What is yoga practice and practice yoga?
Yoga practice is a combination of different 'mind cleansing' tools and techniques to 'clean up'/'purify' the restless/impure egoistic mind to free the mind from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance. One who practices yoga is practically using those 'mind cleansing' tools and techniques to be engaging in a 'mind cleaning up process', constantly, inexhaustibly, determinedly and diligently, until the mind is free from ignorance, knowing the truth of impermanence and selflessness, knowing thyself.
Many yoga enthusiasts who identify themselves as 'yoga practitioners'/'yoga teachers' might have the 'knowledge' of the 'yoga practice' and might be doing some kind of 'yoga practice' or delivering the 'knowledge' of the 'yoga practice' to other people regularly, but not many are actually practicing yoga as it is (cleaning the mind efficiently, freeing the mind from restlessness, impurities, egoism, ignorance or suffering). There's intense reluctance to let go worldly attachment/identification/thinking/belief/desire/relationship/objects/pleasurable enjoyments of the senses. There's still attachment and clinging towards the world of qualities of names and forms with all kinds of 'relationship', 'ties' or 'connection', being determined very much by the presence and absence of certain qualities of names and forms, and the quality/condition of relationship/ties/connection to be confident/happy/meaningful, or not. There's an identity/ego that longing to be empowered, acknowledged, understood, agreed with, empathized, pampered and loved. And there's nothing wrong with it as that's their freedom. But for those who truly want to practice and realize yoga, they will practice yoga as it is, to be determined to free the mind from ignorance, regardless of any amount of difficulties and obstacles.
Just like cleaning up a 'rubbish dump' that is full of rubbish. It's not just about the cleaning process to clear away those existing rubbish, but more importantly, it's about stop generating/bringing in more rubbish into that area as well.
The mind is sort of like a 'rubbish dump'. The yoga practice is not just about 'clearing away' the existing 'impurities', 'restlessness', 'egoism', 'ignorance' or 'suffering' which is already a challenging task that requires great effort, discipline, initiative, patience, forbearance, perseverance and determination, but more importantly, it's to stop generating/accumulating/empowering 'impurities', 'restlessness', 'egoism', 'ignorance' or 'suffering', to silent/annihilate the restless modification of the mind. And hence, the importance of the practice of silence and renunciation.
The difference between a 'rubbish dump' and the restless/impure egoistic mind is that the 'rubbish dump' can be cleaned up and maintained 'rubbish free' by many people working together, but, for 'cleaning up' the restless/impure egoistic mind, it can only be done alone by the mind itself, not even 'God', or 'Guru', or any amount of 'good friends' and 'good teachers' can help to 'clean up' this mind, to free this mind from ignorance and all kinds of suffering, as all the rubbish of 'impurities', 'restlessness', 'egoism', 'ignorance' or 'suffering' is 'generated'/'accumulated/empowered' from/by the mind itself, and no other can 'take away'/'remove'/'eliminate'/'stop generating'/'stop accumulating'/'stop empowering' those 'rubbish' except the mind itself.
Meanwhile, there are some benefits/side-effects/by-products of the yoga practice such as better physical health and fitness condition and the sense of well-being/confidence/goodness/meaningfulness/joyfulness/peacefulness that come along with the different yoga practice, but they are just like spraying a lot of air freshener and putting plenty of beautiful fragrant colourful flower petals that bring some freshness smell and appearance into the area of the 'rubbish dump', but it doesn't really 'clean up' the 'rubbish dump'.
Doing some form of 'yoga practice' regularly or teaching 'yoga classes/courses' to many other people for many years also doesn't necessarily means that one is practicing yoga. Some even take the 'image' or 'characteristic' of certain 'yogis'/'sadhus' with a particular 'yogi'/'sadhu' appearance in particular position and gesture while enjoying the momentary 'intoxication/hallucination/highness/calmness' from taking certain drugs/substances or certain 'yoga practitioners'/'yoga teachers' enjoying intimate relationships with random people as what 'yoga practice' and 'practice yoga' is about.
