letting go'. The mind would just let them go and 'clean up' the mind by itself, to maintain personal and public peace and harmony, to help minimize causing 'disturbs'/'damages' to itself and others in the surrounding space. When the mind is processing all these mental/emotional modifications/activities of the mind (the by-products of the thinking mind), it doesn't need anyone being there accompanying/watching/listening or to help to 'clean up' the mind, unless it's a mind that is mentally/emotionally dependent/disabled, whether due to genetic inheritance, sickness or injury. Though there's nothing wrong if someone wants to ask help from others for dealing with such matters, even when one is capable to deal with it by oneself.

All the food, drinks and oxygen being consumed by the physical body and the by-products of all the sweat, carbon dioxide, pee and shit etc, are not 'I'.

Similarly, all the mind inputs and the by-products of all the mental/emotional modifications/activities, are not 'I'.

There's no 'I' that can be found before/during/after the existence/function of this physical body and the thinking mind.

Infants/children can be trained to be physically independent as they grow up day by day, so does the mind can be trained to be mentally/emotionally independent. Yoga and meditation practice can transform the mind if being done with the correct understanding, perseverance and determination. Unfortunately, most minds are being 'conditioned'/'educated' by the worldly egoistic society to think and believe that all minds (human or living beings) must depend on 'something/someone else' mentally/emotionally. Quite many yoga practitioners/teachers also think and believe that all human beings need to be there for one another to look after one another mentally/emotionally all the time, or else, it's so sad, terrible, lonely, helpless, joyless and meaningless, if one is being alone by oneself.

Do a self-check on whether the mind is being conditioned/educated to think and believe in certain way, such as, "Being alone, living alone, walking alone, eating alone, doing things alone, or solving problems alone by oneself is so sad, terrible, lonely, helpless, joyless and meaningless." Most minds will say 'yes'. But how true is that? It's not necessarily so. Although people don't necessary have to be alone by oneself, but minds that are mentally/emotionally independent have no problem/difficulty being alone, living alone, walking alone, eating alone, doing things alone, or solving problems alone by oneself, and are happy and peaceful as it is.

Look after this mind, before it's too late where it really needs to depend on others/substances to be able to function/think/behave properly.

Be free.

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Verbal diarrhea?

The yoga and meditation practice are supposed to be quieting the restless outgoing talkative mind. Usually after a complete session of traditional yoga practice or a meditation sitting in silence, the mind would be rendered so quiet that there's nothing to say, or talk, or share, or complain about, especially for the next few hours or so. However, there are some restless minds that are suffering from 'verbal diarrhea' might can't stop talking immediately after the practice session finished, after being restrained from talking during the 2 - 3 hours of yoga practice or 1 - 2 hours of meditation sitting in silence. This is a common behavior (sort of a side-effect) of the restless mind especially after people finish a long silent yoga and/or meditation retreat. Sincere yoga practitioners need to know how to free the mind from 'verbal diarrhea', especially after a long time observing silence.

Yoga practitioners need to be aware of whether their minds are suffering from 'verbal diarrhea', which is a sign of a seriously restless mind.

Meanwhile, there are some people who don't really know/understand about the meaning of yoga and meditation practice which is mainly to silent/quiet the restless outgoing talkative mind, and they would want to engage in social conversation with other people immediately after the 'yoga class' finished, they might feel offended by some people whose minds are in silent mode after the yoga and meditation practice, where they are not interested in engaging in social conversation with anyone, but would rather be isolated from the rest of the people, to be alone, to be 'resting' in the state of quietness for as long as possible.

Those who attend sincere 'yoga retreat' that is about quieting the mind should have an understanding about this, so that they wouldn't feel offended by some people who's minds are in silent mode after the practice, and try not to 'disturb' these minds that are resting in silence during and after the yoga and meditation practice, which is the 'precious' state of mind for sincere yoga and meditation practitioners.

Majority of the people in the society who encourage 'active engagement in conversation or talking with other people' for promoting a 'happier' state of mind or 'better' physical/mental/emotional health, might not understand the greatness of silence, where the mind is free from all kinds of disturbs, unhappiness or suffering, being in the present moment free from desire of craving and aversion, being undisturbed/undetermined by pleasant/unpleasant or agreeable/disagreeable experiences, where people have nothing that they need to be 'talking', 'sharing' or 'complaining' about to other people.

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Be strong and feel empowered?

Many people want to be 'strong' and feel 'empowered', as they think and believe that if they are 'weak' and 'vulnerable', they will be 'belittled' or 'intimidated' by those who are stronger than them, and if they are strong, they won't become a 'target' or 'victim' of other people's 'intimidation/belittling'.

In yoga, one doesn't need to be 'strong' or feel 'empowered' so that one doesn't become a 'target' or 'victim' of what most minds think and believe as a form of 'intimidation/belittling'.

One just needs to stop seeing/thinking/believing/identifying oneself as 'weak' and 'vulnerable' and one is naturally a 'target' or 'victim' of other people's 'intimidation/belittling' that needs to be toughen up and be empowered. One also needs to be free from self-pity as well as expectation or longing for receiving sympathy, empathy, protection, acknowledgement, support, attention, understanding, praise, liking, appreciation, encouragement, or empowerment from others.

