Ignorance, the mind, and the purification process

The perception of the suffering from inevitable restlessness of selfless impermanent changes gives rise to the desire to know the cause of suffering.

Knowing ignorance is the root cause of suffering and being aware of ignorance in this mind initiates the yearning of seeking liberation from ignorance.

Seek not for enlightenment from other than within.

Look within, and this mind will see how the veil of ignorance is deceiving this perceptive cognitive intellectual egoistic thinking faculty all the time.

To seek the truth from within, this mind must first be able to be unattached towards the modification of the mind, or what it thinks and identifies as "I and the world of everything that I perceive in my life existence", then, it needs to engage in certain training or practice that help to calm down or restrain the ever restless modification of the mind, where it's a prolonged and intense purification process.

The restless modification of the mind is nothing but gross and subtle attachment and desire. Upon the complete annihilation of gross and subtle attachment and desire, there is no mind activity, but only pure consciousness.

Without dispassion and renunciation from the worldly affair, relationship, connection, interaction and activity that is being empowered by and empowering ignorance and egoism at the same time, it's extremely difficult for the mind to be non-attaching, non-identifying and non-associating with the modification of the mind or the perception of life existence, and couldn't detach from the thought process that gives rise to the delusive but concrete idea of 'I' existing as an individual being and everything that 'I' perceive, experience, interact and connect with, where 'I' am of and belonging to certain qualities of names and forms, where 'I' possess and continuously accumulating and possessing certain qualities of names and forms, where all these names and forms are determining 'I' for being what and who 'I' am.

Out of survival instinct, there's root desire for safeguarding and procreation, where animals or human beings gather in a community and create a territory of their own. Renunciation from the worldly community and connection of family, relatives and friends, of observing silence in seclusion and solitude and self-reliance is extremely 'insane', 'bad' and 'wrong' for the minds that are being conditioned deeply by the egoistic behavior pattern and way of living under the influence of survival instinct.

All kinds of worldly connection and relationship of ancestry, tribe, race, community, family, relatives and friends determining "what and who 'I' am" for the mind under the veil of ignorance. It's unthinkable or wrong for the mind towards the truth of Selflessness, where there's no permanent individual being existence of 'I', not to say, all kinds of momentary connection and relationship are not what or who 'I' am.

The selfless impermanent modifications of the mind, where there's a continuous stream of thinking thinks it exists as an individual being, where there's a perceiver perceiving the perceived, where selfless impermanent thoughts, cognition, memories, imaginations, actions, reactions, feelings and emotions arising and passing away ceaselessly, where the perceptive intellectual assertive thinking faculty perceives names and forms through the senses of the selfless impermanent physical body, all are not what or who 'I' am.

Out of ignorance, there's intense attachment. From attachment, there are different identifications with certain selfless impermanent names and forms, there's boundless desire of craving and aversion, there's subjective judgment and comparison, there's intention and expectation, there's inspiration and aspiration, there's ceaseless action and reaction and the consequences of action and reaction, there's longing and clinging, there's anger, hurt, disappointment, fear and worry due to ungratified desires, and there's inevitable suffering deriving from endless dissatisfaction and restlessness due to the nature of all the names and forms is impermanence and selflessness.

All THESE are nothing but selfless impermanent manifestation within the modification of the mind.

Mind purification to eradicate all THESE is essential for Self-realization, to be free from ignorance and suffering deriving from ignorance.

Except for those minds that already be equipped with dispassion and non-attachment, it's greatly difficult for the passionate sympathetic/empathetic minds that never get a chance to move away from the worldly affair, connection, relationship, interaction and activity, to be unattached towards all kinds of mind perception of names and forms, especially all kinds of connection and relationship, to be free from identifications and desires, to allow the mind to have the chance to be quiet.

The passionate sympathetic/empathetic minds are being conditioned to be disturbed by the sense of guilt, wrongfulness, loneliness, weakness and meaninglessness towards renouncing worldly affair, connection, relationship, interaction and activity, to observe silence in seclusion and solitude for a prolonged period of time.

The passionate minds that have intense attachment of craving and clinging towards the presence of connection, relationship, interaction and activity with 'some other beings' that give rise to the sense of love, joy, acknowledgement, appreciation and meaningfulness, will experience great physical/mental/emotional pain and suffering from mental/emotional breakdown if they are being cut off from such connection, relationship, interaction and activity for a prolonged period of time.

Though many people would see mental/emotional breakdown and physical discomfort and pain or illness as something bad, negative and unhealthy, but for the Yoga and Buddhism practitioners, it's something very common and it is not something bad or unhealthy at all, especially during the mind purification process on the path of Yoga and Buddhism. There are many emotions and mental/physical discomfort and pain arising and passing away during the purification process. Layers and layers of mental/emotional blockage are being released when the modification of the mind is being restrained. It's an indication of how the mind function, act and react under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

During the prolonged mind purification process, there might be not just once, but many different times and degrees of mental/emotional breakdown on different stages. While intense physical discomfort and pain or illness, are the common manifestation of the purification process. It can be scary for many minds.

It requires great determination, perseverance and boldness, and certain degrees of non-attachment and non-identification for the mind to go through the entire mind purification process, to eliminate the veil of ignorance from the root.

If these minds can go beyond all those mental/emotional breakdown(s) and physical discomfort and pain or illness, and proceed with the deeper mind purification process, they would advance further on the path towards Self-realization.

While many minds couldn't go beyond that mental/emotional breakdown, or mental/emotional/physical discomfort and pain, and would rather stop and give up. As these minds are being conditioned to think and believe that mental/emotional breakdown or physical pain and illness is something bad and unhealthy, while the ego has strong aversion towards being 'weak and powerless'. And that's their freedom of thinking, action and inaction.

The ego only wants to be acknowledged and identified by itself and others as "I am strong. I am not weak," and "I am in control."

The mental/emotional breakdown makes the ego feels weak and powerless or out of control. "I am weak. I am not strong," and "I am not in control," which is something unpleasant that it doesn't like or want at all.

Due to deep rooted ignorance, those who can't or reluctant to face challenges/difficulties alone by oneself, or the minds that always seek comfort, love, joy, understanding, acknowledgement, meanings of life, sympathy and empathy from some others in this impermanent selfless life existence, or the minds that are being deeply conditioned to believe in certain superstitious/mystical phenomena and have intense attachment towards certain cultural or spiritual belief, ritual and practice, it would be extremely challenging for them to go through or survive intense mind purification process.

And hence, not everyone are suitable for such intense mind purification process. That's their freedom.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.