How to live in the present?

Whether the mind is aware or unaware, agrees or disagrees, there's nothing else other than NOW. There's no living outside of NOW. It's always being in NOW, living in NOW, regardless of the ignorant impure egoistic mind is always wandering between the remembrance towards 'the past memory of impermanent changes of names and forms that the mind perceived as something pleasant/happy/enjoyable or unpleasant/unhappy/suffering' and the anticipation/projection towards 'the future being in certain way that the mind perceived as desirable or undesirable'.

Due to the function of the memory of remembering/observing the process of the impermanent changes of names and forms, from birth, to growth, to aging, to decaying, to old age, and to death, of all kinds of desirable/undesirable and pleasant/unpleasant experience/relationship, on top of the movement of the earth in NOW that generate the perception of day/brightness and night/darkness as well as the natural interchange cycle of the state of rest/sleep and waking, and the mechanism of the movement of the clock or watch that generate the strong idea of the existence of 'time', of past, present and future.

One can perform this experiment of watching the entire process of cooking the bread in the oven. The action of watching all the changes in the entire process of cooking the dough to become bread, is always in NOW.

Under the function of the timer/clock/watch, the bread takes about '40 minutes' to be cooking from the form of a dough to become a ready to eat bread. But the bread is always being cooking in NOW, and keep cooking in NOW until the bread is ready and stop cooking, which is also in NOW. The process of cooking the bread through the high heat produced by the oven that changes the entire structure/texture/taste of the dough to become the form of bread, that generates continuous changes of the form of the dough/bread from moment to moment is always in NOW, in this present moment.

No matter how much/little and what type of changes are happening in this present moment, it's always in NOW.

One might remember one has slept for a few hours earlier, but the remembrance of 'that' is in NOW. It's always [I am sleeping/not awake], [I am awake/not sleeping], [I am doing something], [I am not doing something/anything], and constantly remembering [I was sleeping], [I was awake], [I slept], [I didn't sleep], [I did something] or [I didn't do something/anything] in NOW, while the body is going through impermanent changes ceaselessly.

The witness/observer of impermanent changes is timeless, it's always NOW. There's neither a past nor a future. The mind might be remembering 'the past experiences/impermanent changes' and imagining/anticipating 'the future anticipation', being aware of many people/beings had lived and died, many things/relationships had appeared and disappeared, many feelings/sensations had arose and passed away, but all these modifications are always in NOW.

The physical body and the thinking mind is always living/going through impermanent changes in NOW, until the process of death/decomposition takes place, it's also in NOW. The process of aging/decaying is always happening in NOW, until death/decomposition takes place, in NOW.

If the mind is free from or knows how to detach/unattached towards the remembrance of all the impermanent changes of desirable/undesirable and pleasant/unpleasant perception of names and forms or experiences, there's no hurt, or grief, or sorrow, or regret, or guilt. If the mind is free from or knows how to detach/unattached towards the imagination/anticipation towards 'the future', there's no fear or worry.

It's either one is okay or not okay, comfortable or uncomfortable, in NOW, in this present. It's normal and nothing wrong if one is not okay or uncomfortable in NOW. Whether one is okay and comfortable, or not, this is impermanent and it is changing and passing away.

