It's not about achieving perfection in the yoga practice

There are many different kinds of physical and mental yoga practice under different paths and lineages in the path of yoga.

It's not about creating competition or comparison among the different paths or lineages, of which path or lineage is better than the others, or the best among all, or the easiest one, or the safest one, or the most difficult and challenging one, or the most popular one, or the most effective and beneficial one, or the most spiritual one, and etc, but it's about the availability of many different varieties/tastes to 'suit' and 'interest/attract' the many different worldly passionate egoistic restless minds that are functioning under the veil of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, that come under many different traits, personalities, characteristics, backgrounds, conditions, thinking, beliefs, ideas, values, interests, and desires, to be devoting some, or most, or even all of their life existence, attention, effort, and energy, onto performing one, or some, or all kinds of physical and mental yoga practice, persistently and regularly.

More importantly, by devoting some, or most, or all of one's life existence, attention, effort, and energy, into performing persistent and regular physical and mental yoga practice, is not about achieving perfection in the yoga practice(s) at all.

Regardless of whether the body and/or mind can or cannot achieve certain degrees of 'physical/mental/spiritual improvement/achievement', or even 'perfection in all kinds of practice', in the respective yoga practice(s) or disciplines, it doesn't determine or guarantee that whether the mind is, or will be liberated from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance, or not.

What are the physical condition/ability/limitation or the state of the mind, is not important at all. Regardless of what are the physical condition/ability/limitation or the state of the mind, as well as what are the result, or the fruit, or the effect/benefit of the different yoga practice(s), all are impermanent.

What is impermanent, that is momentary, that is conditional, that is the effect of a cause, that will change, and pass away, is not 'real'. It's not the goal of the practice.

If so, why is it still so important to devote the life existence (time), attention, effort, and energy into performing some kind of yoga practice(s)?

It's merely about moving the mind away from (the influence/distraction/attachment/identification of) all kinds of worldly restless passionate egoistic ideas, beliefs, affairs, attachments, identifications, aspirations, inspirations, desires, intentions, ties, connections, interactions, activities, duties, and responsibilities (as much as possible), physically and mentally, during those moments when the mind is devoting or immersing into certain kind of physical and mental yoga practice that is all about disciplining, purifying, and quieting the restless modification of the mind, while channeling the life existence, attention, effort and energy onto 'something' such as 'the teachings and practice of yoga' that is about thinning-out/weakening/eradicating the veil of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities and restlessness, that is about developing openness and kindness, that is about realizing compassion and wisdom, that is about right discrimination (wisdom/correct understanding/non-separateness/oneness/selflessness/impermanence/simplicity/desirelessness) that leads to non-discrimination/non-craving/non-aversion towards the many different selfless impermanent qualities of names and forms, that allows the mind to be opened (not being conditioned or influenced by worldly passionate egoistic ideas, thinking, beliefs, values and practice), that allows the mind to attain direct experience or realization towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence, and hence, be free from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance, or suffering, that allows the mind to be resting in unconditional peace.

However, not all or any kinds of physical and mental activities that require certain amount of attention, effort, and energy, will be leading the mind towards the annihilation of ignorance and suffering, or unconditional peace.

The many minds can also be devoting most, or all of their life existence, attention, effort, and energy onto 'something that attracts their interest' or 'some kind of activity, practice or training', that significantly improve their intelligence, creativity, knowledge, ability, and skill in that particular thing/activity/practice/subject, that give rise to many different 'inspirational' ideas, productivity and creativity, but then, it's not necessarily something that promotes peace and harmony in oneself and/or others and the world of diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, that could be creating many ideas, products, or activities that promote damage, destruction, exploitation, unrest, and disharmony in the world instead, either intentionally or unintentionally, because the minds are still very much functioning under the influence of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness.

It's the right attention, right effort, and right action/practice, that is about developing/empowering/activating the process of the thinning-out/weakening/annihilation of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, that will lead to right discrimination, or dispassion, or correct understanding, or wisdom, or unconditional peace, or promoting peace and harmony in the world of diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything. That is nothing to do with the impermanent physical and mental condition/ability/limitation, or the result/fruit/effect/benefit of the different physical and mental yoga practice.

