Want to learn and practice yoga? (12)

One of the common egoistic behaviors of the mind is discontentment, or greed, or craving. One may be being contented with certain things while being discontented with some other things, depending on the degrees of attachment towards different things.

Either contentment or discontentment is neither good nor bad. It depends on the degrees of understanding and self-control of not doing anything that would be hurting oneself, and/or others and the surrounding environment, out of discontentment or greed. Just as many other things are neither good nor bad, but then why are yoga practitioners being taught to practice contentment and be free from discontentment?

Contentment might be seen as a form of negativity or regression under the worldly thinking, belief, values and practice, as certain 'contented' people being 'contented' with what and how things are, might not be motivated to perform actions that could lead towards certain improvements in oneself, and particularly, to be contributing and supporting the world of capitalism and commercialism, but actually, that's the state of idleness/laziness/disappointment/meaninglessness being misunderstood as contentment.

More and more people are being highly disappointed by the messiness in the world due to corruptions and failed leadership, and feel that it's useless and meaningless to perform actions that might or might not bring certain improvement in the world of ignorance and egoism, as they think and believe that it's not possible or too difficult for the world to change for better, being pushed by the current of ignorance and egoism.

Discontentment towards 'what and how things are' and 'what is available now' is being seen by the worldly passionate minds as a good and motivational thing that can lead towards ongoing improvement in many things in life, endlessly, until one stops living, or dies. Especially it's good for the world of capitalism and commercialism that needs and welcomes ceaseless 'discontentment' in many people in order to sustain and prosper.

Contentment in yoga and Buddhism doesn't mean that one stops performing actions that could lead towards certain improvement in oneself, or in one's life existence and in the world. The contented minds that are being contented with 'what and how things are, without being determined by the impermanent changes in the quality of names and forms', can be making use of this life existence to be performing actions that would benefit the over-all well-being of oneself and/or others, without attachment, identification and expectation, and void of greedy ambition/aspiration/desire of craving and aversion that could end up hurting oneself and/or others in certain ways while trying to achieve certain goals/results that one desires.

Meanwhile, growing motivational discontentment in the passionate egoistic minds could easily turn into a form of greedy ambition/aspiration/desire of craving and aversion unwittingly, that might motivate the mind to be performing certain actions that could end up hurting oneself and/or others, and the surrounding environment, either wittingly or unwittingly, just as some people generate certain damages to their body and mind by pushing their body and mind beyond its limitation in order to achieve certain results that they desire, as well as some people who have certain influential power are hurting/damaging many lives, things and nature in the world as the minds are being over-powered by greedy ambition/aspiration to control the world to be in certain way, to gain higher power or wealth, to seize and possess space/lands/resources, or to create a world that they desire.

Discontentment isn't just existing in the worldly life, but either wittingly or unwittingly, it also comes into the yoga practice.

Quite many yoga practitioners, particularly yoga teachers, would think and believe that they need to keep learning and performing as many yoga asana poses and their different variations as possible, as well as studying and memorizing as many names and forms of the different yoga practices and their respective consequences/effects as possible, or the names and forms of different body systems, muscles, bones, organs, glands and nerves, and their respective functions, for their own particular reasons, or to be a 'well-informed', 'knowledgeable', 'qualified', 'competitive', 'professional', 'confident' or 'responsible' good yoga teacher, but all these are nothing to do with the realization of selflessness, compassion and unconditional peace, or the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, or the ability of letting go, as well as performing self-inquiry inquiring towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence in all the names and forms. In fact, it's empowering ignorance and egoism in the mind.

People who cannot see, or hear, or read, or speak, or sing, or sit up, or stand, or move, or know and perform any particular 'yoga practice under certain names and forms', 'chanting and prayers', 'breathing exercises' or 'yoga asana poses', can still inquire towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence, be free from ignorance and egoism, and realize unconditional peace and compassion, void of painful sorrow and suffering. Not to say, whether knowing what are the names and effects or benefits of the different practices, or be able to perform all the different poses 'beautifully'/'gracefully' and in perfect alignment, and be able to pronounce all the names or chanting and prayers 'precisely', or not.

Being knowledgeable towards many things and being capable to do many things physically and mentally, and utilizing those enhance physical/mental condition and accumulated knowledge for doing something in life, is nothing bad or wrong, but one doesn't need to be able to know or do many things, or know and do many different types of yoga practices, or know and do many different yoga asana poses as well as the many different variations of the yoga asana poses, throughout the path of yoga for self-inquiry and self-realization, to free the mind from ignorance and egoism.

In order to help purifying, influencing and calming the restless state of the mind, one just needs to know and do a few basic yoga asana poses regularly, where each practice session might be slightly different from one another, where certain basic yoga asana poses are being practiced on that particular day and time, and certain poses might be held for slightly longer or shorter time, while there might be a need to take complete rest from physical or mental training on certain day and time, according to what the body and mind needs in that particular moment, based on the physical condition and the state of the mind on that day and at that time.

Performing just a few basic yoga asana poses on each practice session being practiced under the correct understanding and attitude, in a relaxed manner without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation, without straining/hurting/damaging the body and mind, is sufficient enough to serve the main purpose of performing the yoga asana poses, which is for purifying the energy centers and channels, to be calming the restless state of the mind or energizing the idle state of the mind, as well as to be developing certain degrees of awareness and concentration, and maintaining certain degrees of vitality and mobility preparing the body and mind to be fit enough for performing self-inquiry and meditation practice, as well as to have the sufficient health and energy for performing selfless service, duties and responsibilities towards oneself and/or others in everyday life.

Somehow, the passionate egoistic minds are getting bored and aren't contented with just doing a few basic yoga asana poses regularly, where the mind is being inspired and aspiring to be able to know and do as many yoga asana poses and the different variations as possible, due to boredom and discontentment, and most probably, to attain the sense of confidence, positiveness, goodness, satisfaction and meaningfulness that is being determined by the accumulation of knowledge towards this and that or the mental ability to do and achieve certain things, and being determined by the physical condition and ability to perform as many yoga asana poses as possible, especially some of the challenging yoga asana poses that required certain degrees of skill, strength and flexibility, where the mind feels good and satisfied upon being able to perform certain actions/positions that it couldn't do before, where the self-esteem and confidence is being determined by the physical and mental condition, ability and achievement.

Some yoga teachers as well as the yoga students also think and believe that, as 'yoga teachers', they need to be able to know and do as many yoga asana poses and the different variations as possible, as well as accumulating and possessing as many 'recognized yoga certifications' as possible, to show that they are 'highly qualified', 'well-trained', 'competitive', 'creative' and 'professional' yoga teachers to conduct 'variety', 'enjoyable', 'safe' and 'effective' yoga (asana) classes. That is also being propagated in many of the 'yoga teachers training courses' in the world, which is not what yoga is about.

It's neither right nor wrong, as it is something good for anybody to be engaging in any kinds of educational learning or sports and fitness training activities regularly for enhancing physical/mental condition and ability. It's better than spending time and energy engaging in unwholesome activities. However, the yoga practitioners or yoga teachers need to know that the mental ability to do and achieve certain things with the accumulated knowledge about this and that, and the 'enhanced' physical condition and ability to perform many different kinds of physical actions, positions and movements, doesn't determine the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, or the ability to let go, or whether the mind will attain the realization of selflessness, compassion and unconditional peace, and be free from painful sorrow and suffering, or not.

Inquire the egoistic behavior of the mind under the influence of ignorance and egoism and worldly passionate thinking, belief, values and practice.

Inquire the truth of everything.