It's stop thinking/believing that oneself or 'all human beings' should be treated in certain ways and shouldn't be treated in certain ways, or oneself deserves to be treated in certain ways while doesn't deserve to be treated in certain ways.

If the mind is not free from such thinking/belief/identification of  "I am weak and vulnerable and being a target/victim of other people's intimidation/belittling." then even though other people are not being intimidating/belittling oneself at all, but one will always feel 'intimidated' or 'belittled' by other people's confidence, courage, credibility and straightforwardness, which the perception of being intimidated or belittled is not coming from others, but from within constantly feeling "I am weak and vulnerable and being a target/victim of other people's intimidation/belittling."

Even if other people's action/speech/behavior is truly unpleasant/unreasonable with the intention to intimidate or belittling oneself, one won't be intimidated/belittled by that at all, if oneself is free from the thinking/belief/identification of "I am weak and vulnerable and being a target/victim of other people's intimidation/belittling." and would allow other people to act/speak/behave the way as they are, but one is not determined or disturbed by it. Neither does one need to be 'protected' from it.

One would stop seeing/perceiving 'intimidation/belittling' here and there, but just being aware of people are either being confident, courageous, credible and straightforward as they are which is nothing 'intimidating/belittling', or people are acting/speaking/behaving in the way that reflects their state of mind under the influence of ignorance, egoism, impurities, unhappiness, or suffering. Instead of feeling being a 'target' or 'victim' of other people's intimidation/belittling, one will be compassionate towards other people's unhappiness and suffering.

One will understand that one doesn't need to be 'strong' or feel 'empowered' at all, as the one who feels weak and vulnerable, who is highly sensitive, who is longing for attention and understanding from other people, who has expectation towards other people's treatments towards oneself has to be in certain ways and not to be in certain ways, who thinks oneself deserves certain treatments/reactions and doesn't deserve certain treatments/reactions, who constantly feels intimidated/offended/bullied/victimized/belittled/unattended/unheard/discouraged by other people, who wants to be sympathized, be protected, be heard, be understood, be noticed, be attended, be encouraged, be supported, be liked, be praised, be appreciated and be acknowledged, or who doesn't like to be unnoticed/unattended, unheard, disliked, disagreed with or criticized, is the ego.

Free the mind from this ego.

One will no longer identify oneself as a 'target' or 'victim' of other people's 'intimidation/belittling'. One stops seeing other people's action/speech/behavior that one's mind perceives/recognizes as unpleasant/unreasonable as a form of 'intimidation/belittling', while allowing other people to be free to act/speak/behave the way as they are, to express their unhappiness and suffering in the way that they are, that they know.

Those who understand this, they cannot be disturbed/hurt by other people's 'unpleasant/unreasonable' action/speech/behavior, but they can choose to move away in silence. It's not a weakness to move away in silence towards other people's 'unpleasant/unreasonable' action/speech/behavior, as these people are in suffering/unhappiness, and they don't know how to express their suffering/unhappiness in a less unpleasant/unreasonable way.

Be free.

Friday, May 17, 2019

Broken / complicated relationship involving third party?

Broken/complicated relationship involving third party is not something uncommon nowadays.

There might be different kinds of situation exist in any relationship. It doesn't matter what kind of situation, most people would think and believe and expect that two people should commit themselves to be loyal and faithful towards one another being in a 'committed' relationship, if oneself has no sincerity to be 'committed' and 'faithful' in a relationship, then just don't get into a relationship with anyone, as whether wittingly or unwittingly, oneself will cause 'hurts' to the other person in the relationship with oneself. But in many relationships, two people have love for each other in the beginning, and want to be in a relationship together, but after some time, the 'feeling of love' is less, or is not there anymore, where they don't feel love towards the partner anymore, and either they don't want to be in the relationship anymore, or they would want to look for the 'feeling of love' in other love affairs/relationships with other people.

For example, A and B is in a so called 'committed' relationship, while B is also having an open or secret love affair/relationship with C.

In such relationship that involved 'third party', most people would think that A is the 'victim', while B and C are the 'selfish and immoral' bad people that are hurting A. A should deserved sympathy and support from others, while B and C should be blamed and condemned for being 'selfish and immoral and hurtful'. But for those who understand 'love' and 'relationship', no one is being a 'victim' and no one is being 'selfish/immoral/hurtful' bad people in a broken/complicated relationship.

There's neither right nor wrong in 'love relationship' even if it's 'broken', whether with or without involving third party. It's just a relationship didn't turn out to be the way that most people desire/expect it to be, as well as there's no 'love' in such relationship. And there's nothing wrong if there's no 'love', or an expected relationship is non-existing, or a relationship is discontinued, for any reason.

If there's love in the relationship, the relationship won't be broken/damaged, it's either a relationship that continues or discontinued/came to an end, due to any reason, in peace. If there's love from oneself towards the partner, one will have loving kindness, self-control and decency to not commit in any behavior that would be 'hurtful' to the partner in the relationship with oneself, whether wittingly or unwittingly. Even if there's 'feeling of love' in the relationship in the beginning, and the 'feeling of love' is impermanent, it will change and disappear. But, if there's love, then even though sometimes the 'feeling of love' is less, or not there anymore, one will still be kind to the partner in the relationship with oneself, and would not behave in the way that would be 'hurtful' to the partner, not because of the sense of 'commitment' or 'obligation' towards a 'committed' relationship, but out of loving kindness.