All kinds of momentary effects of rendering the mind to be focus, calm and quiet, is merely preparing the mind to be able to have a few moments of precious clear reflection to be reflecting upon the truth of selflessness and impermanence, that allows the mind to go beyond the impermanent physical and mental condition/ability/limitation and the side-effects of the yoga practice, but it doesn't guarantee the annihilation of ignorance and suffering, if without integrating/activating the process of thinning-out of the veil of ignorance and its by-products, and if the mind doesn't reflect/inquire upon the truth of selflessness and impermanence, but only enjoying, attaching towards, and identifying with the acquired state of attentiveness, calmness, and quietness via the yoga practice that is impermanent, that is not the means of the yoga practice.

One can be devoting all of one's life existence, attention, effort, and energy into performing some kind of physical and mental yoga practice regularly, of certain path or lineage, while attaining and enjoying all kinds of momentary agreeable physical and mental health and fitness effects or benefits from the devoted persistent regular yoga practice, however, if without integrating/activating the eradication of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, but instead, all that are being empowered while performing all those physical and mental yoga practice(s), then the mind will still be functioning under the influence of ignorance and its by-products, even after many years of 'practicing yoga' and/or 'teaching yoga'. There's neither right nor wrong. At least, during the moments of their existence, attention, effort, and energy that was being spent on performing the yoga practice, the minds are not performing any unwholesome harmful activities that would harm themselves and/or others and the world.

Such as, in certain physically demanding and mentally challenging type of yoga asana practice under particular lineage, that requires intense devotion or discipline of a few hours per day for six days a week of persistent practice, or else, the body and mind won't be able to develop and have the required physical and mental skill, stamina, strength and flexibility to be performing the full routine of such physically demanding type of yoga asana practice. The main purpose of such intense yoga asana practice, is all about to move the mind away from worldly passionate egoistic affairs and activities as much as possible, as well as to be breaking the ego, to allow the mind to see the truth of selflessness and impermanence, through engaging in such attention, effort and energy consuming practice.

As no matter how much time, attention, and effort has been spent into maintaining and enhancing the condition/ability of the physical body and the modification of the mind, that no matter how skillful, fit, strong, flexible, and healthy that the physical body can become, and no matter how good, positive, successful, accomplished, and meaningful is the mind feels about itself and everything, the body and mind is still a selfless impermanent limited and conditional adjunct, where all the effects/benefits of well-developed/enhanced skill, stamina, strength, flexibility, and health condition, are all impermanent. And no matter how skillful, fit, strong, flexible, and healthy is the physical body, or how knowledgeable, intelligent, good, or calm is the state of the mind, and no matter what kind of super extraordinary physical or mental experiences that the mind is experiencing before/during/after the devoted persistent regular practice, it cannot escape or change the truth of selflessness and impermanence.

If the mind doesn't understand this, where it thinks and believes that it's about achieving 'certain result' or 'perfection' in the yoga asana practice or some other yoga practice, then it will try to achieve certain result or perfection in the yoga asana practice or some other yoga practice, by continuously keep pushing the body and mind beyond its limitation that would give rise to unnecessary injuries or damages to the body and mind, empowering ignorance and egoism, which is the opposite of what yoga is about.

So what, if the body can stay in the headstand, or handstand, or any position, or holding the breath for a prolonged period of time until the energy or strength is depleted completely, or until the body can't hold the position or the breath any longer after holding it for a prolonged period of time. Some even acknowledged and identified themselves as the national or world record time holder for holding the breath or for holding such and such position for how many minutes, or hours, or days. It only indicates that the mind is still very much under the influence of ignorance for trying to challenge the body and mind beyond its limitation in order to achieve certain result or perfection. But, if the mind can start to see the truth of selflessness and impermanence after engaging in such action/activity/practice, then it served the purpose of performing the challenging intense yoga asana practice, or holding the breath (pranayama).

