be free, be happy, be peaceful

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

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Inquire towards mental blockage and the practice of renunciation and dispassion

Mental blockage in the teachings of Yoga and Buddhism, is about when the mind is unwittingly being conditioned to think in certain way, to believe in certain belief, to analyze and judge everything under the influence of that particular way of thinking and belief, which influencing the mind to behave/act/react in certain way under the influence of ignorance, limited understanding/incorrect understanding, survival instinct, egoism and impurities.

And hence, the importance of mind purification process to free the mind from mental blockage even before being initiated into the different types of yoga practice for the thinking mind to silent itself, or to transcend its selfless function of the mind perception of a worldly life existence of names and forms, where both the perceiver and the perceived are subject to impermanence and selflessness.

Many yoga enthusiasts would think that the practice of renunciation and dispassion is the advance yoga practice that comes much later on the path of yoga, where it's only applicable to those who have been practicing yoga for a long time and who have already been through intense mind purification process.

Actually, renunciation and dispassion is indeed the basic practice that allows the mind purification process to be happening efficiently, by retreating and moving the mind away from such conditional worldly egoistic thinking and belief, to allow the mind to see the truth of things as it is, to free the mind from the habitual behavior pattern of egoistic thinking/judging/acting/reacting in certain way under the influence of ignorance, egoism and impurities.

The minds that are already free from ignorance, egoism and impurities don't even need to practice renunciation or dispassion, or any form of yoga practice.

It is because out of ignorance, egoism and impurities, most minds encounter great difficulty to free themselves from ignorance, egoism and impurities, as the mind only knows what it knows and what it knows are not necessarily the truth of what things are, and it's being conditioned by that limited impure and partial knowledge to be functioning and analyzing everything, and so, the important practice of renunciation and dispassion exists for helping the mind to be free from ignorance, egoism and impurities, practically and efficiently.

The minds are being told by this and that about what is good and bad, what is right and wrong, what is positive and negative, what is appropriate and inappropriate, what is happiness and unhappiness, what is deserving and non-deserving, what is meaningful and meaningless, what is joyful and painful sorrow, and so on. As long as the mind doesn't know how to be free from being conditioned by all those information/knowledge to analyze and judge everything, the mind will never be free even after spending the entire life span trying to practice yoga and meditation regularly looking forward to attain Samadhi, or to transcend suffering, as the modification of the mind is forever restless under the influence of ignorance, limited understanding/incorrect understanding, survival instinct, egoism and impurities.

In this present moment, the mind is free when the mind is free from being conditioned by any particular worldly egoistic impure thinking and belief, to think, analyze, judge and expect in certain way. The mind is not free it's because the presence of ignorance, egoism and impurities influencing the intellect of the mind to analyze and judge everything. Sincere renunciation and dispassion towards worldly affair, identity, connection, interaction and activity can practically help the mind to realize that freedom, that can purify the intellect efficiently and effortlessly, and not struggling by trying to analyze and reason everything under impure intellect influenced by ignorance, egoism and impurities.

Without renunciation and dispassion, the mind that wants to be free from suffering is like swimming in the ocean of sticky oil, while struggling to be free from sticky oil. The mind that is always swimming in the ocean of sticky oil is most probably got use to the presence of sticky oil, and it would be like fish out of water, if it comes out of the ocean of sticky oil.

After a prolonged period of time being dispassionate towards worldly object and engagement by retreating the mind from worldly egoistic affair, identity, connection, interaction and activity, then naturally, standing as a third party, the mind will start to be able to see the ignorance, selfishness, possessiveness and hilariousness in all kinds of worldly affair, identity, connection, interaction and activity under the influence of worldly egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, influenced by ignorance, survival instinct, egoism and impurities. It's like those who are not swimming in the ocean of sticky oil, who can clean themselves efficiently from sticky oil by getting out of the ocean of sticky oil, who are free from the inconvenience of sticky oil, and looking at those who are enjoying yet struggling swimming in the ocean of sticky oil.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Inquire towards egoistic reactions

The ego is pleased upon coming in contact with names and forms that it likes and agrees with.

It is displeased upon coming in contact with names and forms that it doesn't like and disagrees with.

It is happy and satisfied when it gets and experiences what it desires, and when it doesn't get or experience what it doesn't desire.

It is unhappy and dissatisfied when it gets and experiences what it doesn't desire, and when it doesn't get or experience what it desires.

It wants unrestricted freedom of expression and opinion for itself, to agree and disagree with something.

It allows limited freedom of expression and opinion for other people, to be restricted to express certain expression and opinion that it likes, desires and agrees with, that doesn't contradict its thinking and belief, but not allowing any kinds of expression or opinion that it doesn't like, doesn't desire and doesn't agree with, that contradicts its thinking and belief, especially if it's about other people's expression and opinion towards itself and everything that relates to itself.

It only welcomes agreement towards itself, while rejects and disallows any form of disagreements towards itself.

It feels offended, insulted, belittled, disrespected and hurt by other people's expression and opinion towards itself and anything that relates to itself, if those expressions and opinions are something that it doesn't like and disagrees with, even if those expressions and opinions are the truth, but it's inconvenient truth for the ego where it thinks it's going against itself, that is threatening something about itself, particularly when it's related to power and fame.

It feels satisfied, happy, pleased, respected and flattered by other people's expression and opinion towards itself and anything that relates to itself, if those expressions are what it likes and agrees with, even if those expressions are not really the truth, but it's convenient untruthfulness for the ego where it thinks it's favourable to itself, that is empowering something about itself, particularly when it's related to power and fame.

If the minds are not aware of this defilement in themselves when it is not too serious, when the minds still have certain awareness and self-control over the egoistic reactions, it would turn into a form of mental illness, where the minds are unable to reason or inquire the truth of anything, but living in a self-imagined 'perfect desirable reality' that is built according to what it likes and desires, and would be highly defensive and offensive towards the presence of any names and forms that it thinks and believes has the potential of contaminating, intimidating, threatening and damaging the 'perfect desirable reality' that it built for itself.