There's nothing wrong either if one feels hurt/disappointed/angry thinking and believing oneself is being 'a victim' of other people's unloving/unfaithful/hurtful/immoral behavior. Everyone has the rights and freedom to feel what they want to feel and react the way that they want to react. But then, one must also understand that if one feels hurt/disappointed/angry, it's because one doesn't really love the partner as he/she is, one only loves one's desire and expectation towards the partner and the relationship has to be in certain ways. One has desire and expectation towards the relationship and the partner to be in certain way, and when things turn out to be not the way that one desires or expects, when one is getting something that one doesn't like, doesn't want and doesn't agree with, and when one is losing what one likes (the relationship and the partner being in certain ways that one desires it to be), or what one likes (the perfect faithful loving partner/relationship) is no longer available, or is 'disturbed', or has changed into something else, that's why one feels hurt/disappointed/angry. It's not because the partner or the relationship is 'bad' and 'wrong' that cause the 'hurts/disappointment/anger' in oneself, but, it's because one doesn't love the partner as he/she is, but only loves what one likes/desires/expects.

It's how everyone/human beings/the untrained egoistic minds react towards 'ungratified desires' of "This is not what I like and want and expect.", or "I am not getting what I like and want, but I'm getting what I don't like and don't want." or "This is something wrong/bad/hurtful/undeserving happening to me."

If there's correct understanding towards 'love' and 'relationship', then there would be no hard/hurtful/bitter feelings where people can let go the relationship in peace, one won't see oneself as 'a victim of the unfaithfulness/betrayal of the partner in a broken relationship' or 'a victim of the intrusion of the lover of one's partner that causes my relationship to be broken'. And there's no blame or condemn towards the partner and the lover that they should be guilty for being 'the selfish bad people that cause this relationship to be broken/damaged'.

This is really nothing to do with whether the partner and his/her lover in the love affair/relationship are being 'selfish', 'unfaithful', 'disloyal', 'immoral', 'bad' and 'wrong', or not. It's about how oneself thinks, understands, feels and reacts being in such situation, where one's partner is involved in a love affair/relationship with another person.

If a person would commit in a love affair/relationship with another person other than the one in a relationship with oneself, whether wittingly or unwittingly, it indicates that this person doesn't really 'love' the partner. He/she loves it's desire for satisfaction. When he/she is not satisfied with his/her partner, when he/she is not getting what it desires/expects from the partner, he/she will be looking for something/someone else to gratify its desire for satisfaction, love, passion, pleasure, interaction, or lust. And that's common 'human's nature', or the normal behavior of the untrained minds under the influence of desires.

Everyone has the rights or freedom whether they want to love anyone, or don't want to love anyone, or stop loving someone, or having too much 'feeling of love' that needs to be shared with many people at the same time, or want to be in many different love affairs/relationships at one time, or whether they are satisfied/dissatisfied being in a 'committed' relationship with somebody.

If one truly loves the partner in the relationship with oneself, one will love this person as he/she is, even if the partner doesn't love oneself, or stop loving oneself, or being 'the god/goddess of love' who needs to 'love' as many people as possible. One doesn't need to be in a relationship with this person, to possess this person to be mine. One doesn't expect this person to be faithful and loyal, or expect the love from this person doesn't change, or won't disappear, or 'should be for me only'. One allows this person to have or don't have the 'feeling of love' for oneself, or stop loving oneself, or doesn't love oneself, or prefer to love and be with someone else. One can let go the person that doesn't love oneself, or let go a relationship that doesn't have 'love' or couldn't continue, in peace, and allow this person to love and be with other people that he/she loves.

One won't feel hurt/disappointed/angry towards the partner who doesn't love oneself or towards the relationship that is not the way that how most people would like it to be. Because if the partner loves oneself, then there's no need any expectation from oneself, without the sense of obligation to be committed and be faithful in a relationship with oneself, but out of loving kindness towards oneself, he/she will have self-control and decency, where he/she will not do anything that would cause 'hurts' or 'damages' to oneself or this relationship, not even behind one's knowledge, regardless of whether there's the 'feeling of love' existing, or not. One would know how to 'keep a respectful distance' with others who have the tendency to 'fall in love' with oneself, as one doesn't need to look for satisfaction in 'love affairs/relationships'.

One cannot expect 'love' from anyone, but allowing others whether to 'love' oneself, or not. One cannot expect how other people should love oneself or behave in a relationship, but allowing others to love us the way as they are. There's no such thing as "Once you love me and being in a 'committed' relationship with me, you will have to be forever faithful and loyal to me, and loving me only." And if, one realizes that the partner doesn't love oneself, one can choose to continue or let go the relationship, in peace, without bitterness. There's neither right nor wrong, either way.

There's even no need of 'forgiveness', if one truly loves the partner as he/she is, even if the partner is being unfaithful, as one is undisturbed/unhurt by the partner's 'unfaithfulness' at all, but would let go of him/her and the relationship. One doesn't feel bad about oneself or thinking that one is not good enough, if the partner doesn't love oneself, if one knows love.