Without renunciation and dispassion (towards the mind perception of selfless impermanent life existence and the world of names and forms, of all kinds of ideas, affairs, objects, ties, connections, relationships, activities, desires, aspirations, inspirations, attachments, identifications, anticipations, expectations, achievements, conditions and situations), all kind of devoted, persistent and regular physical and mental yoga practice doesn't lead to the liberation from ignorance and the suffering deriving from ignorance, but only give rise to some momentary pleasant or unpleasant side-effects, that are also impermanent, that are still within the manifestation of MAYA.

If all minds (human beings) spent their entire existence, attention, effort, and energy onto performing some kind of yoga practice where this selfless impermanent life existence of a body and mind is mainly for the purpose of conquering one's restless modification of the mind to be inquiring the truth of everything, (or without the need of performing any kind of yoga practice, but merely living a life of simplicity and desirelessness,) the world will be so peaceful devoid of actions and consequences of actions deriving from human beings with the mind functioning under the influence of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities and restlessness, where the minds that are occupying the world are purely focusing on their yoga practice, or on their simple basic way of living, while only need to spend minimal attention, effort and energy into finding enough basic needs for looking after daily life maintenance, devoid of worldly passionate egoistic greedy desires for attaining excessive accumulation and hoarding of wealth and objects beyond the basic needs for life maintenance in the present moment, to be enjoying all kinds of unnecessary physical, mental, material, sensual, and leisure enjoyments, being inspired to be having great vision, aspiration, and ambition to be selfish and prideful towards developing and empowering a personal and group identity, to be discriminating, interfering with, intimidating, and conquering the others, to be occupying, possessing, and controlling the world to be and not to be in certain way, to be achieving higher and higher accomplishments and enjoyments by exploiting all and everything to the maximum, to be gratifying one's greedy endless desires.

The worldly passionate egoistic restless minds that were being conditioned by worldly passionate egoistic ideas, thinking, beliefs, values, practices, behaviors, actions and reactions, to live life and to think/believe/reason/judge/understand/desire/behave/act/react in certain way, will see 'this' as a form of 'non-development', or 'non-civilization', or 'boring and meaningless way of life', or 'non-productivity', or 'failure', or 'inferior', or 'weakness', 'or 'negativity', or 'wrong', or 'madness', and so on. That's their freedom of thinking and understanding, and way of living.

The difference between the awakened/liberated minds and the worldly passionate egoistic restless minds, is merely whether the mind is under or free from the conditional influence of worldly passionate egoistic (family, community, cultural, social, spiritual, religious, political, national, commercial, sentimental...) ideas, thinking, beliefs, values, desires, aspirations, visions, practices, behaviors, actions and reactions, where the awakened/liberated minds don't generate ignorant damaging behavior/action/reaction in this world of diversities that doesn't belong to anyone, devoid of selfishness, possessiveness, discrimination, separateness, or desires, aspirations and visions to conquer and control the world to be or not to be in certain way, and respecting the nature's law of cause and effect, free from attachment and the suffering deriving from attachment, while the worldly passionate egoistic restless minds keep generating ignorant hurtful behavior/action/reaction in the world unto themselves and others, out of selfishness, possessiveness, discrimination, separateness, and greedy desires, aspirations and visions to conquer and control the world to be and not to be in certain way, to be gratifying boundless personal and group desires and ambitions, while drowning in restlessness, greed, discontentment, dissatisfaction, disappointment, frustration, irritation, anger, hatred, jealousy, unhappiness, sorrow, hurt, fear, and worry upon ungratified desires and coming in contact with undesirable selfless impermanent changes and disagreeable experiences.

It's not about which way of living is better or more righteous than the other, but it's about which way of living creates minimum or maximum unnecessary damages to the over-all well-being of all and everything in this world that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Before and after the mind realizes and understands towards selflessness and timelessness

Before the mind realizes and understands towards selflessness (There's not a permanent independent individual existence of 'I') and timelessness (There's no past or future. There's only the present moment now. Time is only the reflection of impermanent changes. Life is only now, and it's impermanent), the worldly passionate egoistic restless mind needs to adopt certain observation and restriction, as well as to be developing certain types of discipline through devoting or immersing into performing regular practice on the different disciplines, that help to weaken the idea of 'I' and egoism, that help to lessen impurities and restlessness, in order to prepare the mind for meditation and self-inquiry.