Yoga and Buddhism's essential practice is about mind purification of removing the defilement in the mind, to free the mind from ignorance and impurities. No doctor, or surgeon, or medicine, or Guru, or 'God', can remove the defilement in the mind but the mind itself. All minds are under the influence of certain degrees of defilement. Those who are fortunate to have awareness towards the defilement in the mind, and have self-control without being over-powered by the defilement, while be initiative to do something to eliminate defilement from the mind, is considered mentally healthy and matured. If the mind doesn't have awareness, and doesn't do anything about it, the defilement could expand to a greater degrees where the mind would be over-powered by the defilement, then it becomes a form of mental illness.

Those who are unfortunately suffering from mental illness, are losing the basic ability to process the thought activities, to reason and understand, where they cannot and don't know how to deal with certain or all the mind perception of names and forms, being confused and have no self-control over certain or all kinds of action and reaction. Those who are overly sensitive and easily being offended by this and that, who can't deal with and don't allow the presence of certain names and forms that they dislike and disagree with, where they think and believe that the presence of certain names and forms that they dislike and disagree with is the cause of all the disturbance in their minds, are indeed suffering from certain degrees of mental illness. Healthy minds have the basic ability to reason and understand, have self-control over actions and reactions, while allowing all kinds of likable and dislikable, agreeable and disagreeable names and forms being there as they are, without being determined or over-whelmed by all the names and forms being what they are.

The mind that is being determined by other people's perception or opinion towards itself, where it attaches onto and identifies with a personal and public self-identity and self-image that gives certain power and fame to itself that is being supported by some other people, will reject and disallow any forms of personal and public expression or opinion that appear to be disagreeable towards itself, or going against itself, as this mind doesn't want other people to come in contact with any personal and public expressions and opinions about itself that it thinks and believes will be threatening its power and fame relates to its particular public identity and image, and it wants to 'determine' how other people think and judge about itself, by 'controlling' and 'restricting' what type of personal and public expression and opinion to be exposed to other people, where it doesn't allow other people to be given the opportunity of coming in contact with all kinds of expressions and opinions as they are, to have the freedom to reason the truth of those expressions and opinions, and to make their own judgment towards any expressions and opinions, but this mind wants to control what people come in contact with, to 'make sure' that people only be exposed to expressions or opinions that will be in favour of its public identity and image, to secure its power and fame to be the way that it likes and desires. This mind is suffering from fear of losing the power and fame that it likes and desires.

A society that doesn't have the freedom of expression and opinion, that doesn't allow freedom of reasoning, that is being exposed to certain 'limited' and 'filtered' information, expression and opinion, with the intention to 'determine' and 'control' what people should and shouldn't be exposed to, in order to 'control' what people know and shouldn't know, that 'influencing' how people think, judge and believe, is unhealthy and detrimental to the long term over-all well-being of that society.

A healthy society that will make a country or the world strong and prosper, is when people are 'mentally matured', where people are being educated to develop the power of reasoning, to be exposed to all kinds of expression and opinion, and to have the freedom or opportunity to reason and make their own judgment towards what they want to agree and disagree with towards all kinds of information, expression and opinion. And that is the basic freedom or basic human rights, where people are free to reason and make their own judgment, regardless of whether people are agreeable or disagreeable towards certain information, expression and opinion based on their particular interest, thinking and belief.

A democratic country can be run by any leadership that is agreeable by the majority of the people, not by 'determining' or 'controlling' people's knowledge and judgment to be in favour of oneself to be in power, but by allowing the people to have the freedom to be exposed to all kinds of information as they are, to have the freedom to reason and make their own judgment, to agree and disagree, and to choose the leadership that serves the people unselfishly and non-discriminatively. It's not democracy, if the authority of a democratic country is afraid of losing power, that wants to keep in power, and will do whatever it can with the power that it has, to 'control' and 'determine' what the people know and shouldn't know, and what they agree and disagree with, in order to attain the support from the majority to keep in power.

A healthy society is made of mentally matured people who are free to agree and disagree with anything, who are free to reason everything, and free to express their thinking and opinion, while respecting everyone's freedom to have their own different opinions of agreement and disagreement towards everything based on their particular thinking and belief, without interference towards other people's different opinions, especially towards certain opinions that oneself disagrees with.

Everyone doesn't need to be determined by other people's freedom of expression and opinion, likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements towards oneself and/or everything.

Everyone doesn't need to agree with everything, while doesn't need to feel offended by something that oneself disagreeing with, and doesn't need to be offended by other people's freedom of expression and opinion of dislike and disagreement towards oneself, or towards one's particular thinking and belief.

There will be less anger, hatred and violence, but more peace and harmony in the world of diversity, if the world is occupying by human beings that are mentally matured and open-minded, even though there will always be many disagreements among human beings about many things due to the different thinking and belief and desire.

In another term, it's called 'sportsmanship'. All the people who involve in leadership in the world should first be endowed with the quality of 'sportsmanship' before being given the power to lead a government that is supposed to be serving the people, and not about 'controlling', 'oppressing', 'punishing' and 'prosecuting' the people who express their opinion of disagreement towards certain things, while doesn't allow freedom of knowledge and reasoning by 'controlling' and 'restricting' all kinds of expression and opinion, in order to control what people know and don't know, and what people should and shouldn't think and believe, in order to get enough support to keep in power.

Peace and harmony in the world or within a country, is not achieved by 'controlling' and 'unifying' what people should and shouldn't know, and 'determining' what people should and shouldn't think and believe, under the intention of promoting peace and harmony by having less disagreements in the world, but it's by allowing all kinds of agreements and disagreements to be existing in the world as they are, while respecting everyone's freedom of expression and opinion based on everyone's different knowledge, thinking and belief, without interference or oppression towards all kinds of disagreeable expressions and opinions deriving from different thinking and beliefs, that contradict one another.

When people are living under an oppressed society, where many people are suffering from certain degrees of mental illness, and are not mentally matured or open-minded, as people are being brought up in the way of being highly defensive towards their own particular identity, and being highly sensitive and offensive towards other people's freedom of expression and opinion, where people have no freedom of expression and opinion about anything, because people would be prosecuted under specific law and orders for their freedom of expression and opinion of agreement and disagreement, where people are being forced to have certain degrees of fear and tension most of the time dealing with many highly sensitive, defensive and offensive mentally-ill people around them, then how can that society be healthy and prosper?

