Welcoming changes towards unlimited unthinkable opportunities

Most minds will tend to have fear and worry towards changes, especially letting go a familiar living environment and family/friends/social circle, as well as letting go job or business that provides 'stable' financial support for living, unless they have no other choices but they have to find another living environment elsewhere and to find some other job or business due to unforeseen circumstances, such as losing their beloved home or job/business unwittingly due to natural disaster, bad economy, accident, war, and etc.

This fear and worry is the instinctive fear towards the unknown/uncertainty and fear of making the wrong decision to be losing the good and comfortable condition that one has been familiar with, which one loves/enjoys very much.

Whether we are aware or unaware of it, stability is always the main element and attachment in everything in life, even though the nature of everything is impermanence. Impermanence exists even in so called 'stability'. Most minds would think and believe that they are embracing impermanence, but most probably only embracing towards changes of improvement, while there's great aversion towards changes of deterioration. But deterioration is the ultimate truth of everything that exist under certain name and form.

Only when the mind learns how to embrace the nature of impermanence regardless of improvement or deterioration, there's no fear towards changes or decisions making that actually would lead towards unlimited possible opportunities that are unknown to the mind until the mind sees them upon letting go/abandoning the little box of a familiar life that the mind lives in, when the mind starts to allow itself to be opened towards all the unknown/uncertainty without fear or regret, but with great welcome.

This is also similar to the teaching of yoga about surrendering. It's not about 'letting God to lead life and God will look after life for us', but it's about letting go the attachment/identification/clinging/expectation towards 'the existing comfort that gives rise to the sense of meaningfulness derived from particular way of living and activities that the mind enjoys very much' and letting go the fear towards losing or no longer having 'this comfort and the sense of meaningfulness that it has been attaching or clinging onto'.

Most people will think and say, "Unless we have to, why do we want to let go something that is good and meaningful which we love very much that is still available to us now?"

There's nothing wrong with that, as people don't really need to let go anything (especially 'goodness' that gives rise to the sense of meaningfulness) until they have to. People like to hear and say, "Appreciate all the good things until they are no longer available." That's very good. But for the truth seekers, the attachment/clinging towards 'goodness or comfortable good condition that give rise to the sense of meaningfulness' is indeed one of the great obstacles towards liberation that most minds don't realize.

For the minds that are in searching for 'the truth' or 'liberation from ignorance', or 'selflessness/namelessness/formlessness/attributelessness/beginninglessness/endlessness/birthlessness/deathlessness/changelessness', there's no waiting, as this life existence, regardless of 'good and comfortable life' or 'bad and challenging life', is passing away.

For some who believe in one life, they might think and say, "Ah! there's only one life, why bother about anything? Enjoy as much as possible while it's available."

For some who believe in many continuous lives, they might think and say, "Ah! there's so many lives, need not hurry for anything. Enjoy as much as possible while it's available."

For the truth seekers, "It's NOW, and there's only NOW." regardless of it's good and comfortable life or bad and challenging life, or one life, or many continuous lives, or the beginningless/endless/birthless/deathless infinite Sat-Chit-Ananda.

Public Notice

To whom it may concern

Please be informed that Yoga Now Malaysia does not associate or advertise with any yoga retreats booking websites.

Even though we had rejected their invite to list our yoga retreats on their website and requested them to take down the listing which they put on their website without our consent and permission, they are still listing our yoga retreats on their websites under the 'non-availability' status with the outdated information taken from our website.

Please contact Yoga Now Malaysia directly via email for any yoga retreat request and booking. Thank you.

Regards,

Yoga Now Malaysia

Letting go and let it be, it's okay

Human beings might be having the opportunity and financial ability to enjoy a higher standard of living with all kinds of education, entertainment, gadget, equipment, comfort, convenience and enjoyment for the senses while living in the modern society of higher technology and creativity, but it doesn't determine that the minds are free from restlessness/disturbs and other impurities deriving from ignorance and egoism, where there's so much tension in the minds resulting in losing the ability to think clearly and act properly, affecting the interactions with others in the daily affairs that human beings have to deal with, may it be in relationships or at work, during the process to achieve whatever they want to achieve in life and the world, with great expectation/aspiration towards life and the world to be in certain way that they desire and not to be in certain way that they don't desire.

It has to come from the mind itself to realize the urgency to be looking after itself before it's too late, to learn how to let go and let it be, that it's okay, when things in life are not being the way that the mind would like them to be, even after oneself had tried the best and very hard to achieve a life and a world that one thinks and believes how it should be.

What's the point of all kinds of opportunity, education, aspiration and effort, but losing the clarity and sanity of the mind while trying to achieve a life and a world that one's thinking and belief categorized as good, righteous, positive, successful and meaningful life/living/way of life, as the mind couldn't let go, or let things being what they are, not necessarily pleasant/desirable/agreeable in the way that the mind would like it to be, where the mind is being over-powered by the desire of craving and aversion and great expectation, and drowning itself in frustration, disappointment, dissatisfaction, anger, hatred, hurt, fear and worry?

Just do one's best, but also be able to let go and let it be, being free from attachment, identification, craving and aversion, and expectation.

The so called 'negative/bad/wrong/unpleasant/undesirable/disagreeable' things in life or the world don't hurt the mind or what the mind thinks and believes as 'I', but it's the egoistic attachment, identification, craving and aversion and expectation in the mind that is hurting the mind.

It's everyone's freedom whether they want to let go, to maintain the clarity and sanity of the thinking mind, or not.

Who would practice yoga?

The minds that aren't aware of ignorance in itself, thinking and believing that "I am smart and intelligent, well-informed and knowledgeable, I am void of ignorance and I am a good/kind/loving/righteous/compassionate/wise being. I don't associate with the term of 'ignorance' or 'ignorant being'. It's so insulting to me for being associated with 'ignorance' and being refer as 'ignorant being'." might be interested in doing some forms of yoga practice regularly to attain the benefits of the yoga practice, but wouldn't really be interested in practicing yoga.

The minds that are aware of ignorance in itself, knowing that 'the mind is functioning under the influence of ignorance' is not an insult at all, but it's the truth of this thinking mind, even if this mind is quite smart and intelligent, and is very well-informed and knowledgeable about many things in this world, who have the determination to free itself from ignorance, would be initiated to be practicing yoga, even if they might not look like they are doing certain type of 'yoga practice' regularly just like many others who love and enjoy doing many of the yoga practice.

Attachment as in Yoga and Buddhism

"What is attachment?"

Due to ignorance, the mind is functioning/operating under the influence of egoism, where there's egoistic attachment towards the mind perception of names and forms through the senses.

 

Attachment gives rise to multiple identifications identifying with impermanent and selfless names and forms that the mind thinks and believes is 'I' and 'my life' and 'my relationships with everyone and everything in my life', which is not 'the truth' or which doesn't 'exist' (there's neither 'I' nor 'not I' in selflessness).

 

From all kinds of identifications, there's boundless passionate worldly desires of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, which leads to all kinds of action and reaction and the fruit/consequences of action and reaction, activating the loop of endless births and deaths, and the consequence of all that - Restlessness of dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hatred, jealousy, hurts, aggressiveness, defensiveness, offensiveness, fear, worry, stress, regret, guilt, grief, painful sorrow, or suffering, exist within the modification of the mind, which is also subject to impermanence and selflessness, governs by the law of nature - cause and effect, action and the fruit/consequence of action.