After the mind realizes and understands towards selflessness and timelessness via self-realization, the liberated egoless/selfless mind doesn't need to observe any observation or restriction, and doesn't need to be performing any kind of practice regularly to be developing any form of discipline, as the mind is devoid of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, where the mind is free from the suffering deriving from all that.

All kinds of yoga practice, is to be allowing the mind to see the truth of selflessness and impermanence, to attain direct experience or realization towards selflessness and impermanence. All kinds of benefits or side-effects are also selfless and impermanent. They are not the goal of the practice. No matter how fit, healthy, strong, and flexible the body can or cannot become through devoted regular practice, no matter how comfortable or uncomfortable one can be in any positions or movements, and no matter what is the state of the mind, all are selfless and impermanent, all will change.

It's the absence of the ego/the idea of 'I' and egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation, that allows the selfless mind to be resting in silence, or unconditional peace, transcending the selfless impermanent states of the mind influenced by the selfless energy fields (Gunas), and all kinds of selfless impermanent changes that constantly changing, governed by the nature's law of cause and effect.

The breath (Prana) is life. Without the breath, there is no life. The breath (Life) is selfless and impermanent. The breath cannot just coming and not going, or just going and not coming, or not coming and not going for too long. The breath is still coming and going as it is, or occasionally pausing for a few moments as it is, and eventually it will stop coming and going, as it is, regardless of whether the mind is aware of the breath, or not, and whether the mind appreciates the breath (life), or not. The practice of observing the natural breath coming and going, without trying to control or change the breath being what it is, allowing the breath to be fast, or to be slow, or to pause for a few moments, is all about allowing the mind to respect impermanence, and be able to let go in peace, devoid of any desire of craving or aversion, upon the breath stops coming and going.

Similarly, the practice of doing one's best in performing all kinds of yoga practice, actions, duties and responsibilities, but without attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment and expectation towards the yoga practice/actions/duties/responsibilities and the fruit of the yoga practice/actions/duties/responsibilities, is about be kind to the body and mind by respecting the body and mind as it is, without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation, without hurting the body and mind, and in the end, is all about allowing the mind to realize and understand that -

"The body and mind is imperfect and impermanent. Life is imperfect and impermanent. Regardless of whether good or bad, right or wrong, positive or negative, meaningful or meaningless, joyful or sorrowful, success or failure, happy or unhappy, literate or illiterate, knowledgeable or non-knowledgeable, kind or unkind, selfish or unselfish, healthy or unhealthy, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, long-lived or short-lived, spiritual or non-spiritual, religious or non-religious, and rich or poor, all and everyone will die. All are dying from the moment of being born, however, the mind that is free from ignorance and egoism, that realizes and understands towards selflessness and timelessness, will still be doing its best to live life as it is. Appreciating life, but without holding onto life, while making use of the selfless impermanent life existence to be performing all kinds of actions via the selfless impermanent physical body that would be beneficial to all and everyone, while not being determined or disturbed by selfless impermanent changes, of decay, weakness, illness, old age, discomfort, disability, limitation, pain, or death."

There is no fear and worry in such mind. Decay, weakness, illness, old age, discomfort, disability, limitation, pain, or death, is not something bad, or inauspicious, or negative, or sorrowful, or suffering, if the mind is free from ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, where the mind is peaceful as it is, regardless of all kinds of impermanent changes that is happening in the body and mind, and in the world that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, governed by the nature's law of cause and effect.

There is no sense of superiority or inferiority in such mind. Separateness, discrimination, and desire of craving and aversion towards the different qualities of different names and forms doesn't exist in such mind.