When people are not living under an oppressed society, where most people are free from mental illness and are mentally matured and open-minded, where people have the freedom of expression and opinion about anything, where people won't be prosecuted under the law and orders for their freedom of expression and opinion of agreement and disagreement, then people can develop the power of reasoning and can learn from each other's different knowledge and opinion about everything, and the society can grow healthily and prosper.

Even so, it's everyone's freedom if someone wants to filter it's own expression and opinion, if one thinks that is necessary, for some reasons, out of one's free-will, and not out of legal restriction under an oppressed society. Such like, people can choose not to have any intentional violence or hypocrisy in their expression of thought, action and speech. It's part of the yoga practice for having self-control and self-restraint over one's thoughts, actions and speech, to restrain the outgoing tendency of the mind, turning the mind inward for self-introspection and contemplation, to not interfering with all the names and forms being there as they are, to allow the perceived reality to be what it is, not necessarily the way that the mind would like it to be.

Everyone has the freedom to restrict and filter their own expression and opinion, or not. Everyone has the freedom of how to react towards other people's expression and opinion, but none can interfere with other people's freedom of how they want to react towards all kinds of expression and opinion. People can be highly sensitive, defensive and offensive, if that's what they want to be. It's everyone's own responsibility towards one's own action and reaction.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Inquire towards the ego

The ego, is the ignorant idea of the delusive existence of a non-existing individual being identifying as 'I' in the thinking mind.

The ego is the 'I' that the mind thinks and believes that it exists as an individual being.

The ego doesn't exist, it's merely an idea of 'I' born out of ignorance.

The realization of selflessness, or egolessness, or 'I'lessness, takes place upon the mind realizes the truth of there's no 'I', or ego, or an individual being, existing.

If the ego doesn't exist, then why are the teachings of Yoga and Buddhism still teach and emphasize about eradicating the ego? There's no existence of an ego that needs to be eradicated, since it doesn't exist.

That is because out of ignorance, there's a delusive individual being existence deriving from the ignorant idea of 'I', or the ego, existing in the thinking mind in the form of a continuous flow of thought process, attaching onto and identifying with certain qualities of names and forms to be 'I', where this delusive 'I' or ego generates lots of unnecessary restlessness and suffering out of egoism and ignorance, that further gives rise to countless egoistic actions and reactions, and the consequences of actions and reactions, that generates ceaseless restlessness and suffering within the modification of the function of a perceptive thinking mind. And hence, the importance of eradicating the idea of 'I', or the non-existing ego, from the thinking mind, to free the mind from such restlessness and suffering.

Some practitioners got stuck in the practice of Yoga and Buddhism about the annihilation of the ego, because out of ignorance, they misunderstand that the ego is something separated and distinct from 'I', who they think is who they are, who exists as an individual being, where there's attachment and identification in the thinking mind generated towards the modification of the mind as 'This is I'. And they think that the true identity of who they really are, or who 'I' truly am, as an existing individual spiritual being, is currently experiencing restlessness of enjoyment and suffering due to the existence of the ego in 'I'. Out of ignorance, the mind thinks and believes that "As an individual being existing in this physical body, I am performing the practice to eradicate 'the ego' from I, or myself."

There's a false self-identity existing in the thinking mind identifying as "I am experiencing restlessness of enjoyment and suffering due to the ego." Meanwhile, it's merely some selfless impermanent names and forms arising and passing away within the selfless modification of the mind.

That self-identity of 'I' is indeed the ego. It's not about "I have an ego and I need to eradicate this ego from myself." But, it's merely the mind freeing the modification of the mind from the delusive idea of 'I', or the ego. It's not "I am eradicating the ego from what I think is who I am."

There's no 'I', or ego, or an individual being, being there to experience restlessness of enjoyment and suffering.

The state of selflessness is not about 'I' realized "I am an existing individual being that doesn't have an ego and I am free from the ego."

There's no "I am aware of my ego," or "I am observing my ego reacting." It's merely the mind is being aware of the influence of an ego and the egoistic reactions.

There's no existence of an individual being of 'I' existing to be identifying as "I don't have an ego and I am free from the ego," or "I am selfless," or "I realized selflessness."

It's just the truth of the modification of the mind (Thyself) as it is.

It's the thinking mind that has a yearning to be free from suffering, that performs practice to eradicate egoism from the modification of the mind, and realizes the truth of itself, or the function of the thinking faculty of the physical body that is subject to impermanence and selflessness, where upon the annihilation of egoism, there's is no ego, or 'I', or an individual being existing. The ego is merely a delusive self-identity in the form of thinking, born out of ignorance and egoism. There's no "I have an ego," or "I have no ego," or "I am eradicating the ego," or "The ego is being eradicated from I."

It's merely the selfless impermanent modification of the perceptive thinking mind acting as part of the function of the selfless impermanent physical body, and restlessly perceiving, acting either selflessly or out of the idea of 'I' (selfless action or egoistic action), and reacting (egoistic reaction out of the idea of 'I') towards all the perceived names and forms through the function of the senses via the sense organs.

Just like all the different egoless organs and bodily systems in the egoless physical body constantly performing selfless intentionless actions being supported by energy or selfless elements from the nature that allows the physical body to be existing and functioning, and eventually ceased functioning and existing (decomposing). There's no existence of an individual being to under go 'birth' or 'death', to enjoy or suffer between the birth and death of the selfless physical body with the perceptive thinking faculty.

Out of ignorance, the mind encounters great difficulty to go beyond the delusive existence of a false self-identity of a non-existing individual being, and couldn't transcend the perception of restlessness of enjoyment and suffering (duality) within the modification of the mind, even though the mind might get to experience the state of 'I'lessness in deep silent meditation. There's still the delusive identification of "I am experiencing enjoyment and suffering," or "I am good. I am bad. I enjoy. I suffer. I aspire. I inspire. I gain. I lost. I am pleased. I am hurt."