Yoga practice is a combination of different 'mind cleansing' tools and techniques to 'clean up'/'purify' the restless/impure egoistic mind to free the mind from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance. One who practices yoga is practically using those 'mind cleansing' tools and techniques to be engaging in a 'mind cleaning up process', constantly, inexhaustibly, determinedly and diligently, until the mind is free from ignorance, knowing the truth of impermanence and selflessness, knowing thyself.
Many yoga enthusiasts who identify themselves as 'yoga practitioners'/'yoga teachers' might have the 'knowledge' of the 'yoga practice' and might be doing some kind of 'yoga practice' or delivering the 'knowledge' of the 'yoga practice' to other people regularly, but not many are actually practicing yoga as it is (cleaning the mind efficiently, freeing the mind from restlessness, impurities, egoism, ignorance or suffering). There's intense reluctance to let go worldly attachment/identification/thinking/belief/desire/relationship/objects/pleasurable enjoyments of the senses. There's still attachment and clinging towards the world of qualities of names and forms with all kinds of 'relationship', 'ties' or 'connection', being determined very much by the presence and absence of certain qualities of names and forms, and the quality/condition of relationship/ties/connection to be confident/happy/meaningful, or not. There's an identity/ego that longing to be empowered, acknowledged, understood, agreed with, empathized, pampered and loved. And there's nothing wrong with it as that's their freedom. But for those who truly want to practice and realize yoga, they will practice yoga as it is, to be determined to free the mind from ignorance, regardless of any amount of difficulties and obstacles.
Just like cleaning up a 'rubbish dump' that is full of rubbish. It's not just about the cleaning process to clear away those existing rubbish, but more importantly, it's about stop generating/bringing in more rubbish into that area as well.
The mind is sort of like a 'rubbish dump'. The yoga practice is not just about 'clearing away' the existing 'impurities', 'restlessness', 'egoism', 'ignorance' or 'suffering' which is already a challenging task that requires great effort, discipline, initiative, patience, forbearance, perseverance and determination, but more importantly, it's to stop generating/accumulating/empowering 'impurities', 'restlessness', 'egoism', 'ignorance' or 'suffering', to silent/annihilate the restless modification of the mind. And hence, the importance of the practice of silence and renunciation.
The difference between a 'rubbish dump' and the restless/impure egoistic mind is that the 'rubbish dump' can be cleaned up and maintained 'rubbish free' by many people working together, but, for 'cleaning up' the restless/impure egoistic mind, it can only be done alone by the mind itself, not even 'God', or 'Guru', or any amount of 'good friends' and 'good teachers' can help to 'clean up' this mind, to free this mind from ignorance and all kinds of suffering, as all the rubbish of 'impurities', 'restlessness', 'egoism', 'ignorance' or 'suffering' is 'generated'/'accumulated/empowered' from/by the mind itself, and no other can 'take away'/'remove'/'eliminate'/'stop generating'/'stop accumulating'/'stop empowering' those 'rubbish' except the mind itself.
Meanwhile, there are some benefits/side-effects/by-products of the yoga practice such as better physical health and fitness condition and the sense of well-being/confidence/goodness/meaningfulness/joyfulness/peacefulness that come along with the different yoga practice, but they are just like spraying a lot of air freshener and putting plenty of beautiful fragrant colourful flower petals that bring some freshness smell and appearance into the area of the 'rubbish dump', but it doesn't really 'clean up' the 'rubbish dump'.
Doing some form of 'yoga practice' regularly or teaching 'yoga classes/courses' to many other people for many years also doesn't necessarily means that one is practicing yoga. Some even take the 'image' or 'characteristic' of certain 'yogis'/'sadhus' with a particular 'yogi'/'sadhu' appearance in particular position and gesture while enjoying the momentary 'intoxication/hallucination/highness/calmness' from taking certain drugs/substances or certain 'yoga practitioners'/'yoga teachers' enjoying intimate relationships with random people as what 'yoga practice' and 'practice yoga' is about.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment