Want to learn and practice yoga? (30)

Among the many different thinking, beliefs, values and practices in the world, there is a similar pattern of egoistic attachment and identification towards what everyone believed and recognized as good, right, positive, constructive, progressive and meaningful, even if all these names and forms might mean differently under the different thinking, beliefs, values and practices.

Human beings are being brought up under different beliefs, values and practices, while being trained and empowered to develop strong attachment and identification towards their belief, values and practice, and to defend their belief, values and practice, as well as their personal and community identity that built on those belief, values and practice, at all costs. Many people strongly believe that it's not possible to live life without holding onto a particular belief, values and practice to set as a direction to be influencing how people think, judge, behave, and live life in certain way.

Either attaching and identifying towards what the different thinking and beliefs recognized as something good, right, positive, constructive, progressive and meaningful, or towards what the different thinking and beliefs recognized as evil, wrong, negative, destructive, regressive and meaningless, the mind is not free.

The wise beings realized the 'danger' of such egoistic attachment and identification deriving from ignorance powered by survival instinct, fear and greed, which is the main reason for all kinds of unnecessary man made suffering of discrimination, prejudice, hatred, invasion, violence, cruelty, bully and abuse in the world, and hence, they renounced all kinds of attachment and identification, as well as disseminating such awareness and understanding into the world, without attachment, identification or expectation towards their actions and the fruit of actions.

The teachers of wisdom advised the minds, "Refraining from newspapers and novels reading, TV watching and radio listening, cutting off ties, social connections and interactive activities, and embracing renunciation, seclusion and solitude," is not a mad joke at all. It's serious, and the most effective method to free the minds from such conditioned behavior pattern that keeps generating boundless unnecessary suffering to oneself and others.

All these teachers of wisdom and peace never propagate or inflict "Hating and fighting against the different worldly thinking, beliefs, values and practices in the world," even when they see the 'dangerous' consequences of ignorance and egoism that exists in all kinds of thinking, beliefs, values and practices, but they only teach about purifying, disciplining and quieting one's mind, and investigating towards the truth of everything under a pure and quiet mind through self-effort and self-inquiry (unconditioned by any particular thinking, belief, values and practice, and undisturbed by the restless modification of the mind, or the selfless mind perceptions of names and forms), while allowing and respecting all kinds of impermanent and selfless names and forms in the world being what they are, as they are, without interference towards all and everything to be or not to be in certain way, without interfering with the law of nature (cause and effect), without desire or aspiration to create a 'different' thinking, belief, values and practice, to lure, convince and convert as many people as possible to join, follow, support and empower one's creation of a new form of belief, values and practice, and without intention and ambition to change or make the world to be something else that it is not.

There are many new age 'cults' existing in the world claiming to be 'different' from the conventional worldly thinking, beliefs, values and practices, which all are nothing but another one of the products of the rebellious minds under the influence of ignorance and egoism that dislike and disagree with the conventional thinking, beliefs, values and practice, while misleading many confused suffering minds to join their cults, to empower and defend the cults that they created, and to fight against the many different conventional worldly thinking, beliefs, values and practices that they dislike and disagree with.

Renouncing one's existing worldly conventional thinking, belief, values and practice, to be joining one of those new age 'cults', to be attaching and identifying with some other thinking, belief, values and practice that is different from the previous one, is nothing to do with yoga. Just as many minds practice detachment towards certain names and forms by attaching onto some other names and forms. It's like coming out from a hole and jumping into another hole. It's not what yoga practice is about. However, unfortunately, 'yoga' is being related to one of those new age trends by many people, including some yoga enthusiasts, because there are some highly creative and ambitious yoga enthusiasts creating their own new age yoga lineage under certain names and forms, styles and brands, that deliberately swaying away from the traditional teachings of yoga, which is not about the annihilation of ignorance, egoism, desire and passion, but instead, propagating and empowering attachment, identification, self-worth, self-pampering, indulgence of the senses and passionate desires, untamed wilderness (discipline-less/restriction-free, but following and gratifying one's limitless desires), or even shortcut to 'satisfaction, peace and happiness'.

Many people believe in and propagate - "Do what makes you happy"/"Focus on your desires and make all your desires come true"/"Live life passionately", and of course, most minds would like, agree with and support such idea very much, but it's not the teachings and practice of yoga at all. However, it's the freedom of the minds for what they want or don't want to practice.

The teachings and practice of yoga is about freeing the mind from such attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, and expectation towards the names and forms via letting go, self-discipline and self-control, to realize selflessness/oneness/non-separateness/attributelessness that leads towards unconditional love and peace as it is, that is undetermined and undisturbed by the impermanent pleasant and unpleasant names and forms that the minds like and dislike, desire and don't desire, agree and disagree with.