And hence, the mind still needs to work diligently on annihilating the egoism of both gross and subtle attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, until the ignorant idea of 'I' is completely vanished from the modification of the mind.

Upon the annihilation of egoism and the idea of 'I' from the modification of the mind, all kinds of perceived names and forms are just what they are, neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative, neither meaningful nor meaningless, neither enjoyment nor suffering, and all are impermanent and selfless.

Upon the annihilation of (the modification of) the mind, the world of impermanent names and forms doesn't exist. There's only nameless, formless, attributeless, beginningless, endless, changeless, infinite, identical, non-separate ATMAN / BRAHMAN - Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya, Jivo Bramaiva Naparah

The mind that truly realizes this, is fearless, even when the mortal impermanent physical body is under going impermanent changes, of decaying, aging, pain, old age and disintegration, inevitably.

Or else, as long as there are traces of ignorance and egoism, where there's still a delusive existence of an individual being, existing in the thinking mind, identifying as the one who is the doer of actions, the enjoyer of the fruit of actions, and who is the one experiencing restlessness of enjoyment and suffering, due to the gratification and non-gratification of the passionate egoistic desire of craving and aversion, the mind is not free, even though it has the opportunity of getting a glance of the state of selflessness in deep meditation.

Suffering doesn't exist for the selfless minds that know Thyself.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Inquire towards culture

Culture is a name and form represents human beings particular way of thinking, conduct and living under a particular belief, values and practice. Everyone has their own particular personal culture along with a family or community culture that one attaching onto and identifying with. Even if someone intentionally not following or practicing any particular family or community culture in the world, one is still thinking, behaving, doing things and living life in one's own way of one's particular personal culture.

Just like all kinds of impermanent names and forms, culture is just what it is. It serves a purpose for most people in this world of impermanence to live life and do things in certain way, dealing with desirable and undesirable events and experiences. It's neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong. Although some people might be disturbed or offended by some other people's particular culture, or be offended by how other people perceive and react towards one's particular culture that is not perceiving and reacting in the way that one would like it to be.

For many people, life appears to be more meaningful and less depressing if they live life according to their specific culture.

Most cultures involve certain celebrations/ceremonies and have certain ritual practices. There is particular type of food consumption for everyday life and particularly in certain ceremonies, following a particular way of gathering, storing, preparing, cooking, serving and eating food. It can turn into a form of OCD if people overly attached onto a particular way of doing things and living (a form of ritual relates to appropriateness/disappropriateness and auspiciousness/inauspiciousness), where people would feel disturbed or unrest if for some reasons they are unable to follow or accomplish every details of their particular cultural practice. There are many do(s) and don't(s) in everyday life, particularly during particular celebration, ceremony, or funeral.

Some people don't need to celebrate any kinds of celebrations and don't need to have any ritual practice, or don't need to have specific type of funeral arrangement after death. That itself is a form of culture of their own.

Intentional simplicity or minimalism, is also a form of culture. Spontaneously allowing everything to be what they are, without intention to be simple or not simple, without any superstitious belief and ritual practice is also a form of culture of its own.

Some cultures might create more inconvenience and restriction in life for oneself and/or others, while some cultures provide more easiness and freedom in life for everyone.

Some people are proud of their inherited culture, while some people want to runaway from their inherited culture. Some cultures advocate discrimination and violent abusive treatment towards certain gender, sexual orientation, skin tone, body shape, facial features, behavior, way of life, way of doing things, body or mental limitation/disability, or even bodily functions such as women's menstruation, and etc.

The many different types of culture in the world were being gradually developed under the influence of certain areas, climates, ethnicities, beliefs, values and practices, that influence people's way of thinking, conduct and living, is something common and a necessity for the majority of the worldly society. While some people live life as it is, do what is possible and let go what is impossible in the present moment that is subject to impermanent changes of the condition and situation in life, without has to be following any particular culture/ritual of particular thinking, belief, values and practice.

For many people, their particular family and community culture that set as a guideline for them and their future generations to think, do things, behave and live life in certain way is something very important for them, where they want to maintain and strengthen the connection and support among one another within the family or community via empowering their particular culture. Keeping their specific culture alive and strong for as long as possible, is part of the human's nature of survival instinct, as well as 'the urge to control everything to be in certain way according to my desire'.

Cultures are subject to impermanent changes and extinction, and are constantly evolving influenced by the present changes in the world, particularly due to the exposure of education and science that debunks many types of superstitious beliefs and practices, but also due to the existence of political authoritarianism in certain countries that advocates protection towards self-interest and control via discrimination, interference and oppression.

While certain cultures would still retain certain values and practices from the very beginning of its forming, even though certain values and practices might be irrelevant or ridiculous under the knowledge of science, but somehow, the minds might find certain comfort in those values and practices.

The survival of any existing culture needs the support and engagement of a group of people as many as possible. Without people supporting, practicing or propagating a particular belief, values and practice, that particular culture will disappear or doesn't exist.

Someone might live life in one's own way that might be distinctive from all the others, then that specific way of living will be gone upon the end of this person's life. Or, maybe some others who happen to know this person's specific way of living, and they would like to learn and adopt this person's specific way of living, then this particular culture of a specific way of living might go on, or even expanding, and could be evolving into some other forms of culture.

Certain cultures are eventually disappearing from the world when less and less people following, practicing and propagating a particular culture. Certain cultures are being manipulated into something different from its origin. Meanwhile, mix cultures or new cultures will constantly cropping up in the world. Some last longer, while some last for a short while. Some cultures were gone for some time, but are being revived by certain people.

Certain people welcoming certain new cultures or mix cultures, while certain people don't like the idea of mix cultures or new cultures that they think is a form of threat or contamination towards their particular culture, where they have fear towards the extinction of their own particular culture as well as fear towards the threat or contamination from other existing cultures or any new cultures that they feel are intimidating the existence and authenticity of their particular cultural belief, values and practice.

Something that needs to be maintained, that is impermanent, that will change, is considered 'unreal' under the teachings of Yoga and Buddhism.

In certain society, without following any particular cultural belief, values and practice that they know, is unthinkable or unlivable for them.