Unfortunately, many people couldn't let go in peace, and be disturbed by hard/hurtful/bitter/angry feelings that doesn't help to make things better, and might do things that hurt oneself or the partner and the people whom the partner loves.

There's nothing wrong if one realizes that oneself doesn't love the partner, and one should be honest and straightforward to let this person knows that "I don't love you." or "I don't feel love for you." or "I don't want to be with you in a relationship." or "I want to be with someone else." This honesty won't hurt, if people are matured enough to understand 'love' and 'relationship'. But it would cause deeper 'hurts/disappointment/anger/hatred' by being untruthful to oneself and the partner, pretending that one loves the partner very much, but in truth, one doesn't love the partner, and one won't be satisfied being with that partner, and would try to find satisfaction in some other love affairs/relationships with other lovers. People who are matured enough would let go the person whom they love very much to be with the people whom this person loves, in peace. That's love.

When two people don't hurt one another out of dissatisfaction/disappointment/anger/hurts, then even though there's no 'feeling of love' from one or both of them, or they are not in a relationship, that's love. Where/what is love, if one or two people keep hurting each other out of feeling of hurts/anger/disappointment being in a relationship that is not the way that they like it to be?

If people are not matured enough to accept 'honesty' or 'the truth' in peace, when people whom they think they love very much are being honest and straightforward telling them that "I don't love you." or "I don't want to be in a relationship with you." or "I want to love and be with someone else.", then it's their own responsibility if they don't like that honesty or the truth, and react with feeling hurt/disappointed/angry for losing what they like and want, or not getting what they like and want, but getting what they don't like and don't want. And this relationship won't be peaceful and harmony anyway, even if they continue to be in a relationship, because they don't really love whom they think they love very much. There will be lots of 'tension' and 'unhappiness' derived from 'ungratified desires' and 'expectation' in this relationship all the time.

Be free, to love or be loved, or not.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

A better meaningful way of life?


For many people, spending most of the time being with other people (family, friends, community and other communities), focusing on bonding, socializing, interacting, connecting, sharing, knowing, eating, drinking, talking, listening, looking, laughing, playing, empowering, encouraging, aspiring, inspiring, remembering, projecting, anticipating, expecting, creating, planning, plotting, suggesting, contributing, commenting, complimenting, criticizing, gossiping, complaining, entertaining, enjoying, doing social/community activities together, upgrading their quality of life/standard of living, fulfilling passionate desires and achieving personal worldly ambitions and spiritual or religious goals, getting involve with achieving a world that complies to a particular vision, to attain the sense of in control, satisfaction, goodness and meaningfulness, is living life. For them, "This is a better meaningful way of life."

For some people, being by oneself most of the time, as much as possible, focusing on one's action, practice, duty and responsibility, talk less or talk nothing, without commenting on worldly affairs, or gossiping about other people's affairs, or criticizing/interfering with other people's different ways of life, thinking, belief, action and reaction, minding one's life and one's mind, being at peace unconditionally, respecting everyone being what they are, as they are, neither admiring/praising certain qualities that appear to be superior than others nor condemning/criticizing certain qualities that appear to be inferior than others, and stop contributing impurities, unhappiness, unrest, anger, hatred, jealousy, dissatisfaction, disappointment, grudges, conflicts, discrimination, violence, disharmony and disturbance into the surrounding environment or the world, is living life. For them, having peace in one's mind, being free from desire/hostility/animosity/fear/intimidation/offensiveness/defensiveness is the highest form of contribution to the society or the world peace. It's nothing to do with "This is a better meaningful way of life." or "Other ways of life is less good and meaningless."

There's nothing selfish about that at all, though for many people, the part of 'not mingling/mixing with the society without getting involve in any form of social activities' might appear to be 'selfish', or 'rude', or 'unhealthy', or 'non-progressive', for those who believe in a better world is about 'all human beings should be getting involve with the social activities', 'community contribution' and 'worldly activism', where they need as many other people as possible to get involve in their social activities to be supporting, cooperating and working with them in order to create a 'better' world that they think how it should be.

Either wittingly or unwittingly, there will always be some people would want to interfere with others who are different from them, whom they dislike and disagree with, and they would try to influence/control/covert/discipline/condemn/punish other people who don't support or follow their vision for creating a world that they desire, that complies to their liking, values, vision, thinking and belief.

Yoga and meditation practitioners are about having unconditional peace in oneself as contributing peace into the world by focusing on looking after, purifying and quieting one's mind, and it's never about trying to influence/control/convert/discipline/condemn/punish others to also be like oneself to make a 'better' world that complies to one's liking, values, vision, thinking or belief, especially those who have realized Impermanence and Selflessness.

The world doesn't belong to anyone. Many people would think and believe that the world belongs to everyone, and hence, it's everyone's duty and responsibility to 'cooperate together' to make the world 'a better place', but how true is that? The standard and meaning of 'a better place' is according to whom and what? Different people desire a world that complies with their own particular way of life according to their own liking, values, vision, thinking and belief. If everyone insist on making the world to be the way that they desire, that they think how it should be, what will happen in the world? People are getting frustrated and fighting against one another, to over-power one another, in order to create a world that they desire. Even so, it's everyone's freedom for their thinking, belief, desire, action and the consequences of their action.

Swami Sivananda taught, "Even if all the leaders are taken out of the world now, the world will run on smoothly, probably more smoothly. Even if all the people retire into the forest, the world will go on."