"Live life passionately, following a trendy lifestyle and changing/experimenting different lifestyles, be inspired, be ambitious, self-worth, self-pamper, enjoying life to the fullest, and fulfilling all your desires," is being welcome by the world of capitalism and commercialism. In fact, such idea is the creation of the world of capitalism and commercialism. The sustainability and growth of the economy is highly depending on the people who were being influenced and conditioned by such ideas since birth, to make more and more money, to accumulate more and more wealth, to have the spending power in order for them to live life passionately, to fulfill all their ambitious desires of constantly doing something, going places, buying something, celebrating something, actively socializing, and indulging in pleasurable physical and mental enjoyment of the senses. Those who are contented with living a simple quiet way of life with enough basic needs of food and shelter, who are being peaceful and happy as they are, and those who encourage simple quiet way of life in the world, are not welcome by the world of capitalism and commercialism.

Human minds are being conditioned and encouraged to never be contented with a simple way of living, or how things are (even when one's life is already full of many different things, enjoyments and activities), to be empowered to become highly ambitious and greedy, to keep spending money on buying new things and regularly throwing out 'old' or 'outdated' things, to be decorating the physical body as well as their possessions such as one's home, car, children, or pets with many different types of trendy accessories that generate specific sights, smells, sounds, tastes or sensations, and to be actively sociable. Where all these names and forms are the fuel for the world of capitalism and commercialism that give rise to all kinds of exploitation towards nature, natural resources, human beings and non-human beings, and many things.

Some mental health advocates might also encourage those who suffer from the sense of tiredness, burnout, stress, loneliness, boredom, grief, low self-worth, low self-esteem, dissatisfaction, unhappiness and meaninglessness, to find certain passions in life, or to find certain excitements to stimulate the mind, or to develop certain desires and aspirations to motivate the mind, or to make more social connections, or to develop and empower certain attachment and identity (particularly something new and different), or to be doing and achieving something regularly that makes the mind feels satisfied, positive, good and happy, in order to boost the sense of self-worth, self-esteem, pride, satisfaction, joyfulness, success, worthiness, confidence and meaningfulness, by actively engaging in certain physical, mental or emotional activities, where all these names and forms are indeed the root cause of those mental suffering in human minds.

It's like, "Oh, we know that the minds are suffering from restlessness or over stimulation (physical/mental/emotional exhaustion) due to the way of life in the world. However, we think that they shouldn't stop being restless or stimulated, because they would be suffering from quietness. They just need to keep being restless or stimulated with some other new and different passions, desires, toys, relationships, activities and enjoyments. That will make them feel great again. Once they start getting sicked with those (new) passions, desires, toys, relationships, activities and enjoyments, then they should find some other new and different passions, desires, toys, relationships, activities and enjoyments. If they are not happy or satisfied with something, they can always try to change it, or they can find a new one or a different one. Once they are getting sicked or dissatisfied with the 'changes' or the 'new and different' one, then they can always change it again, or find some other new and different ones. They don't need to stop chasing after what makes them feel satisfied and happy, even though everyone knows that it doesn't last, it's impermanent, and they will always be dissatisfied and unhappy after some time."

That's why the importance of seclusion and solitude.

Swami Sivananda - "Be aware of cults. Live alone. Eat alone. Walk alone. Meditate alone. Do not mix. Do not hoard disciples. Do not build ashrams. You are left alone now."

It's not an easy path, as the ignorant mind has great difficulty of letting go the attachment and identification towards their particular existing thinking, belief, values and practice since birth, being surrounded by everyone that are also being conditioned deeply by such attachment and identification to live life, think, judge and behave in certain way. In the beginning, it's very much depending on the effort of letting go, when the mind is still having doubt, hesitation and fear towards letting go such attachment and identification. No doubt that it's quite a 'scary' process. Just as it's normal for the minds to be fearful towards the unknown. Even if the mind is not completely be free from the egoistic attachment or identification yet, but it's okay. It's part of the process. Because that effort of trying to let go the existing thinking, belief, values and practice, by renouncing the worldly habitual behavior pattern and way of life consisting ties, relationships, connections and interactions for a prolonged period of time, will allow the mind to be able to see the play of ignorance and egoism in itself, and upon that self-realization towards ignorance and egoism in itself, without any expectation, without any fear, doubt and hesitation, the mind will be able to let go effortlessly, or, all kinds of attachment and identification will drop-off by itself naturally, which simultaneously, leading the mind towards the realization of selflessness, or unconditional love and peace.

Inquire the truth of everything.