If there is still the sense of superiority or inferiority, righteousness or wrongfulness, goodness or badness, meaningfulness or meaninglessness, joyfulness or sorrowfulness, positiveness or negativeness, and etc, in the mind towards certain qualities of certain names and forms that it perceives in itself and others, where there is still the presence of the sense of separateness, discrimination, and desire of craving and aversion towards certain 'superior' or 'inferior' qualities of names and forms in itself and others, where there is still the sense of belonging, pride, possessiveness, offensiveness, defensiveness, dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hatred, greed, discontentment, fear, worry, hurt, bitterness, loneliness, guilt, regret, shame, and so on, then it indicates that the mind is still very much under the influence of ignorance, the idea of 'I', and egoism, regardless of how long and how much the mind has been devoting most of its priority/attention/effort/energy/Prana/life into practicing and/or teaching certain type of yoga, persistently and regularly, and has been achieving extensive momentary physical and mental benefits and enhancements via the devoted persistent regular yoga practice.

There's neither right nor wrong. The mind just need to keep practicing. All minds take their own pace and cause to evolve/inquire/realize, and be free.

More importantly, regardless of whether any mind is being perceived, acknowledged and identified by itself and/or others as good or bad, right or wrong, positive or negative, meaningful or meaningless, joyful or sorrowful, success or failure, happy or unhappy, literate or illiterate, knowledgeable or non-knowledgeable, kind or unkind, selfish or unselfish, healthy or unhealthy, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, long-lived or short-lived, spiritual or non-spiritual, religious or non-religious, and rich or poor, it doesn't change the truth of selflessness and impermanence. It doesn't guarantee that the mind is, or will be free from ignorance and the suffering deriving from being ignorant, but then, all minds can be free from ignorance and suffering upon attaining self-realization towards selflessness and timelessness.

The one and only GURU is the mind itself.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

The root cause of suffering is ignorance, not bad karma or sin

There are evitable and inevitable suffering in this selfless impermanent worldly life existence of the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind functioning under the selfless impermanent existence and function of the limited and conditional body.

Regardless of evitable suffering (inflicted by ignorant hurtful ideas, desires, behaviors, actions and reactions under the influence of ignorance and impurities), or inevitable suffering (due to selfless impermanent changes in all kinds of names and forms), the mind is experiencing or undergoing a state of suffering is due to the mind is functioning under the veil of ignorance.

Out of ignorance, many minds think and believe that suffering is due to bad karma or sin, based on their particular worldly egoistic thinking and belief, values and practice. That's their freedom of thinking and belief.

The minds that are free from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance (the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities and restlessness), that are resting in unconditional peace, transcending all kinds of evitable or inevitable unpleasant, undesirable, and disagreeable names and forms, experiences and impermanent changes, being undetermined or undisturbed by the absence and presence of pleasant or unpleasant, desirable or undesirable, and agreeable or disagreeable names and forms, experiences, and impermanent changes. It doesn't mean that due to the presence of good karma or the absence of bad karma/sin, that these minds only perceiving and experiencing pleasant, desirable, and agreeable names and forms, experiences, and impermanent changes, and hence, that's why they are free from 'suffering'.

By knowing the truth of selflessness and impermanence, devoid of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, where the mind sees all kinds of selfless impermanent changes that are not necessarily pleasant, desirable or agreeable, as they are. Such as hunger, thirst, decay, weakness, illness, injury, old age, sickness, pain, discomfort, heat and cold, separation from the loved ones, coming in contact with the unpleasant/undesirable/disagreeable objects/affairs/beings/conditions/situations, and vice versa, and/or death/disintegration, where all these are just being what they are. They don't, and cannot make the mind to be in a state of suffering.

Meanwhile, for the minds that are under the influence of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, all these unpleasant/undesirable/disagreeable names and forms/experiences/impermanent changes are being perceived by the minds as the object of suffering, or the cause of suffering.

Many different kinds of evitable physical suffering and mental or emotional suffering that could have been avoided in this world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone are nothing but the products of ignorance, or the consequences of ignorant egoistic thinking, belief, values, practice, ideas, desires, behaviors, actions and reactions.

The mind perceives suffering, or is in a state of suffering, upon being determined and disturbed by the presence of unpleasant, undesirable and disagreeable names and forms/experiences, or the absence of pleasant, desirable and agreeable names and forms/experiences, is due to the presence of egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation in the mind under the influence of ignorance, that give rise to all kinds of impurities and restlessness, that give rise to all kinds of ignorant harmful and hurtful ideas, desires, actions, and reactions, and the consequences of all that, unto oneself and others and the surrounding environment, that give rise to all kinds of evitable suffering/problem/conflict/hardship/difficulty/pain/fear/violence/disharmony/peacelessness that don't need to be existing at all, that could have been avoided.

It's also due to under the influence of ignorance and the by-products of ignorance, the mind perceives suffering, or is in a state of suffering, upon being determined and disturbed by the presence of unpleasant, undesirable and disagreeable selfless impermanent changes, or the absence of pleasant, desirable and agreeable selfless impermanent changes in life, in nature, in the world of selfless impermanent names and forms, in the surrounding living environment, in the selfless impermanent physical body, in the selfless impermanent modification of the mind, or in all kinds of momentary worldly ties, relationships, connections, conditions, and situations, that are unavoidable which is happening in all kinds of names and forms that have a beginning and an end of existence, that are merely being what they are - selfless and impermanent, however, the minds that are under the influence of ignorance see all these selfless impermanent changes as 'the object of suffering' or 'the cause of suffering', under the presence of attachment, identification, and the desire of craving and aversion.

That's why the essence of the yoga and/or buddhism teachings and practice is all about coming from the initiative and freewill of the mind itself, to be eradicating ignorance, to be disciplining, purifying and quieting itself, to be freeing itself (the selfless impermanent perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting faculty of the selfless impermanent body) from the influence of ignorance and its by-products, and hence, be free from suffering, being undetermined or undisturbed by coming in contact with (the presence of) or not coming in contact with (the absence of) pleasant/unpleasant, desirable/undesirable, or agreeable/disagreeable names and forms, experiences, and impermanent changes.

The liberated mind stops generating harmful and hurtful desires, behaviors, actions, and reactions that harm and hurt itself and others and the surrounding environment, while being undetermined and undisturbed by the mind perception of all kinds of selfless impermanent names and forms, or experiences, or selfless impermanent changes, that are pleasant/unpleasant, desirable/undesirable, or agreeable/disagreeable, that are evitable or inevitable.

The mind that is being limited and conditioned and over-powered by corrupted thinking and belief, passionate egoistic ideas, values and practices, selfishness, possessiveness, separateness, offensiveness, defensiveness, anger, hatred, violence, restlessness, desire, discontentment, dissatisfaction, greed, jealousy, lust, pride, arrogance, superiority/inferiority, shame, guilt, regret, fear, worry, grief, sorrow, and etc, is under the influence of ignorance.

The mind that inflicts physical/mental/emotional suffering unto oneself and/or others, either intentionally or unintentionally, is under the influence of ignorance.

The mind that is being determined/disturbed by evitable and inevitable physical/mental/emotional suffering, is under the influence of ignorance.

All kinds of 'problems', of evitable physical/mental/emotional health problem, personal problem, self-esteem problem, family problem, parenting problem, childhood problem, adulthood problem, relationship problem, financial problem, social problem, community problem, behavior problem, national problem, regional problem, global problem, and etc, are all inter-related/inter-affecting among one another. And all these 'problems' are nothing but the products of ignorance and the by-products of ignorance.

There's neither right nor wrong. It's merely whether the mind is free or not free from being determined or disturbed by whatever it perceives/experiences through the senses, under the absence or presence of ignorance.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

When the mind is in a state of great disappointment and despair

When the mind is being over-whelmed by the continuous hammering of repeating dissatisfaction, disappointment, frustration, irritation, anger, grief, sorrow, or hurt, it's normal that the mind will be in a state of great disappointment and despair, where it is lost, doesn't know what to do with itself and life existence anymore, where it doesn't care about its own well-being, not to say, to care for the well-being of others, where life, or continuing living seems to be meaningless no matter what, where it is under going a state of exhaustion or burnout dealing with certain prolonged challenging, difficult, disappointing, disturbing, hurtful, sorrowful, unpleasant, undesirable, and disagreeable affairs in its personal life, and/or in the world.

When that is happening, the mind needs to have the initiation of wanting to be free from that state of the mind, and have the basic ability to help itself,  which is by reminding itself, that all these are impermanent. It will pass away eventually, without judgment or expectation.

Then the mind can try to move the attention away from all that, to be focusing on something else. Such as taking a rather long 'leave' from certain worldly duty and responsibility, or from study, or from work, or from family, or from a relationship, or from friends circle, or from the community, or from the social medias, and go travelling somewhere, and learning new things, not for building more new friendships or relationships, but merely to be focusing on oneself, alone, for a prolonged period, not just for a short few days or few weeks.

The mind can also try to restore or boost its energy level by engaging in a more 'uplifting' lifestyle, such as engaging in certain gentle form (non-violence/non-aggressive way) of physical and mental fitness training activities, that involve twisting, forward bending, backward bending, side bending, inversion, balancing, and chest opening physical movements, and engaging in critical thinking mental training that involve attention, focus and reasoning, as well as consuming a diet that can help to uplift the energy level, even if all these physical and mental effects are also impermanent, that can help to energize and uplift the state of mind for some time, but it's not the solution.

When the mind is able to divert its attention onto something else, and have a few moments of quietness and calmness, while regaining certain energy level through engaging in a more 'uplifting' lifestyle, then the mind can start to look into all those challenging, difficult, disappointing, disturbing, hurtful, sorrowful, unpleasant, undesirable and disagreeable affairs that the mind thinks and believes is the cause of its state of great disappointment and despair, to understand what is really happening in the mind, by standing as a 'third party' looking into its own modification or thought activities, and perform inquiry towards what is the real cause of the despair state of mind.

It requires certain degrees of independence, patience, forbearance, acceptance, determination, non-association, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, and non-expectation, for the mind to help itself to recover or come out from the prolonged energy exhaustion or burnout.

If the mind doesn't know how, or reluctant to help itself, and would rather to be continuing drowning in such despair state of mind, where it can't look after its own well-being, can't perform daily tasks for everyday living, can't think properly, can't eat, can't sleep, can't work, or can't enjoy anything, then that is its own freedom and desire.

That's why it's highly important for the minds to be developing certain degrees of independence, patience, forbearance, acceptance, determination, non-association, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, and non-expectation, before it comes to the point of 'drowning in great despair' upon dealing with too much over-whelming and hammering life experiences.

It's not about trying to help the world to be a better place. It's not about trying to be a good person. It's not about trying to be perfect or exceptional. It's not about running away from difficulties, duties and responsibilities. It's merely about do one's best to be looking after oneself.

When the mind is well or fit enough to be looking after its own well-being, then only it can look after its worldly duties and responsibilities, its family, its relationship, its friendships, its community, its study, or its work, properly.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Yoga is universal

Regardless of whatever the different minds want it to be, yoga is universal.

Yoga is beyond spirituality and non-spirituality. It is neither spiritual nor non-spiritual. There's neither "I am spiritual" nor "I am non-spiritual."

The minds that are sentimental or believing in spirituality, then yoga can appear to be something sentimental or spiritual for them.

The minds that are non-sentimental or non-believing in spirituality, then yoga can appear to be something non-sentimental or non-spiritual for them.

As regardless of whatever is happening within the modification of the mind, whether the mind believes or disbelieves in spirituality, whether the mind is sentimental or non-sentimental, whether ignorance is present or absent in the mind, whether the mind is intellectual or non-intellectual, whether the mind is pure or impure, or whether the mind is peaceful or non-peaceful, yoga is beyond the limited conditional selfless modification of the mind, or the different states of the mind.

Yoga of selflessness, oneness, non-separateness, or the selfless universal consciousness, is beyond the selfless impermanent existence and function of all minds, and/or beyond the mind perception of all the different impermanent qualities of selfless names and forms.

All kinds of yoga practice that served the purpose of disciplining, calming, purifying, and quieting the modification of the mind, to eradicate the idea of 'I' and egoism, is to prepare the mind for meditation, and to perform self-inquiry towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence, to attain self-realization.

Upon the attainment of self-realization, where the mind realized selflessness and absorbed in silence (the annihilation of the modification of the mind), there is neither spiritual nor non-spiritual.