The mind is being influenced by the world of consumerism and capitalism

We grew up being 'inspired' by 'the world of a commercialized and capitalized society' to be motivated to 'study and work hard' or 'not being lazy/laid back/useless', to 'achieve' and 'appreciate' certain standard/quality of living achieving particular lifestyle that emphasized on developing and empowering passionate egoistic desires and be inspired to be ambitious to perform actions or work that increase 'spending power' or 'income' that helps the gratification/attainment of all kinds of passionate worldly desire/success/achievement/enjoyment, to fit into 'the elite group of successful people' that based on 'worldly recognized social/educational/financial status and social/academic/economic achievement and contribution', where life is no longer about having a skill to be making enough livelihood or finding food and shelter to survive in the present moment, without the urge of possessing and hoarding more than what we need to survive in this present moment, without fear and worry towards 'the future', but life is very much under the influence of consumerism and capitalism, where the basic survival instinct of getting enough of daily needs, shelter and food for survival in the present is being taken over by the 'necessity' of 'possession' and 'hoarding' under the fear and worry towards 'the future that seems to be uncertain/insecure', as well as there's endless egoistic discontentment of greed/craving for 'more' and 'higher' ongoing personal/global success and achievement/recognition, until the body and mind can no longer function properly to 'work' anymore, and/or there's desire to be indulging in 'higher' and 'latest' pleasurable enjoyment of the senses until the body and mind can no longer function properly to enjoy the objects of the senses.

The way of living and the meaning/goal of life under particular social thinking, belief, value and practice of human beings is basically being 'determined', 'influenced' or 'led' by the world of consumerism and capitalism.

People might think that it's because there's new demand for certain products crops up, and hence, some people are being creative to produce those products to meet the demand of the people. But actually, the world of consumerism and capitalism constantly 'create' and 'produce' many different kinds of 'new product', where the business people and the capitalists simply and constantly create 'trend and demand' for their 'innovative' products in the society through various mediums of advertisement, telling/manipulating the minds - "You need this", "You want this" and "You deserve this".

'The standard of something' or 'the belief of something' in the world about how the mind thinks, believes and judges as beautiful or ugly, good or bad, right or wrong, meaningful or meaningless, positive or negative, success or failure, appropriate or inappropriate, aspiration and inspiration, and so on, is very much being 'created' or 'dictated' by the business people and capitalists in the world of consumerism and capitalism.

Most untrained minds, no matter how well-educated or knowledgeable they are, would also be influenced and manipulated by all sorts of information that sanction and give rise to all kinds of 'standard' and 'belief' about this and that, which were being repeatedly 'ingrained' into the minds, from everywhere, either wittingly or unwittingly, being aware or unaware, adopting 'standard and belief about this and that', passing down/on from generation to generation, where the entire life existence is being influenced by and lived according to 'the way of life aligning with the standard and belief influenced mostly by the world of consumerism and capitalism', including different kinds of social media platform, gadget, telecommunication, app, entertainment, game, tourism, fashion and accessory, lifestyle, food and drinks, diet, clean eating, health care, medical care, beauty product, skin care, hair care, body care, fitness training, spiritual healing, self-improvement, home decor, hobby, education, job, career, investment, family value, social circle, all kinds of festival and convention, all kinds of celebration day, and etc.

And hence, from long time ago, the teachings of Yoga and Buddhism reflect high importance onto the observation or the practice of 'renunciation', 'silence', 'solitude', 'seclusion' and 'dispassion', moving the mind away from the worldly society/affair/interaction/activity/input for a prolonged period of time, in order to 'cleanse out' all the worldly passionate egoistic ideas, beliefs, values and practices out of the mind efficiently, purifying the mind to allow the mind to see things as it is, not being influenced by any worldly passionate ideas, beliefs, values and practices to judge everything and/or living a life that meet up certain 'standard and belief' about 'what is good, positive, successful and meaningful life'.

Renunciation doesn't necessarily means that one has to become a monk or a nun and live with the monk and nun community, as even being a monk and nun living in the community of monk and nun, people might not be practicing renunciation, silence, solitude, seclusion and dispassion. Just as some people want and try to live the life of so called 'minimalist', also doesn't determine that one is practicing renunciation, silence, solitude, seclusion and dispassion, or one is free from attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment and expectation.

x x x x x x x x x x x

"Renunciation is necessary, but inner renunciation born out of true knowledge that the Atman is Akarta and Abhokta, and that it is not affected by the actions of the sense-organs, is considered preferable to external renunciation of physical actions. Man should perform his duties, in the proper spirit. Such actions do not bind him, but on the other hand they help him to liberate himself.