Most people want their own particular culture to be preserved and be respected by all the others. People would feel very disturbed or offended if their culture is under what they think is a threat, or what they think is being disrespected or insulted by some others, either intentionally or unintentionally.

As yoga practitioners, we respect everyone's different cultures without interference. Understanding that everyone has their own freedom to follow or adopt any kinds of culture that they want to follow and practice, that guides them to live life or do things in a particular way that make them feel most comfortable.

Yoga practitioners also can follow and practice a particular culture that they inherited, or adopted, or invented, but without attachment and identification with that particular culture.

Any forms of culture is just a way of living and doing things in life, it's not who or what 'I' am.

Only through non-attachment and non-identification towards any particular culture, belief, values and practice, the mind can be open to inquire the truth of everything, including one's particular culture. Being free from egoistic pride and protectiveness, the mind is undisturbed by all the impermanent changes in the world, as well as how others perceive or react towards one's particular culture of particular way of living and doing things.

Just like having its influence in everything else in this world, commercialism has its strong influence in all kinds of different cultures, promoting or even inventing all kinds of cultural celebrations, festivals and ceremonies that highly supporting the world of commercialism, creating 'jobs' and 'business' for different people, or under the name of supporting and empowering 'The Economy'.

Living under certain cultures and in certain countries can be so stressful. It's like someone needs to be skillfully walking on eggs all the time, where one has to be very careful not to do or say many things that are being perceived as offensive towards certain culture, or it's an offense towards the law and orders of the country.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Saturday, February 6, 2021

Inquire towards disseminating the teachings of yoga in the yoga class

Some people are appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to be learning about the teachings of yoga in the yoga class, where they can reflect and implement the yoga teachings that they learned into their physical yoga practice and daily life, to free the mind from ignorance, egoism and impurities - the root cause of restlessness and suffering.

While some people get very irritated and disturbed upon coming in contact with the teachings of yoga in the yoga class, where they only want to do some physical yoga practice that give them some momentary calmness, good feelings and pleasant sensations, as well as some momentary relief from certain physical/mental/emotional tension. Out of their own particular reasons, they are not interested to be learning any teachings or practice about eradicating ignorance, egoism, and impurities, the root cause of tension, unhappiness, hurts, disturbs, violence, anger, restlessness and suffering. That's their freedom.

In the same yoga class, some will feel calmed and relaxed as they let go of attachment, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, while some are generating more tension as they are over-powered by strong attachment, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation. It’s nothing to do with the yoga class being in certain way, or how the teacher conducts the class. It's the same in daily life.

There’s nothing wrong with people don’t like yoga classes that teach about the teachings of yoga. It's everyone's freedom for what they want and don't want to learn and practice, as well as agreeing or disagreeing with anything. There are many yoga classes in the world that don't mention about the teachings of yoga.

There’s nothing wrong also with yoga teachers who teach about the teachings of yoga in the yoga class that is about yoga.

It’s like people want to eat Nasi Lemak, and they come to a Nasi Lemak restaurant ordered and paid for a plate of Nasi Lemak, but then they are disappointed and angry when the Nasi Lemak is not what they expect it to be. They didn’t like coconut milk, or pandanus, or chillies, or cucumbers, or peanuts, or onions, or anchovies, or egg, or rice, or Nasi Lemak as it is. May it be due to allergic reason, or taste-wise, or the type of ‘Nasi Lemak’ that they had eaten before is nothing to do with Nasi lemak as it is. Out of ignorance, some even demand a refund, and then give ‘bad review’ to this restaurant for serving and selling Nasi Lemak that is not what they expect it to be. Some even want to stop the restaurant from serving or selling Nasi Lemak as it is to other people who want to eat Nasi Lemak as it is. It’s okay if one day nobody wants to eat Nasi Lemak as it is, and nobody wants to prepare, cook or serve Nasi Lemak as it is.

However, even if people have been reading a lot of books about yoga and hearing a lot of teachings from somebody, accumulating lots of information or knowledge about yoga, it doesn’t guarantee that the mind is free from ignorance and suffering, as all these accumulated information and knowledge doesn’t remove the ignorance or egoism in the mind, but only serve the purpose for the mind to reflect upon, to inquire towards the truth of everything under a purified intellect and calmed mind, to implement the teachings into the physical yoga practice and daily life, eradicating the ego and egoism, and attaining self-realization through direct experience, which will free the mind from ignorance and suffering.

Getting all kinds of physical and mental health and fitness benefits from performing the physical yoga practice without implementing the teachings of eliminating the ego and egoism, it doesn’t lead the mind towards liberation from ignorance and suffering. It’s like owning and sitting in a very good looking expensive car that oneself feels proud of and attracting other people’s attention and admiration, but the car has no functional engine and steering wheel as well as the fuel that allow oneself to drive the car to reach any destination.

And hence, the teachings and the practice cannot be separated. It’s like the handle and the blade of a knife. Both are equally important for the knife to be functioning. The person who uses the knife also needs to be equipped with the basic common sense of how to use the knife efficiently and safely. The knife itself has no intention to be good or bad, useful or useless. It's not the responsibility of the knife whether people use it wisely or ignorantly.

More importantly, one doesn't need to practice any teachings or practice that the mind dislike and disagree with, but one shouldn't be disturbed by the teachings or practice of yoga that one doesn't like or disagree with. Regardless of agreement or disagreement towards the teachings of yoga, the students of yoga shouldn't blind-believing, blind-following, blind-practicing or blind-propagating, but to inquire towards the truth of everything, including all the teachings of yoga, to attain direct experience and realization.

This is indeed practical in life, as we all will come in contact with something that our minds don’t like and don’t agree with, from time to time. The yoga practice is about non-attachment, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment and non-expectation in daily life that allows all the names and forms that our minds like and dislike, agree and disagree with, to be what they are, to be there as they are, without being determined or disturbed by names and forms that our minds don’t like and don’t agree with under the influence of our particular worldly social/cultural/religious/spiritual/educational thinking, belief, values and practice.