The world is so quiet and peaceful when everyone have gone to sleep and there's nobody performing any actions in the world with the great aspiration to make the world to be in any particular way that different people desire and think how it should be.

In yoga, it's not about the sense of duty and responsibility towards the world, but out of compassion, love the world as it is, not necessarily the way that 'I' desire it to be. One doesn't claim possession/ownership towards the world, being ambitious to make the world to be the way that 'I' desire it to be and the way that 'I' think how it should be. One just do one's best to be looking after one's mind, to stop contributing impurities and unrest into the world, and respecting the law of nature - Impermanence and Selflessness.

Be free.

Monday, May 13, 2019

Selflessness?

Just like 'Self-inquiry' and 'Impermanence', 'Selflessness' is one of the common words we come across in the teachings of yoga and Buddhism.

The 'I', where there's a continuous stream of thinking/thought in the mind acknowledges as 'I' am an individual being with a physical body and thinking mind experiencing life, doesn't exist. Out of ignorance, there arise the idea of 'I' exist as part of the modification of the mind acknowledging as an individual being, attaching onto/possessing such and such qualities of names and forms to be identified/recognized as this is what/who 'I' am, claiming ownership towards the physical body and the thinking mind (this is my body and my mind) and all kinds of connection with everyone and everything that the mind comes in contact with (my family and my belongings and etc), and at the same time also identifying with the physical body and the thinking mind as 'I' (This physical body and this thinking mind is 'I').

'Selflessness' is not something to be attained by accumulating certain amount of 'merits and virtues' or 'good karma' after performing many 'good/righteous actions' or 'karma yoga/selfless service', but it's the 'realization' upon the mind seeing the truth of what is this 'I' where there's a thinking in the mind thinks and believes as 'I'. As long as there's an idea, acknowledgement and identification of "I am a selfless being performing good actions or karma yoga/selfless service" the mind is still functioning under the influence of egoism.

The mind needs to be free from egoism, impurities and restlessness to realize 'Selflessness', where there's no 'I' existing to enjoy or suffer, to be born or die, to know or don't know, to desire or don't desire, to be the performer of action and the receiver/enjoyer of the fruit of action, to be ignorant or be free from ignorance. It's just the modification of the thinking mind perceiving all the names and forms through the senses via the sense organs of the physical body. It's just the mind functioning and perceives, sees, hears, smells, tastes, feels, senses and thinks. There's no 'I' existing to claim possession/ownership/control of the selfless modification of the mind or the ceaseless impermanent changes of the modification of the mind perceiving all the names and forms that are also impermanent and selfless. It's coming from the mind being aware of the modification of the mind, while purifying and quieting itself to be free from restlessness, impurities and egoism, to be free from ignorance. It's not something else 'separated' from the mind called 'I' being there to be aware of 'my mind' or to purify and quiet 'my mind', to free 'my mind' from restlessness, impurities, egoism and ignorance.

"I am not the mind. The mind is not 'I'." is not about 'I' am an existing being/soul separated/distinct from the mind. The mind is just being what it is, functioning as it is selflessly, where there's no 'I' in the function of the mind which is supported/influenced by energy to be existing and functioning. Just like there's no 'I' in all the cells/bones/muscles/organs/systems that forming the entire structure of the physical body which depend on nature to provide support that allows the physical body to be existing and functioning. The body and mind constantly functioning or performing actions selflessly, and there are also the consequences of actions following the actions (cause and effect). But, somehow, out of ignorance, there's an idea of 'I' existing in the form of thinking claiming a personal identity and possession/ownership towards this and that, to desire and don't desire, to agree and disagree, to enjoy or suffer, to aspire and expect, and so on. There's an idea/identification of "I am the performer of my actions and I am the enjoyer of the fruit of my actions."

It's difficult/challenging for the egoistic mind that attached strongly onto a worldly self-identity attaching onto certain qualities of names and forms as this is 'I' or what 'I' am, to realize 'Selflessness'. The egoistic mind that 'possesses' a self-identity thinks and believes that 'I' exist as an individual being experiencing life, this is 'I', this is my life, my body, my mind, my thinking, my belief, my feelings, my emotion, my idea, my creativity, my energy, my health, my fitness, my strength, my flexibility, my ability, my disability, my achievement, my failure, my look, my talent, my knowledge, my education, my house, my belonging, my pet, my family, my friends, my relationship, my duty, my responsibility, my rights, my aspiration, my inspiration, my sacrifice, my happiness, my suffering, my vision, my desire, my actions, my fruit of actions, my religion, my 'God', my world, my country, and so on. Not only there's a personal identity, but there's also a group identity, such like our family, our life, our thinking, our belief, our culture, our religion, our 'God', our action, our fruit of action, our achievement, our failure, our world, our country, our vision, and so on.

"I eat, I drink, I play, I work, I rest, I aspire, I inspire, I think, I believe, I feel, I express, I laugh, I cry, I learn, I share, I give and receive, I love and beloved, I perceive, I experience, I act, I react, I achieve, I live, I die. I am existing. How can it be possible that 'I' don't exist?" It's unthinkable for the egoistic mind about 'Selflessness' - 'Egolessness' - 'I-lessness'.

