The teachings and practice of Yoga and Buddhism is universal

The teachings and practice of yoga and buddhism is universal.

What is universal?

Something that is beyond and unlimited by all kinds of different qualities of names and forms.

Something that is common and non-distinctive among all kinds of different names and forms.

Something that exist and valid in all kinds of different names and forms, while it doesn't belong to any particular name and form.

Something that is non-discriminating among the different qualities of names and forms.

Something that is not a belief, but it's merely what things/names and forms/the physical body/the thinking faculty/the ignorance/the suffering are.

Regardless of someone knows or doesn't know, believes or disbelieves, agrees or disagrees, the truth of things is still what it is, it doesn't change into something else, which is permanent and unconditional, that is not being changed, modified, influenced, determined, contaminated, increased, or decreased by anything.

Selfless impermanent changes of birth, growth, decay, old age, illness, weakness, and death, inter-dependent on different elements and energy to be existing, changing and ceased existing, as well as the inevitable suffering deriving from selfless impermanent changes, are universal.

Cause and effect, or actions and consequences of actions, is universal. 

The idea of 'I', the veil of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, as well as the unnecessary suffering deriving from all that, is universal.

Meanwhile, something that generates and empowers separateness, discrimination, superiority and inferiority, among the different qualities of names and forms, that is being limited to particular quality of name and form, that belongs to a particular name and form, is non-universal.

The many different beliefs in the world of diversities, under different qualities of different names and forms, that each belief belongs to a particular name and form, that has certain belief and disbelief in certain things that are being different from or contradicting with one another, that 'exist' and 'valid' in certain names and forms, but 'non-exist' and 'non-valid' in some other names and forms, are not universal.

That includes the teachings and practice of yoga and buddhism that have been being mixed with certain worldly egoistic beliefs, values and practice that are limited, that make such 'teachings and practice of yoga and buddhism' appeared to be something non-universal.

It's very good that certain lineage of yoga doesn't involve any kind of cultural, spiritual or religious elements into the practice, and without implementing any teachings into the practice, to show that it's something universal, just like the many different kinds of sports activities and fitness exercises, all and everyone can be engaging regardless of the different names and forms that everyone have, however, that is also why many minds, the minds that are either engaging or non-engaging in the practice of yoga, would be misunderstanding that 'yoga' is just a form of physical and mental health and fitness training and exercise. And that is so true, if the yoga practice is being performed without implementing the teachings of yoga into the yoga practice, then it's merely a form of physical and mental training and exercise that doesn't lead the mind towards self-realization, to be free from ignorance and the suffering deriving from ignorance. Or else, all and everyone who love and enjoy engaging in certain sports activities and fitness training and exercise, would already be free from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance. Very obviously, it's not necessarily so.

Or, the minds might know that 'yoga' is not just a form of physical and mental training and exercise, that it's about the attainment of self-realization, but then, they would be thinking and believing that they just need to be performing the yoga practice in silence regularly, to attain 'perfection' in the yoga practice, without the need of inquiring towards the truth of everything, without the need of eradicating the idea of 'I' and egoism, or without freeing the mind from continuously being influenced by their existing worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, will lead them towards the attainment of self-realization, or the liberation from ignorance and suffering, and hence, there were and are many minds would still be in doubt, and are not free from the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, even after attaining many impermanent physical and mental health and fitness benefits from performing the yoga practice in silence regularly for many years, while attaining 'perfection' in all kinds of yoga practice, but without inquiring towards the truth of everything, or without working on eliminating the idea of 'I' and egoism in the yoga practice or in everyday life, as the minds are still very much functioning under the influence of particular worldly passionate egoistic belief, values and practice, that derived from and empowers the idea of 'I' and egoism.

Unless, the mind already knows what is non-attachment and non-identification, non-craving and non-aversion, non-judgment and non-expectation, and doesn't have strong influence from any kind of worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, then just by performing the yoga practice in silence regularly, that served the purpose of quieting the restless modification of the mind, will eventually lead the mind towards seeing the truth of itself, or knowing Thyself, which is selfless and impermanent.

