"Just do our best" in the teachings of yoga

Just like everything else, "Just do our best" can be interpreted differently by different people with different understanding. Positive minds interpret it positively and negative minds interpret it negatively, while minds that have transcended positive and negative interpret it as it is, neither positive nor negative. "Do our best" under a competitive background might mean differently from the teachings of yoga.

In the competitive world, some people propagate "Don't just do your best, but go beyond what you think is your best." While some people propagate "Don't just go beyond your best, but go beyond other people's best."

What is best or what is the limitation in everyone is very different from one another. In the teachings of yoga, one can never compare with one another, but just do one's best at one's own pace.

"Just do our best" in the teachings of yoga means - Whatever we do, we do our best without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation in the present moment now, and without attachment or identification towards our actions and the fruit of actions, without expectation towards the fruit of actions has to be or not to be in certain way, allowing the fruit of actions to be what it is, as it is, without being determined or affected by the actions or the fruit of actions, and more importantly, all are impermanent. The fruit of actions might not be the way that we think how it should be, even after we did our best, and it's okay.

It's about performing all actions without attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, and just do what is possible while letting go what is impossible in the present moment now, and what is possible and impossible in the present moment now is impermanent. There are different elements determining whether something is possible or not possible in the present moment now. It's not about achieving certain result under certain aspiration or intention and 'I' want to achieve it now, and it's definitely not about pushing the body and mind to the point of breaking down in order to gratify our desire of achieving something.

Maybe the body is ready, but the mind is not ready. Maybe the mind is ready, but the body is not ready. Maybe the body and the mind are both ready, but the condition of the space for something to happen is not ready. Maybe the body and the mind and the condition of the space are all ready, but it's not the right timing yet. Other than the ability of non-attachment, non-identification and non-expectation, the elements of patience, determination, perseverance, tolerance, acceptance, adjustment, adaptation and accommodation, play an important role in "Just do our best".

Some people become more relaxed while be able to work efficiently and achieving more by implementing "Just do our best" in everything that they do, as they are aware of and understand what is the limitation of their body and mind as well as knowing what is possible and impossible according to the current condition and situation in the present moment.

While some people become more tensed and unable to work efficiently under the term of "Just do our best" as either they have no awareness or understanding towards what is the limitation of their body and mind and don't know what is possible or impossible in the current condition and situation in the present moment, or, for some people coming from different background, "Do our best" means pushing the body and mind beyond their current limitation until they break down (the do or die mentality of keep fighting until you drop,) or else, they are not doing their best.

Some people feel that they were being judged by other people's encouragement to them by telling them to "Just do your best, without pushing the body and mind beyond its limitation", as they feel that they were being criticized for trying too hard. While some people feel that they were being judged by other people's encouragement to them by telling them to "Do your best", as they feel that they are being criticized for being not good enough, for haven't done their best yet or not trying hard enough, that they need to try harder than what they can do now. But these encouragements containing the term of "Do your best" have no intention to judge anyone as trying too hard, or not trying hard enough.

All these reactions of "I am being judged" or "I am under attack" when hearing other people saying to them about "Do your best" are merely coming from the highly defensive egoistic mind itself, being sensitive and offensive due to the mind reacts according to how the mind perceives and interprets everything under the influence of defensiveness.

There are quite many minds experienced certain undesirable experiences in the past where they felt hurt, and continuing to feel hurt by some unpleasant 'hurtful' experiences, because they don't know how to free themselves from being determined by the past undesirable experiences, that make them become highly defensive and sensitive towards everything that they experience in the present moment now.

The minds that have correct understanding towards what is going on in the mind, they won't perceive or interpret those terms or any terms as a form of judgment or attack. And even if there's intentional judgment or attack coming from some others towards them, they won't feel offended, as they are not being determined or disturbed by the mind perception of names and forms, because they know what is non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison and non-expectation, while allowing everyone to think and judge or express and behave as they are, allowing all kinds of names and forms to be there as they are.

And hence, to truly help the minds that felt hurt and continuously feeling hurt by something 'hurtful' in the past, it's not about offering to heal what they think is a painful mental/emotional wound existing in their minds and comforting these minds with the things that they like to see, hear, smell, taste, touch, feel and think, to make them feel good momentarily, but it's guiding them in the way that allows them to look into their own minds, to see the truth of those hurtful feelings and what is going on in their minds, that will allow them to be free from being determined by the past experiences upon knowing the truth of what is going on in their minds, where there is no mental/emotional wound existing in their minds that needs to be healed, but merely a continuous stream of impermanent thought activities arising and passing away selflessly deriving from ignorance and egoism of attachment, identification, and ungratified desires and expectations. Neither do they need any comforting treatment of sympathetic/empathetic actions and words from anyone to feel better, as they won't feel hurt anymore once they realized the truth of what is going on in their minds, regardless of something that they experienced in the past or something that they are experiencing now.

Those who understand this, there's no need to be strong, no need to be positive, no need to forgive and let go anything, and no need to be healed, as the selfless mind cannot be hurt upon knowing Thyself.

The minds that don't know Thyself, that are under the influence of ignorance and egoism, where there's an idea of 'I', generates attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment and expectation, they would perceive hurt, and hence, they think and believe that they need to be strong, need to be positive, need to forgive and let go something that they perceived and judged as something 'hurtful', and there's existing painful mental/emotional wounds that need to be healed.

Inquire the truth of everything.