That's why it's very essential for the mind to let go the attachment and identification towards any qualities of names and forms, especially the worldly conditioned egoistic way of thinking and belief in the mind that influence how the mind analyzes, judges, feels and reacts towards all and everything, as well as letting go attachment and identification towards the physical appearance/condition/ability/disability/achievement/non-achievement before the mind can reflect upon the truth of 'Selflessness'.

Once the mind is free from the attachment and identification towards the impermanent and selfless qualities of names and forms as 'I', including the function of the physical body and the thinking faculty, naturally the mind will realize the truth of 'itself' or 'the modification of the mind', that there's no 'I', knowing thyself. There's neither "I know" nor "I realize" nor "I am free from ignorance" nor "I am free."

As long as the mind is still mingling among the worldly passionate egoistic minds, that keep empowering/feeding the idea of 'I' and 'the world of egoism of all kinds of attachment and identification', it's very difficult and almost impossible for the mind to be free from ignorance and egoism. And hence, the important practice of renunciation, seclusion, solitude and silence.

According to the teachings of Swami Sivananda, the mind just needs to spend at least five to six years in seclusion and silence being away/cutting off from the worldly affairs/activities/society/family/friends/relatives/connections/interactions that feeds/empowers egoism/restlessness/impurities/ignorance, the mind will realize the truth of 'the mind perception of a worldly life existence of impermanent and selfless names and forms'. Although it doesn't guarantee that everyone who try to practice silence in seclusion and solitude for a prolonged period of time will be free from ignorance and attain self-realization, as the mind might still be influenced by gross and subtle egoistic worldly/spiritual attachment hindering the mind from seeing itself/knowing thyself. And not many people are suitable for such practice, as most passionate minds would 'go crazy' after being in seclusion and solitude for some time. Worldly passionate minds can't live or be without seeing/touching/communicating/interacting with other beings for even a short period of time, not to say for a prolonged period of time. That's why it requires certain degrees of dispassion and right discrimination for someone to practice silence in seclusion and solitude, to allow the mind to realize 'Selflessness'/'Oneness'/'Non-separateness'/'Namelessness'/'Formlessness', where 'suffering' and 'the end of suffering' doesn't exist.

Many people might understood 'Selflessness' as 'an existing name and form such as a being/soul/mind that is free from selfishness, who is unselfish', such as "I am a selfless/unselfish being/soul/mind", or "I am performing selfless action to benefit other beings and other beings will be benefited from my selfless actions."

If it's selfless, then what/who is that 'I' being there acknowledging and identifying as "I am selfless/unselfish"? It's just impermanent selfless function of the body and mind generating actions and the consequences of actions ceaselessly until the annihilation of the modification of the mind takes place, there's no 'I' being there to be acknowledging/identifying as "I am selfless/unselfish." or "I am good/bad." And hence, silent the mind, or as Swami Sivananda taught, "Kill the mind."

Selflessness is nothing to do with unselfishness. Regardless of living beings or non-living objects, all are impermanent and selfless or I-less, where there's no 'I' within all the impermanent changes. There's no 'I' existing to be identified as 'I am selfless', 'I am a selfless being', 'I am unselfish', 'I am performing selfless service and other beings are benefited from my selfless service', 'I am kind and compassionate', 'I aspire to inspire others to be selfless, kind and compassionate', and so on. There's no "I want to be selfless." or "I am becoming selfless."

'Selflessness' is the realization of there's no self or 'I', it's not about training the mind to become 'selfless' or 'unselfish'. None/nothing can train to become 'selfless', as there is no self or 'I' from the beginning. Everyone and everything is just selfless as it is. It's due to ignorance, there is the idea of 'I' arise in the thinking mind materializing itself via egoism influencing the thinking pattern of the mind, where the idea of 'I' feeds on attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, to desire and don't desire, to aspire and expect, to enjoy and suffer, to love and be loved, to be continuing 'existing' in the form of thinking possessing a worldly self-identity with certain qualities of names and forms.

The idea of 'I' can be annihilated by eliminating egoism from the mind. As the 'I' appears to be 'real and existing' is nothing but the thinking pattern of the mind functioning under the influence of egoism, and upon annihilation of egoism or the veil of ignorance, the idea of 'I' will vanish naturally.

Upon the realization of impermanence and selflessness, naturally the mind also realizes 'timelessness'. Time doesn't exist, it's just 'what the mind perceives', and 'both the mind (the perceiver) and what the mind perceives (the perceived)' constantly changing, and the ceaseless impermanent changes as well as due to the function of memory, there's remembrance towards the impermanent changes generate the false impression of 'time' or 'I'. The mind is going through countless births and deaths of ceaseless thoughts arising and passing away generating the different states of the mind. The body is going through countless births and deaths along with all the impermanent changes that are happening in the physical body generating the different condition/appearance of the body. The mind and the body is never remain the same mind or the same body even for a moment until the body and the thinking faculty ceased functioning and existing.

There's no "I am performing yoga practice. I am a yoga practitioner. I will be receiving the benefits of the yoga practice. I am free or not free from ignorance." It's just the mind performing the practice, and whether the mind will be free from ignorance, or not.

Be free.

Friday, May 10, 2019

Different teachings / practices catering the different levels of understanding

Sometimes people might feel confused by the different teachings or practices in yoga that appear to be 'contradicted' with one another.