Or else, under the influence of the idea of 'I' and egoism, the mind will still be continuously attaching and identifying towards the action and the fruit of action of performing the yoga practice regularly, enjoying the impermanent physical and mental health and fitness benefits, or the momentary calmness state of the mind induced by the yoga practice, that gives rise to the momentary sense of goodness, positiveness, healthiness, accomplishment and meaningfulness, but then, the mind is still not free, as the mind is still very much functioning under the influence of the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, swaying in between the different states of the mind, under the influence of the passionate egoistic attachment, identification, desires of craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation, attaching towards the sense of goodness, positiveness, healthiness, joyfulness, togetherness, success, accomplishment or meaningfulness, and hence, being determined and disturbed by the mind perception of duality, or the presence and absence of pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable, desirable or undesirable, and enjoyable or non-enjoyable names and forms, experiences, relationships, interactions, conditions and situations.

There's neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad. It's everyone's freedom for what they think, believe, understand, desire and practice, or not.

If one feels undisturbed, loved, satisfied, happy, joyful and meaningful because most experiences, relationships, interactions, conditions and situations in life are pleasant, agreeable, desirable and enjoyable, but then, one would feel disturbed, hurt, dissatisfied, unhappy, sorrowful and meaningless when certain experiences in life are unpleasant, disagreeable, undesirable and painful, where this seems to be something very normal and common behavior, action and reaction for most minds, however, that is exactly what 'ignorance' and 'not being free' is about.

There's neither right nor wrong.

However, regardless of what type of belief, values and practice that is existing in the different minds under different names and forms, many minds that don't have correct understanding or are being ignorant towards the selfless impermanent states of the mind, that have attachment and identification towards the selfless impermanent states of mind, and hence, the minds would behave, act and react in certain hurtful and damaging way under the influence of the disturbed dissatisfied suffering state of mind, causing further unnecessary damaging effects in oneself and others or the surrounding environment, either wittingly or unwittingly, directly or indirectly.

Meanwhile, the teachings and practice of yoga and buddhism, is about coming from the mind itself, to be freeing the modification of the mind from all that, universally, regardless of what type of belief, values and practice that are existing in the different minds under many different names and forms.

One doesn't even need to have a perfect fit and healthy physical body to be performing any kind of physical yoga practice, not to say, to be attaining 'perfection' in all kinds of physical yoga practice, or to be observing vegetarianism, pure organic clean food or veganism, in order to be free from ignorance and egoism, to attain self-realization, but only need to be knowing how to eradicate the idea of 'I', ignorance and egoism effectively via mind purification and correct understanding by observing renunciation, dispassion, silence, seclusion, solitude, self-independence, self-discipline, right effort, simplicity, meditation and self-inquiry towards the truth of everything.

If the mind thinks and believes that by having good relationship and company of family and friends, constantly connecting, communicating, sharing and interacting with one another, and by having good physical health and fitness condition to be enjoying all kinds of family and social activities, and to be accomplishing one's bucket list of things to do, that give rise to the 'important' sense of goodness, positiveness, healthiness, togetherness, joyfulness, accomplishment, auspiciousness or meaningfulness, so that there won't be any sense of guilt or regret when oneself or someone dies, is what yoga and buddhism practice is about, while by observing renunciation, dispassion, seclusion, solitude, simplicity, and mental and emotional independence, not having the company of family and friends, or not having any connection, communication, sharing, interaction or activity with family and friends or the community in the world, or not having a 'bucket list of things to do before one dies', or without any creative, fancy and colourful presentation of tasty and healthy vegetarian vegan pure organic food to be satisfying the ever discontented sense of sight, sound, smell, taste, sensation, visualization, imagination and etc, or without any 'zen feel' or 'positive energy symbolic' type of decoration and atmosphere in the surrounding practice and living space, will give rise to the sense of loneliness, joylessness, unhealthiness, negativeness, meaninglessness, inauspiciousness, guilt or regret in one's mind, where simplicity is something dulled, boring, non-interesting, joyless and meaningless, then know that, the mind is not free. And it's okay. There's neither right nor wrong. It's the freedom of everyone for what they think, believe, understand, feel, desire and practice, or not.

Simplicity and desirelessness of turning the ever discontented outgoing restless mind inward, resting in silence, not chasing after the objects of the senses, is the fundamental way of living, if the mind truly wants to be promoting and supporting the action of looking after the well-being of the environment or the nature, as well as contributing to world peace, effectively.

Inquire the truth of everything.