Teaching the yoga students about yoga or performing some yoga practice without the teachings of yoga, is like giving a cup of ‘bitter-gourd water’ to the yoga students without the bitter-gourd juice, and tell them, “I am giving you bitter-gourd water to taste. This is bitter-gourd water, even though I deliberately omit the bitter-gourd juice as I’m afraid you might not like the taste of bitter-gourd juice.” There are quite some people don’t like the taste of bitter-gourd, and that’s their freedom. Just by drinking the water without the bitter-gourd juice is good also. Although the bitter-gourd juice provides certain elements that the water doesn't have. But when people come to us and are asking for bitter-gourd water because they know they can get bitter-gourd water from us, we give them bitter-gourd water with the bitter-gourd juice, and not giving them ‘bitter-gourd water’ without the bitter-gourd juice, or replacing the bitter-gourd juice with sweet lime juice or orange juice pretending to be ‘bitter-gourd water made with bitter-gourd juice’, and let them decide whether they want to drink the bitter-gourd water, or not, even if they might not like the taste of bitter-gourd in the beginning, but they might get use to it after some time and see the goodness of it, or maybe not. Some even have strong averse reaction towards it, and never want to try it again. That’s their freedom.

If people only want water, they are not interested in bitter-gourd juice, they can get water easily in many other places. As this place is particularly about supplying bitter-gourd water.

Some suggest that adding some sugar or other sweet juice in it, so that it’s more acceptable to most people’s taste, but, it won’t be the same as pure bitter-gourd water. It’s because the people only like the additional sweetness from the sugar and not liking the bitter-gourd taste itself, and no matter how long they have been liking to drink bitter-gourd water with added sugar, but once we stop adding sugar, they wouldn’t want to drink it anymore. 

Just like many yoga teachers modify the yoga class and/or the yoga practice to gratify people’s desire of craving and aversion to attract people’s interest in doing some form of the yoga practice, as well as emphasizing on the usage of ‘non-offensive suggestive words’ that are more pleasing to the ego, that doesn’t irritate the ego so much, it doesn’t really help them to be free from ignorance and egoism, but it empowers ignorance and egoism of the people. And that’s their freedom as well.

The 'words', or the 'tones', or the 'volumes' have no quality of 'offensive' or 'non-offensive'. It's the degree of sensitivity coming from the minds that project 'offensive' or 'non-offensive' onto the different words, tones and volumes. Without teaching the minds how to be free from the ego, egoism and duality, but instead, trying to please, protect and pamper the ego of the minds, to avoid anything that might appear to be 'offensive' to the ego, it doesn't help to eradicate the ego, but empower it.

The adjustment, adaptation and accommodation in the teachings of yoga, is not about to make adjustment in the names and forms to adapt and accommodate the prideful egoistic mind, but it's the egoistic mind needs to make the adjustment to adapt and accommodate all the mind perception of names and forms being what they are, as they are.

If the prideful egoistic minds refuse to let go of the ego even before learning the physical yoga practice, and have strong aversion towards the teachings of yoga, and only want to do the physical yoga practice, it's their freedom, even if they are not really practicing yoga. Only the minds that are willing to let go of the ego, the practice of yoga begins as it is, even without any intention or expectation.

When we modify the yoga practice or the yoga class to accommodate the desire of craving and aversion of the egoistic minds, people only like yoga being the way that they desire, they don’t really like yoga as it is. No matter how long people have been enjoying doing yoga that is being modified to the way that they desire, but then once they are being asked to practice yoga as it is, they wouldn’t want to practice yoga anymore. Some people have been practicing yoga for many years and even possessed many yoga teachers certifications, but they complaint about many things that they think it’s the cause of their unhappiness, disturbs, hurts, disappointment and suffering.

In the end, yoga is about Silence. Many minds want to be in silence, but most minds are too restless to be in silence. Many people complaint that their minds can’t concentrate or be quiet, which they believe is due to external ‘disturbance’ and ‘distraction’. 

What hinders the mind to be silent, is restlessness, or violent thought currents, or ‘disturbance’ and ‘distraction’ arising from within the mind due to ignorance and egoism. The mind couldn’t be quiet, even if the surrounding environment is completely quiet. And hence, all the teachings are there to help the minds to be free from restlessness, to quiet the ever-restless thought currents, or to annihilate ‘disturbance’ or ‘distraction’ from within the mind.

Out of ignorance, many people misunderstand about annihilating ‘disturbance’ or ‘distraction’ means avoiding names and forms that they think is ‘disturbing’ or ‘distracting’ the mind. The ‘disturbance’ and ‘distraction’ in the mind is deriving from the mind itself, constantly and autonomously reacting towards the mind perception of names and forms through the senses, due to egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation. It’s not because of the names and forms, or the experiences, or the surrounding environment that the mind perceives through the senses being ‘disturbing’ or ‘distracting’. 

By avoiding coming in contact with certain names and forms or environment that the mind thinks is being ‘disturbing’ or ‘distracting’ might induce momentary conditional calmness/quietness or ‘silence’ to the mind, but, that is conditional and impermanent. It’s not the unconditional silence that is always there being undetermined by all the impermanent names and forms arising and passing away, which is there as it is, upon the mind is free from restlessness deriving from ignorance and egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation. 

And hence, out of compassion, the teacher guides the students in the way that allows them to develop the correct understanding and be equipped with the essential practice that can help to free their minds from ignorance and egoism through their own will, effort, discipline, inquiry, direct experience and realization. Whether the students will be successfully developing the correct understanding, or make use of the essential practice, or be free from ignorance and egoism, or not, it’s not the teacher’s responsibility. 

If the students are never being given the opportunity to come in contact with the teachings, to reflect upon the teachings, to try to practice the teachings, regardless of whether they will be successful, or not, as the teachers decided that they don’t want to teach about the teachings of yoga to all or some of the students selectively, expecting that all the students will eventually be free from ignorance, egoism, restlessness and suffering at their own cause just by participating in ‘silent yoga practice’ in the yoga class without the need of expounding any teachings for them to reflect upon, to implement into their yoga practice and daily life, then it’s the responsibility of the teachers for not teaching yoga with the teachings to the students that allow them to at least have the opportunity to decide whether they want to practice the teachings of yoga as it is, or not. 

After the teachers have done their best to deliver the teachings and practice to the students, then it's the responsibility of the students themselves whether to practice the teachings and practice, or not, and whether they will be free from ignorance and suffering, or not. Some yoga enthusiasts have been 'loving' yoga and 'practicing' yoga for many years, but they are still under the influence of ignorance and egoism very much, and that's their own responsibility. Everyone takes their own pace to evolve. It's neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong. As people can be 'practicing' and 'teaching' yoga for their entire life under certain 'Guru' or 'lineage' with the intense yearning to be free from ignorance and suffering, but not everyone attains 'the highest goal', but it's okay. More importantly, it's the non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison and non-expectation towards the effort and the fruit of the effort that allows the mind to have peace, regardless of how much challenges, obstacles, difficulties or limitations arise on the path, while being aware of the presence of ignorance and suffering in itself, or in the world. That is already a 'success' in the yoga practice.

While some people never practice yoga might be free from ignorance and suffering, as they know what is non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison and non-expectation.

There are very few minds are at higher level of consciousness where they don’t need to practice anything or let go anything, as they are already free from ignorance and egoism, restlessness and suffering. They don’t need to attend yoga classes to learn or practice anything. These people don’t need to practice yoga or meditation, at all, and they are wise, compassionate and peaceful unconditionally. But, most minds are under the influence of ignorance and egoism, and they are in need of the help of the teachings to be reflecting upon, to implement into the yoga practice and daily life, to find out what is going on in their minds, to eradicate egoism and impurities, which will free the mind from restlessness, that allows the mind to know Thyself, to see the truth of names and forms as it is.

Those who are free from restlessness and suffering, they don’t need to learn, understand or practice the teachings of yoga. Those who are not free from restlessness and suffering, but they are not interested to be free from restlessness and suffering, that’s their freedom. While those who want to be free from restlessness and suffering, who are interested to learn and practice yoga to transcend restlessness and suffering, they need to be able to surrender the ego, pride and arrogance, to be humble, patient and determine to learn, study, inquire and practice the teachings of yoga by implementing into the yoga practice and daily life.

After attended classes humbly receiving or learning the teachings of yoga to be reflecting upon, even repeatedly hearing the same teachings over and over again, until the basic foundation is firmly built, to be implementing into the yoga practice and daily life, one retreats into seclusion or solitude, without the need of supervision, or instruction, or help, or encouragement from a teacher, to perform self-practice independently in silence, without attachment, identification, craving, aversion, judgment, comparison, or expectation, without being determined by the surrounding environment, or the mind perception of names and forms, or the fruit of the yoga practice.

Those who said they want to learn and practice yoga, as they want to be free from restlessness and suffering, but they are too proud and impatient to learn, study, inquire and practice the teachings of yoga, but just interested in getting the momentary relief, calmness and good feelings deriving from performing some physical yoga practice in silence, or getting the momentary satisfaction from gratifying their desire of craving and aversion, and are not interested to free the mind from the root cause of restlessness and suffering, that’s their freedom.

Many yoga practitioners or teachers are still not free from ignorance, egoism, restlessness and suffering even after many years of attending ‘silent mindfulness yoga classes’ that deliberately doesn’t deliver any forms of teachings about freeing the mind from the ego and egoism, with the intention to minimize ‘distraction’ or ‘disturbance’ as much as possible, to allow the students to pay full attention of ‘mindfulness’ to look into their own minds and they will know Thyself. After many years of performing yoga practice in silent yoga class that doesn’t talk about the essential teachings and practice of letting go the ego and egoism, the minds are still being determined and disturbed by all the mind perception of names and forms, being disturbed by ungratified desires, because they never practice how to free the mind from ignorance and egoism.

Those who want or need to attend classes, as they can’t or don’t want to perform self-practice in seclusion and solitude, as they want to be accompanied by and interacting with some other people, and they need some guidance or instruction from someone to be performing the yoga practice, or they have the desire to be getting or learning something (that they want) from the teacher, while expecting the teacher to teach or not teaching the class in certain way, and they cannot allow the teacher to teach what they teach and how they teach, where they only want to do some physical yoga practice the way that they like, but at the same time, they get very agitated, disappointed, dissatisfied and disturbed when the yoga class is not being the way that they expect it to be, where they would get very irritated by the yoga teacher disseminating the teachings of yoga in the yoga class, or they have strong aversion towards hearing about the same teachings repeatedly, or performing the same practice repeatedly that they think they already know very well, and they think it’s the fault of the yoga teacher or the yoga class being bad and wrong for the presence of agitation, disappointment, dissatisfaction and disturbance in their minds, it indicates that they still have a lot to learn.

While some people get frustrated and irritated is because they only want to do some physical yoga practice in silence throughout the entire yoga class, but the teacher is disseminating some yoga teachings in the yoga class for the students who want to learn about the teachings of yoga, which irritates them very much. The irritation arise in their minds is due to their desire is not being gratified, where the yoga class is not being the way that they want it to be. It's not the fault of the yoga teacher or the yoga class being what it is, if someone doesn't like how the teacher teaches the class, or doesn't like the yoga class that is about disseminating and practicing the teachings of yoga about eradicating the ego and egoism while performing the yoga practice and in daily life.

A yoga class is for people to come to learn about yoga and practice yoga under the guidance of a teacher. If people don't need to learn any teachings or don't need any guidance from a teacher, as they think they already know enough about the teachings and practice, and they want a mindful silent yoga practice without any guidance, they should be performing self-practice in seclusion and solitude. Why are they attending the yoga class that is supposed to be a teacher giving some teachings and guidance, but then they get irritated with the yoga class for being what it is? Unless it is a specific silent yoga class where all and everyone already know how to perform the yoga practice without the need of any teachings or guidance.

This is what happens when people are being taught to perform yoga practice in silence without being taught about the essential teachings and implementing the teachings into the physical yoga practice. Those who truly understand about yoga and the yoga practice, they won't be disturbed, frustrated, disappointed or angry when things are not being the way that they would like it to be. 