The deluded attachment to men and women, friends and relatives, money and gold, has to be ruthlessly burnt to ashes! All the so-called duties of the world have to be kicked away for the sake of that glorious state of Self-realisation.

Kick off the world ruthlessly. Enough of tea and coffee, enough of soda, lemonade and crushes, enough of novels and cinemas, enough of races and aeroplanes, enough of father, mother, brothers, children, friends and relatives! You came alone and you will go alone.

A worldly-minded fashionable wife (or husband) is a sharp knife to cut off the life of the husband (or wife). Be wedded to Santi and have Vairagya as the sons, and Viveka the magnanimous daughter and eat the delicious divine fruit of Atma Jnana which can make you immortal!

Application of soap to the body, oil to the hair, powder to the face, looking into the mirror a thousand and one times a day, wearing rings on the fingers - these and many like these will intensify your attachment to the body. Therefore give up all these things ruthlessly.

The cause of pain is love of pleasure. The cause of death is love of sensual life. Death is a horrible thing to him who is intensely attached to sensual life. Words like cremation, murder, death, corpse, burial, make the sensualist shudder at heart, for he is extremely attached to the body and the objects of the senses. "How to part with the sensual objects?" is his great cause of misery. Pity!

According to vedanta, annihilation of Adviya or ignorance leads to Samadhi. According to Patanjali Rishi, the aspirant attains Samadhi by removing the hold of Prakriti by practice and discipline.

The Vedantin enjoys the eternal bliss and natural easiness of Sahaja Samadhi. He remains as Sakshi or silent witness. He does not make any serious attempt to control the psychic stream or thought-current. He raises the Brahmakara Vritti by meditating on the significance of "Tat Tvam Asi" Mahavakya.

The Samadhi in the Jnani is effortless and spontaneous. Wherever the mind goes, there it experiences Samadhi. He rests in Samadhi always. There is no "In Samadhi" and "Out of Samadhi" for a sage. He enjoys freedom, bliss and peace, in all moments of his life.

Yogic Samadhi is analytical and discriminative. In this Samadhi greater stress is laid upon the discrimination between the Prakriti and the Purusha. In Jnana Samadhi, no discrimination is needed. Brahmakara Vritti, raised by an attempt to become identical with the Supreme Self or Brahma Chintana, destroys Avidya and dies by itself.

No more words. Enough of discussions and heated debates. Retire into a solitary room. Close your eyes. Have deep silent meditation. Destroy the Sankalpas, thoughts, whims, fancies and desires when they arise from the surface of the mind.

You are left alone now. You have nothing to see and nothing to hear. There is none to cheer you. You will have to depend on yourself. Do not look backward. Forget the past. Forget the body and the world." 

- Swami Sivananda.

Health is wealth?

It's good that people are appreciating good health and want to invest in attaining and maintaining good health.

Of course it would be good if one can have good health in the mind and in the body.

While, healthy mind without a healthy body is totally fine.

The greatest yogi doesn't necessarily must have a fit and illness-free physical body, but the mind has no attachment or identification towards the impermanent selfless physical body.

Healthy body without a healthy mind is something else.

Do not loose the health of the mind while trying to achieve the health of the body.

Health freak is not what yoga is about.

The middle path and renunciation

The teachings of Yoga and Buddhism is being practiced on the middle path. It's neither leaning towards indulging oneself in pleasurable enjoyment nor intentionally torturing oneself in difficulties and painful suffering, but it's living a life of simplicity without drowning in greed/discontentment/stress towards achieving higher success/achievement/enjoyment/comfort/security in life, and without struggling under insufficiency of daily needs to be looking after the well-being of the body and mind while living in the world, independently and self-sufficiently, as much as possible.

The path of renunciation is indeed the middle path, though many people would categorize it as one form of extremity. One can renounce the worldly life consisting of worldly passionate social relationship, connection, interaction and activity without torturing one's body and mind in painful suffering, while living a modest simple way of life, being in seclusion and solitude most of the time, where one would perform necessary actions and dealing with other people/beings if necessary, but without engaging in worldly social interaction and activity, and without attachment or clinging towards worldly relationships and connections as well as pleasurable enjoyment of the senses.

No doubt that everyone needs to 'work' or performs action to be looking after the life of the body and mind, but for the yoga practitioners, one doesn't need to spend entire life time and energy into achieving worldly success and achievement in 'working' to be more wealthy, successful and secured financially, but after spending some time and energy into 'working' to acquire enough livelihood, one can spend more time and energy into looking after the well-being of the body and mind, which isn't about building relationships and connections by engaging in worldly social interactions and activities, just like what most people, including mental health professionals would think and believe that active engagement in passionate social interactions and activities to be building relationships and connections is essential for mental and emotional health.

For the yoga practitioners, looking after the mental and emotional health is more about retreating from all those worldly relationships, connections, interactions and activities to quiet the restless activity of the mind, mentally and emotionally, understanding that all joy and happiness deriving from engagement in pleasurable, desirable and agreeable relationship, connection, interaction and activity, will change and disappear eventually. Impermanent changes might not affect or disturb the minds that have developed strong foundation in dispassion and non-attachment, but most of the untrained passionate minds that attached strongly onto names and forms that are pleasurable, desirable and agreeable would be determined by impermanent changes, and be affected and disturbed mentally and emotionally.

It's neither right nor wrong in the two contradicting approach towards looking after the well-being of the mind mentally and emotionally, it's just different understanding or realization towards what is suffering and the cause of suffering.

The worldly passionate minds think and believe that the lack of social relationship, connection, interaction and activity is the cause of mental and emotional illness/suffering, and thinking that the solution is through seeking comforts deriving from active engagement in passionate social relationship, connection, interaction and activity, to feel good and better.

While the dispassionate minds stop empowering or gratifying the desire of craving and clinging towards passionate social relationship, connection, interaction and activity that might make the mind feels good and meaningful momentarily, but then the mind would suffer very much mentally and emotionally if the pleasant enjoyable agreeable social relationship, connection, interaction and activity is not available for some reasons. And so, they work diligently to root out egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, which is the root cause of all restlessness and suffering, to allow the mind to realize unconditional peace that is nothing to do with momentary pleasant good and meaningful feelings deriving from engagement in pleasant/desirable/agreeable passionate social relationship, connection, interaction and activity.

The mind is peaceful as it is, regardless of the impermanent condition of life, the body, the mind and the world.

Be free from gross and subtle attachment, clinging and craving

This teaching is more suitable for those who are endowed with intense yearning for liberation, who are aware of ignorance and egoism and the consequences of it.

 

Those who are not interested in transcending the mind perception of a worldly life of names and forms, but merely interested in doing certain favorite yoga asana and breathing exercises of particular style and brand to attain some health and fitness benefits, to attain momentary physical/mental/emotional relief, pleasantness and calmness deriving from performing the different types of yoga and meditation practice, while enjoying all kinds of worldly relationship, connection, interaction and activity with other people/beings who are like minded, whom one perceives as one's family, friends and relatives, that give rise to the sense of meaningfulness, satisfaction and fulfillment, to chase away the sense of dissatisfaction, meaninglessness and loneliness, they don't need to practice the teaching of yoga about renunciation, solitude and seclusion, to renounce all kinds of worldly relationship, connection, interaction and activity, to efficiently free the mind from both gross and subtle attachment, clinging and craving towards desirable/agreeable relationships, connections, interactions and activities that gives rise to the sense of meaningfulness, goodness and fulfillment.

The worldly passionate mind would perceive discomfort/unrest/suffering/unhappiness/meaninglessness/loneliness/emptiness when it is being cut off from the familiar worldly relationships, connections, interactions and activities for a certain period of time. People, including mental health professionals, think and believe that people will be mentally and physically sick and die due to loneliness, emptiness and meaninglessness, if without connecting, contacting, communicating and interacting with some other human beings. That's their freedom of thinking and belief. And hence, the practice of renunciation, solitude and seclusion is definitely not for them, as they will be crazy, sick and die due to being over-whelmed by the sense of loneliness and meaninglessness deriving from practicing renunciation, solitude and seclusion, as it's too painful, difficult, terrible, guilty and depressing for them to be without worldly relationship, connection, interaction and activity.

Only those who are determined to transcend the worldly life of impermanent selfless names and forms, who are endowed with the intense yearning for liberation, even when life experience and condition is rather good and comfortable, knowing that all is impermanent and selfless, would be interested in the practice of renunciation, solitude and seclusion, being dispassionate towards the fleeting worldly life of names and forms, of worldly affair and condition that are being limited by cause and effect and impermanence, powered by ignorance and egoism, and hence, they could renounce all kinds of worldly connection, relationship, interaction and activity, without much difficulty, allowing the mind be able to be free from not just gross but also subtle attachment, clinging and craving towards worldly connection, relationship, interaction and activity.

Those who chase after the sense of meaningfulness, goodness and fulfillment deriving from being passionately engaging in worldly social and spiritual connection, relationship, interaction and activity, where they think and believe that the attainment/presence of the sense of meaningfulness, goodness and fulfillment is the meaning of life existence, or the highest achievement of their spiritual practice, or the goal of yoga and meditation practice, they would perceive the teaching and practice of renunciation, solitude and seclusion as something out of date, absurd, abnormal, negative, selfish, meaningless, or even useless.

 

In the many social cultural belief and practice, renouncing worldly relationship, connection, interaction and activity are being perceived as unacceptable inappropriate wrongful way of being. People would be criticized and condemned by the passionate egoistic family, friends and relatives, if they don't engage in family, relative and friends social visit/meet up/get together/celebration, not to say, completely cutting off all kinds of contact and communication. There's nothing wrong with that, as it's everyone's freedom for what they think and believe as well as what they want to do and don't do with their life. These minds are not free, as they would loose the sense of meaningfulness and goodness, if for some reasons, desirable/agreeable worldly connection, relationship, interaction and activity are unavailable, especially for a prolonged period of time, that give rise to the sense of meaninglessness, emptiness, uselessness and loneliness to the mind.

The gross and subtle attachment/clinging/craving towards all kinds of relationship, connection, interaction and activity is one of the greatest obstacle for many yoga practitioners, including so called 'yoga teachers'. The great spiritual ambition/aspiration to be connected with people/other beings/nature, or fellow yoga community/family as much as possible, to be as meritorious and virtuous as much as possible, desiring to be transitioned towards better or higher realm of existence, to create/build yoga community, yoga school and/or yoga ashram, to hoard 'family/friends/brothers/sisters', 'students', 'disciples' and 'followers', under the 'good intention' to share 'yoga' or 'love' with as many beings as possible, are indeed the sign of subtle attachment/clinging/craving that the mind doesn't even aware of. All these names and forms of relationship/connection/interaction/activity/merit/virtue/better or higher realm or transition/the sense of meaningfulness, goodness and fulfillment deriving from spiritual aspiration, achievement, contribution, action and interaction, don't exist for the silent mind.

 

Though renouncing worldly relationship, connection, interaction and activity, the dispassionate minds can still be performing actions that would be beneficial towards oneself and the world, but it's free from any 'ambition', 'aspiration', or 'intention', without expecting life or the world has to be in certain way according to particular desire, thinking and belief, but allowing life and the world being what it is. This 'intention-less action' is unthinkable for most passionate egoistic minds that believe in all actions must be inspired by and performed out of intention/aspiration and motivation to bring out certain result/success/achievement that they expect how it should be. These minds need to be driven by certain intentional motivation/expectation as well as certain result/achievement/recognition/acknowledgement/accreditation/appreciation/compliment/encouragement to perform all kinds of action.

It's everyone's freedom for what they know and don't know, what they understand and don't understand, and what they think and don't think.