The fundamental attachments that exist in most minds are the attachment towards :-

- Worldly life existence

- Individual being existence ('I am existing as an individual being with certain quality of name and form', identifying as 'this is I/this is not I', or 'I am this/I am not that')

- Physical body - Gender, sexual orientation, genetic inheritance, appearance, ability, performance, disability/limitation, health and fitness condition, pleasant/unpleasant sensation, the thinking faculty

- The modification of the mind, of the mind perception of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, thoughts, feelings, emotions and all kinds of impurities

- The intellect and the ego

- Mental ability and disability

- Past memories and future imaginations

- Actions/reactions and the consequences of actions/reactions

- Desire of craving and aversion

- Personality, self-worth, self-esteem, confidence, habits, behavior and temperament

- Family/friends/relative/ancestry/ethnicity/community/nationality

- Relationship/companionship

- Material/object/possession

- Desirable/undesirable life experiences

- Social/cultural/spiritual/religious/educational/political thinking, belief, values and practice

- Personal and/or group likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements

- Worldly connection/networking/interaction/activity

- Success and failure

- Achievement/non-achievement

- Contribution/non-contribution

- Education, learning, knowledge, talent, skill, linguistic

- Ambition, aspiration, inspiration

- Expression, idea, creativity, productivity

- Jobs/career/profession/business/livelihood

- The sense of belonging

- The sense of pride

- The sense of meaningfulness/positiveness/goodness/righteousness/happiness

- Environment/living condition/standard of living

- Worldly affair, condition and situation

- Status, title, name, fame, wealth, position, class, power

- The judgment and expectation from oneself/others towards oneself

- Guilt and regret

- Impermanent changes

When there's attachment, the mind is unwittingly being determined and disturbed by all the impermanent and selfless perception/experience of names and forms.

 

There's craving/clinging/longing towards the names and forms or experiences or conditions that the mind desires, likes and agrees with, and there's aversion towards the names and forms or experiences or conditions that the mind doesn't desire, dislikes and disagrees with. The mind is being restless due to endless boundless desires waiting to be fulfilled/gratified, trying to satisfy not only the inevitable physical hunger and thirst, but also the endless mental hunger and thirst towards the sense of satisfaction, meaningfulness, positiveness, righteousness, goodness, togetherness, connection, happiness, accomplishment, confidence, well-deserving, well-loved and well-lived.

When there's absence of attachment, all the mind perception of names and forms of all the impermanent and selfless desirable/undesirable, pleasant/unpleasant, agreeable/disagreeable worldly life experiences are just what they are, neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative, neither right nor wrong, neither meaningful nor meaningless, neither enjoyable nor suffering, neither peaceful nor peaceless. Dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hatred, jealousy, hurts, aggressiveness, defensiveness, offensiveness, fear, worry, stress, regret, guilt, grief, painful sorrow or suffering don't exist upon the void/absence of attachment.

The Yoga and Buddhism practice is all about silencing this restless modification of the mind, annihilating ignorance and egoism, of endless desire and attachment, and the consequences of that. And this is nothing to do with the different condition, situation, experience, learning, practicing, ability, disability, qualification, certification, limitation, strength, flexibility, stamina, fitness level, performance, intelligence, knowledge, talent, skill, title, status, skin colour, race, nationality, gender, spirituality, religion, culture, belief and disbelief, intellectual thinking and analysis. It transcends all the names and forms, qualities, time, space and causation of duality, separateness, past/present/future, condition/situation, cause and effect, good or bad karma, birth and death.

The selfless yogis can either renounce and retreat from the world of worldly life, relationships, affairs and activities that fed on egoism and feeding egoism, or, they can be performing actions in the world while living among the worldly society, but without attachment. It's neither selfish nor unselfish. All are impermanent and selfless.

If there is attachment, identification, desire and expectation, there will be hurts, disturbs, anger, disappointment, fear or regret upon coming in contact with undesirable/unpleasant/undeserving experiences/situations that are "not the way that I would like it to be, or not the way that I think how it should be."

If attachment, identification, desire and expectation are absent, there's no hurts, disturbs, anger, disappointment, fear or regret upon coming in contact with undesirable/unpleasant/undeserving experiences/situations that are "not the way that I would like it to be, or not the way that I think how it should be."