Even if the mind is being disturbed by something, the well-trained mind understands what is going on, and knows how to just observe the disturbance, without attachment or identification, without judgment or expectation, knowing that it's impermanent, and will pass away.

Those who truly understand what is mindfulness, they are being mindful under any conditions and situations, regardless of all the names and forms arising and passing away, without attachment, identification, craving, aversion, judgment, or expectation, without being determined or disturbed by the presence or absence of certain desirable or undesirable names and forms in the present moment, without trying to ‘control’ anything to be in certain way, allowing everything to be there as they are, which then allows them to be mindful unconditionally and effortlessly, while performing or not performing certain action. It's not about selectively choosing a particular subject or object that they want to be mindful about, and get very frustrated when they feel they are being disturbed or distracted by the presence of any other names and forms that they don't want to be mindful about. Such as, they think they cannot practice mindfulness when the teacher is disseminating the teachings of yoga while they want to be mindful towards the physical yoga practice in silence, that irritates them very much.

Hearing and reflecting upon the teachings of yoga, and implementing the teachings into the physical yoga practice doesn’t make the minds agitated or restless. It’s the reaction of aversion and disagreement coming from the mind towards the teachings being disseminated that give rise to the disturb/irritation/restlessness in the mind, from the mind itself. 

It’s the craving and expectation towards “Yoga is about mindfulness in silence. I need to be mindful towards the physical yoga practice in silence without any external disturbance or distraction,” and the aversion towards the presence of undesirable/disagreeable sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, feelings and thoughts are not being gratified, that gives rise to the disturb/irritation/restlessness in the mind, from the mind itself. Because these minds have not come in contact with any teachings about going beyond the modification of the mind and how to free the mind from egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, that allows all the other practices to be happening simultaneously and effortlessly.

Meanwhile, out of worldly passionate egoistic sympathy or empathy, there are many ‘yoga teachers’ are either wittingly or unwittingly empowering the ignorance and egoism in the students by carefully handling their easily be hurt and offended ego by not doing, or saying, or teaching anything that they don’t like and don’t agree with, and empowering the prideful ego with praise and compliment and things that they like and agree with, while gratifying their desire of craving and aversion, to please, comfort and satisfy their minds by giving them what they desire, and avoid giving them what they don’t desire, as well as encouraging mental and emotional dependence among one another, comforting and supporting one another, so that both the teachers and the students will feel love, good, joyful and meaningful through such bonding or connection, that is also conditional and impermanent.

Compassion, that allows the minds to be free from ignorance and suffering, is being seen as ‘coldness’ and ‘harshness’ by the worldly passionate egoistic sympathetic and empathetic minds, not knowing that the act of ‘sympathy and empathy’ void of wisdom and compassion is actually empowering ignorance and egoism, which hinders the minds to be free from suffering from the root. The same yoga teacher who gives the same teachings in the same class is being perceived as 'compassionate' by some students and 'mean' by some other students under the different states of mind. Meanwhile, the yoga teacher is just what it is, neither compassionate nor mean.

The teachings of yoga and the practice doesn’t discriminate anyone, regardless of whether people only want to practice some of the practices, or disagree with some of the teachings and practices, or misinterpreting the teachings, or modifying the practices, or only want to do the physical practice without any teachings, or adding in one’s worldly ideas, belief and practice, or commercialized it, or claimed authorization over it, or trademarking certain names and forms, or using it to gain selfish desire, or whatever human minds can do with it. And whatever human minds do with it, agree or disagree with it, take it or leave it, practicing or stop practicing, realizing something or haven’t realize anything, being peaceful or disturbed, being liberated from suffering or not, it doesn’t determine or affect the teachings and its practice being what it is.

The truth won’t be contaminated or changed by anything. All is impermanent and selfless.

It’s up to oneself.

Some yogis might have already transcended ignorance, who are selfless and compassionate, but they are not interested at all to teach yoga to anyone, as the ignorance in the minds of the world are too deep even for igniting the initial process of purification. They renounce worldly actions and are resting in Silence. There’s nothing selfish or wrong with that.

Minds that are smart, intelligent and knowledgeable, might not have the interest, humility or patience to learn, study, inquire and practice the teachings of yoga.

Many intellectual people might have come across with the term of “the practice of dispassion and non-attachment” for many times, but they don't know what is dispassion and non-attachment, and still have strong passion and attachment towards all the selfless impermanent names and forms, and are not free from disturbs, hurts, offensiveness, frustration, anger, disappointment, fear, worry, guilt, regret, painful sorrow and suffering even after many years of practicing some physical yoga practice in silence because they never inquire towards what is dispassion and non-attachment, never practice dispassion and non-attachment, and not knowing how to free the mind from passion and attachment.

Such as the basic teaching and practice of "letting go" – "If it's too painful to hold a burning hot object, just put it down and let it go," and "If one doesn't want to let go and continues to feel hurt by something that is hurtful, it's one's own responsibility." Most people understand what these sentences mean literally, but still, many people struggle very hard with "letting go", or couldn't let go something that they think is "disturbing" or "hurtful", even after many years of trying to let go, because they have no interest and patience to get to know and practice the teachings that guide them on how to inquire towards the truth of what they think is "disturbing" or "hurtful", even if they are smart, intelligent and knowledgeable. And that's their freedom.

Even the teachers who repeatedly mention the term of "letting go" for many times to their students in their yoga class, if without knowing how to inquire towards the truth of "letting go" and "the object of letting go", they themselves also couldn't let go of something that they think is disturbing or hurtful. They might be learning how to let go certain physical tension during the physical yoga practice session, and physical, mental and emotional tension are inter-related to one another, where mental and emotional tension will also be released when the physical tension is released, but they couldn't let go mental and emotional tension from the root as well as they are continuing accumulating tension in daily life, as they didn't inquire towards the truth of all those tension.

Those who realized selflessness and compassion, there is nothing to let go, there's no need to let go of anything, as there is nothing being accumulated that need to be letting go, and there's no one there that needs to let go anything. But in the process of attaining that realization, the ignorant egoistic passionate mind needs to let go many things.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

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About Yoga

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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