Such as, there is the teachings or external practice of 'Yama (refraining from immoral conduct) and Niyama (observances)', 'positive thinking', 'sattvic physical and mental inputs', 'breath control' and 'physical position' to influence/balance/purify/control/manipulate the energy field to 'change' or 'influence' the state of the mind from agitation to calmness, from dullness to brightness, from restlessness to quietness, from negative to positive, from unhealthiness to healthiness, from selfishness to unselfishness, from impurity to purity, from ignorance to the end of ignorance. These are 'the practice with names and forms' with the intention to influence or change certain 'lower qualities' to be transformed into 'higher qualities', or to let go certain old 'bad' habits and to develop new 'good' habits. This is for the passionate ones who are being conditioned deeply by worldly egoistic thinking/belief/habits/behavior/desire/action and reaction, who still identified strongly with certain qualities of names and forms (family, relationship, given name/self-identity, gender, sexual orientation, personality, self-image, physical appearance/condition/ability/disability, states of the mind of thinking/belief/feelings/emotions, action and the fruit of action, culture, religion, spirituality, community, knowledge, experiences, relationship, nationality, political point of view, and so on), who are still looking for and being determined by the sense of love, happiness, satisfaction, success, meaningfulness, confidence, positiveness, goodness, righteousness, easiness, or pleasurable enjoyments in the qualities of names and forms.

Then, there's the teachings and internal practice of the senses are being withdrawn from the sense objects, concentration and meditation, which include non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation, annihilating egoism or the idea of 'I', where there's no 'I' existing being the performer of action or the receiver/enjoyer of the fruit of action. There's neither 'I' am selfish nor 'I' am unselfish. There's neither 'I' want goodness/happiness nor 'I' don't want badness/unhappiness. It's going beyond all the qualities of names and forms, being undetermined by the Gunas/energy fields, the physical condition, the state of the mind, quality of names and forms, duality, actions and the fruit of actions.

This is for the dispassionate ones who have firm determination to transcend the mind perception of a worldly life existence of impermanent and selfless names and forms, who have abandoned worldly egoistic thinking/belief/habits/behavior/desire/action and reaction, who are disinterested in chasing after worldly objects/enjoyments/relationships/satisfaction/meaningfulness/identification/recognition, who have gone beyond the sense of love, happiness, satisfaction, success, meaningfulness, confidence, positiveness, goodness, righteousness, easiness, or pleasurable enjoyments, upon the realization of selflessness, namelessness, formlessness, attributelessness, non-duality, oneness, or non-separateness derived from self-inquiry under a desireless equanimous mind, being aware of the modification of the mind or the different states of the mind allowing all the pleasant/unpleasant or desirable/undesirable names and forms of all the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, feelings, thoughts in this present moment now being there as it is, without interfering with or controlling or changing the physical condition or the state of the mind to be something else that is not what it is, or to be 'the way that I desire it to be', allowing all the names and forms to be arising and passing away, allowing all the impermanent changes to be there, as they are.

There's neither attachment towards nor identification with the impermanent and selfless physical body/the modification of the mind as 'I'. These are 'the nameless and formless practice' without any intention to influence or change anything, but allowing all and everything to be there as they are, to be changing as they are, to be what they are, as they are.

If the external practice with names and forms are being practiced with the nameless formless internal practice, then one will know how to free the mind from egoism while performing all the external practice and allowing all the effects or benefits coming from the external practice to be there as they are, without intention to be receiving the effects/benefits of the practice, without desire of craving or aversion, without judgment or expectation, without attachment or identification with the practice or the result of the practice.

Just like the sun, the wind, the water, the earth and the space have no intention to be performing action, or to be interfering with one another and everything in the universe, or discriminating/judging/praising/condemning this is good or that is bad, but actions/activities are there constantly influencing each other.

All the different teachings and practices exist to accommodate different states of the mind with different degrees of attachment, openness, awareness, ignorance, understanding and/or realization. There's no 'contradiction' at all. It's just different stages of the entire yoga practice. However, many yoga enthusiasts might just stop at getting the effects/benefits from the yoga practice and don't want to proceed any further to free the mind from egoism, impurities, restlessness or ignorance, to free the mind from being determined by the mind perception of different qualities of names and forms, and be free, as they are not interested at all in silencing the modification of the mind, as they are passionately 'loving' and 'enjoying' the impermanent and selfless worldly life existence so much. And that's their freedom.

When the mind is being less conditioned by worldly thinking/belief/habits/action/reaction, this mind will be less disturbed by the mind perception of names and forms of all kinds of agreeable/disagreeable or pleasant/unpleasant experiences, and this will allow the mind to see the truth of things as it is, under a calm and quiet state of the mind, intentionlessly, effortlessly, spontaneously.

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Never tell people who live in difficult life condition about what they should and shouldn't eat

The realization of unconditional peace is not determined by what people eat or don't eat, or whether one is eating 'pure non-animal products vegetarian food' or 'animal products non-vegetarian food'.

