The practice of non-attachment and non-identification, or letting go all kinds of worldly identities with certain names and forms, and the worldly family ties/connections/relationships with all and everyone, can be challenging and painful for many minds.
It doesn't mean that throwing out all our worldly personal identity security certificates or documents, be a stateless illegal undocumented person, or throwing out all our stuffs, or abandoning and stop loving our family and friends, or resigning from our existing work, duty and responsibility, or not doing anything that would benefit the well-being of this body and mind.
It's the mental detachment and non-identification towards all the existing identities of what the mind thinks and believes is 'I', 'This is me', 'This is who and what I am', and 'These are my ...', as well as mentally and emotionally renouncing all forms of existing family ties, connections and relationships with everyone, objects, possessions and past memory of pleasant and unpleasant experiences, seeing all and everyone are merely selfless impermanent beings and objects of names and forms, without discrimination of family and not family, friends and not friends, mine and not mine. Seeing all the past pleasant and unpleasant experiences are merely existing in the form of memory, they don't exist in now, one doesn't need to be continuing be determined by them, where there's no missing/longing towards the pleasant experiences or relationships, and there's no 'painful sorrow', or 'hurts', or 'anger' towards the unpleasant experiences or relationships. One would be able to let go 'missingness', 'longing', 'painful sorrow', 'hurts', or 'anger' once the mind starts to see or know what is going on in one's mind.
One can still be physically carrying all kinds of 'personal legal documentations of different worldly identities' wherever one goes, as it's part of the compulsory procedure to be living and moving on this planet for convenience, but there's no mental/sentimental attachment, identification or expectation towards all these different legal documents with a particular name of an individual, as 'I'.
One can be making good use of things and objects that are available in the present, for certain purposes and convenience, but there's no physical/mental/sentimental attachment, identification or possessiveness towards all these things and objects, where the mind is not being determined by the impermanent changes of the availability and non-availability, or the good and bad condition of all these things and objects. Such as a car, where one can make good use of it for certain convenience with care and responsibility, but one can also let it go easily without any difficulty when it's time to let it go.
One can still be physically living or interacting among family, friends, relatives and communities, carrying out one's worldly duties and responsibilities towards family, friends and communities, but there's no mental/emotional attachment, identification or expectation towards all these family ties/friendships/connections/relationships, where one treats all the same without discrimination or separation of my family, my friends, my relatives and my communities, or not. There's no sense of meaningfulness or meaninglessness being determined by the presence and absence of family, friends, relatives and communities.
One can still be physically engaging in business/investment, or having a job, or doing some kind of volunteering work, but there's no mental/emotional attachment, identification or expectation towards one's efforts/actions/duties/responsibilities/contributions and the fruit of one's efforts/actions/duties/responsibilities/contributions.
One can still be physically and mentally performing many actions that would benefits oneself and/or others and/or the world, but there's no physical/mental/sentimental attachment, identification or expectation towards all kinds of actions and the fruit of actions.
One can be looking after the well-being of this body and mind, and making good use of the good condition of the body and mind, to be doing something for oneself and/or others and/or the world, but there's no attachment, identification or expectation towards the impermanent and selfless body and mind has to be and not to be in certain way. There's no expectation towards the body and mind has to be able to do and achieve this or that, by respecting what is possible and impossible in the present moment now. It's okay when certain things are not possible in the present moment. Focus on what is possible. While both possibility and impossibility are impermanent. Respect all the impermanent changes of the physical condition and the state of the mind as they are. Allow the body and mind to be what it is, after doing one's best performing actions to look after the well-being of the body and mind. Without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation. It's impermanent, and it's not 'I'.
There's no sense of confidence or lack of confidence being determined by
the impermanent condition, abilities and disabilities, achievements and
non-achievements of the body and mind. There's no sense of positiveness or negativeness, the sense of pride or shamefulness, or the sense of superiority or inferiority, being determined by the action/inaction and the fruit of action/inaction, the different worldly identities/titles/positions/achievements, the pleasant/unpleasant or desirable/undesirable experiences, the good/bad relationships, the success and failure, the possibility and impossibility, or the agreeable/disagreeable condition and situation in the world.
The minds that know how to non-attaching and non-identifying towards the body and the modification of the mind, without expectation towards the body and mind has to be or not to be in certain way according to certain thinking and belief, values and practice, while making use of the opportunity of this selfless life existence to be doing
something for the benefits of all and everyone, but without attachment
or expectation towards the actions and the fruit of actions, will also be free from discrimination, interference, control and expectation towards all and everything in the world has to be or not to be in certain ways. Respecting the world being what it is, even if it's a mess due to the ignorance and egoism of the impure minds. Respecting all kinds of diversities, of different names and forms, colours and shapes, thinking and beliefs, values and practice. Respecting everyone being what they are. And all are impermanent. Regardless of people who do good or bad, who are rightful or wrongful, who are kind or unkind, who are happy or unhappy, who are selfish or generous, who are healthy or unhealthy, who are knowledgeable or not knowledgeable, who realize or don't realize Selflessness/Peace/Compassion, who are short-lived or long-lived, all are impermanent. Those who are not aware of ignorance and egoism, and those who are aware, but don't want to be free from ignorance and egoism, is their freedom.
It's not complicated, and yet, it could be absurd, or mad, or inappropriate for the minds that are being conditioned by worldly thinking and belief, values and practice.
It will take some time for the mind to get use to this practice, and until the mind be able to unattached and unidentified towards names and forms effortlessly, without judgment, comparison or expectation. If after some time doing one's best trying to unattached and unidentified towards all kinds of names and forms, but the mind is still not free from attachment and identification towards certain names and forms, it's okay. Accept that in this present moment now, the mind is still not free from attachment and identification, and this is also impermanent. And keep practicing.
For those who have certain degrees of understanding and mental/emotional independence, who's worldly duties and responsibilities have came to an end, such as there are no elders or young children that need to be looked after (parents who are physically/financially dependent had passed away or are being looking after by some others, and/or children have already grown up), who have intense yearning for liberation, they may also gradually renounce or retreat from worldly life, duties and connections, to go into seclusion and solitude for a prolonged period of time, and this will allow the mind to actually realize the truth of selflessness and all kinds worldly ties, connections and relationships, practically.
The practice of non-attachment and non-identification, as well as renunciation, is neither easy nor difficult, but it appears to be not so difficult for the dispassionate minds, while it appears to be not so easy for the passionate minds.
The difficulty is not just arising from within the mind couldn't let go certain attachment and identification, but it's the pressure coming from the family, relatives, friends and the communities who don't understand and don't respect one's freedom and choices for one's practice, where they criticize and condemn such practice as 'wrongfulness', 'inappropriateness', 'selfishness', 'madness' or 'insanity'. Only those who are determined, and are not being disturbed or influenced by such egoistic reactions coming from the world, can proceed further in the yoga practice towards the annihilation of the modification of the mind.
The minds that are free from disturbs and restlessness, that are resting in unconditional peace, being undetermined by any names and forms, remain equanimous under all kinds of pleasant and unpleasant condition and situation, they don't need to practice yoga, or perform any practice of renunciation, dispassion, non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-expectation, and so on, as the mind is void of such impurities. There is no grief or painful sorrow towards the deterioration/weakness/disabilities/illness/death of oneself or loved ones.
If the mind is not free, is disturbed and restless, is drowning in painful sorrow and suffering, being determined by certain names and forms that the mind perceives and recognizes as unpleasant, undesirable, disagreeable and undeserving, and it wants to be free from such disturbs and restlessness, painful sorrow and suffering, this mind may take up yoga practice, and start practicing.
Inquire the truth of everything.
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