By consuming 'pure and clean food' or 'non-animal products vegetarian diet' doesn't guarantee that one is or will be free from ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering. Just like by performing many years of 'yoga practice' also doesn't guarantee that one is free from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance. One might still be overpowered by the sense of self-righteousness, pride and superiority, and hence, be disturbed very much by what the mind perceives/recognizes as bad, wrong, negativity, inferiority, hurtful, offensive, insulting, disrespectful, undeserving, disappointing, painful sorrow, or suffering. People can be observing vegetarian diet due to cultural/religious practice for many years, and feel proud for being 'compassionate vegetarian' or being one of the member of a culture/religion, but still the mind might be not free from ignorance, egoism, impurities, restlessness and suffering.

People who consume 'particular type of non-animal products vegetarian food' with the sense of self-righteousness, pride and superiority, might be over-powered by self-righteousness and would criticize/condemn others who consume 'animal products non-vegetarian food', or vice versa. This is not part of the yoga practice.

Whether it's part of the spiritual/cultural/religious/environmental/ethical practice, or due to some other reasons that people choose to adopt a particular type of food choice based on one's thinking/belief/thoughtfulness/conscience, but we cannot tell or interfere with people what they should or shouldn't eat, or 'criticizing' or 'condemning' those whom we think they don't adopt 'that particular type of food choice' for some reasons, as we think that we are somehow more superior than others because of our superior food choice.

Just like we ourselves want to practice yoga, but we can't go into people's life and tell people what they should and shouldn't practice, or how people should and shouldn't think/believe/behave/act and react, and we can't criticize/condemn anyone who don't like yoga, or who don't practice yoga, or who aren't interested in yoga, or who don't practice yoga as it is, even though we see yoga as something good and beneficial for many people, provided if people allow their minds to be open, unattached towards any particular thinking and belief that has been conditioning/influencing how they think, judge, feel, expect, act and react towards all the names and forms, as those who attached strongly onto their particular thinking and belief cannot be open to inquire the truth of other teachings/practice that are different from their own thinking and belief, as they would instantly reject and object what is different from and contradicted with their existing social/cultural/religious/spiritual thinking and belief, of what they think they know, and do not want to learn/inquire/know any further about other teachings/practice that they disagree with based on their own thinking and belief, as well as there's fear towards knowing the truth of what if their own thinking and belief from young until now is not necessarily true, but people just blind-believing and blind-following those thinking and beliefs, and fear of 'sin' and 'punishment' due to 'losing faith in their thinking and belief', if they start questioning the truth of their thinking and belief. We can only share our knowledge and experience in yoga with those who are interested in yoga and they want to learn from our knowledge and experience, and they are ready to allow their minds to be open to inquire the truth of everything. Even so, we can't expect anyone of them to practice yoga diligently as it is. It's their own freedom and responsibility whether they want to practice yoga diligently as it is, or not, after we share the knowledge and experience with them.

People have the rights or freedom to choose what they want to eat or don't eat, even if our minds feel disagree with and disturbed by other people's choice of food consumption.

Although it's everyone's freedom if they want to interfere with other people's life, but those who truly practice yoga will not be interested in interfering with other people's life. Never tell people who live in difficult life condition, who are or have been going through many difficulties and hardship in life about what they should eat or shouldn't eat. People might be suffering and dying from hunger and malnutrition or diseases, due to poverty and lack of educational background being bullied, discriminated and exploited by the commercial world, and most probably don't make enough 'money' to buy/get enough food not to say 'clean' and 'nutritious' food even after working very hard for many hours a day. Imagine people who have a rather easy comfortable life, who don't need to suffer much hardship and difficult condition in life, go around and tell other people who have no choice but have to be doing hard labour work with very low income for survival while struggling to provide food and shelter for oneself and/or the family about what they should eat and shouldn't eat.

Keep one's thinking/belief/practice/food choice/way of life to oneself, and respect other people's different thinking/beliefs/practices/food choices/ways of life, even if they are contradicted with our thinking/belief/practice/food choice/way of life. If people want to follow our way of life/practice/food choice, that's their freedom, but not because we expect and believe that everyone should be like us.

There's nothing wrong if out of our own conscience/ethical reason that we want to adopt a particular type of food choice, but we also respect others for their different type of food choice, without criticizing/condemning other people's choices of food consumption that we don't like or don't agree with, that we think is bad and wrong, unethical or unhealthy.

Go beyond the name and form of 'vegetarian' and 'non-vegetarian'. It's not who you are/what you are, as many people, including yoga enthusiasts like to say, "You are what you eat." No doubt that food intake directly influences the energy field, the physical condition and the state of the mind, but the minds that have realized selflessness/namelessness/formlessness/attributelessness/non-separateness, it goes beyond all the identifications, names, forms, attributes, dualities, separateness, energy field, the physical condition, the state of the mind, good and bad karma, easy and difficult life condition, desirable and undesirable life experiences. It's part of the teaching of yoga of 'Transcending all the Gunas, energy field, names and forms, attributes/qualities, dualities, the physical condition and the states of the mind'. Whatever the mind thinks and identifies as 'I', is merely ignorance.

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Know thyself. Everything is impermanent and selfless. There is no 'I'. There is no 'I am selfless'/'I am not selfless'. There is no 'I am hurt'/'I need to be healed from hurt'. Non-blind believing, non-blind following, non-blind practicing and non-blind propagating, but be open-minded to inquire the truth of everything. Be free. Be peaceful. Be happy.

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