Yoga is merely the selfless reflection reflecting what all and everything are, selfless and impermanent, ceaselessly arising, changing, and passing away upon the changeless, timeless, causeless, limitless, nameless, formless, attributeless, actionless, birthless, deathless, beginningless, endless, selfless consciousness, that is uncontaminated or undetermined by any selfless impermanent quality, or duality, or name and form.

All minds can attain self-realization via self-initiative, self-purification, self-determination, self-independence, self-discipline, self-effort, and self-inquiry, except the minds that are expecting and waiting for an enlightened being or Guru to give them 'miracle touch' or 'mystical healing', and/or even give them enlightenment or liberation, and that's their freedom of thinking and desire.

All kinds of external teachings and teachers/gurus are merely providing some guidance to the minds for them to reflect upon, or showing the path/direction that leads the mind onto the practice, but the only teacher/guru that can free the mind from ignorance, is the mind itself. No any other teachers, or gurus, or liberated minds, can remove the ignorance in any minds, but the mind itself, alone.

The idea, or the notion, or the thinking, or the understanding, or the identification of, "I have a Guru," or "I don't have a guru," or "I am a yogi," or "I have been practicing yoga for how many years," or "I am a qualified and certified yoga teacher," or "I am advanced and highly experienced yogi/yoga teacher," or "I am an enlightened yogi/yoga Guru," or "I am a master trainer of yoga teachers," or "I am the founder/member of a yoga organization," or "Yoga came from and belongs to particular religion, country, place, community, organization, authority, and etc," doesn't mean anything. All these are merely indicating that the mind is still functioning under the influence of ignorance, the idea of 'I', and egoism.

The mind is the one and only teacher/guru that teaches and liberates itself, by itself, alone.

Renounce the world of MAYA, of 'I'-ness, 'mine'-ness, ignorance, egoism, passion, admiration, glorification, pride, hypocrisy, untruthfulness, desire, greed, ambitiousness, restlessness, selfishness, possessiveness, discrimination, self-righteousness, blind-believing/following/practicing/propagating/worshiping, superstition, story making/telling, petty-mindedness, jealousy, anger, hatred, fear, power, and violence, is the key to self-realization.

Transcending or going beyond all kinds of so called 'beautiful', 'out of the world', 'amazing', 'magnificent', 'magical', 'mystical', or 'transcendental' mind perception of names and forms, or the play of sights, lights, colours, sounds, smells, tastes, or sensations. None can force or influence another to renounce the world. It's the mind's own self-initiative and determination.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Be kind to the body and mind that is not perfect

Who or what, is being kind to the body and mind?

If there is a thinking coming from the thinking faculty thinks and believes and identifies as "I am the perfect, pure, and infinite immortal soul/consciousness, and I am all wise and compassionate, and hence, out of wisdom and compassion, I, or the immortal soul/consciousness, is being kind to the imperfect, impure, and finite mortal body and mind that is not who I am," then know that, the mind is still very much functioning under the influence of ignorance.

Out of ignorance, the mind interprets and understands the teaching of "I am not the body, the body is not I. I am not the mind, the mind is not I" as "I am not the imperfect, impure, and finite mortal body and mind. I am the perfect, pure, and infinite immortal soul/consciousness".

There is still the existence of an idea of 'I' existing in 'the mind' to be identifying as 'someone' or 'something' that the mind would like to be, "a perfect, pure, and infinite immortal existence that exists infinitely".

That is still part of the play of MAYA, or ignorance.

There is no 'I'.

There is no 'I' existing to be identifying as 'this' or 'that'.

The one that is behaving/acting/reacting in the way that is kind or unkind, is the selfless thinking and acting faculty, or the selfless mind.

The one that perceives pleasurable enjoyment or painful suffering, that is under or free from the influence of ignorance, that is pure or impure, is the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind.

It's not even be kind to 'yourself'/'myself', where there is still the existence of an idea of 'I' existing in the modification of the mind, thinking and desiring and identifying oneself as a kind and compassionate being, and hence, "I am being kind to myself out of my kindness and compassion."

It's merely the selfless thinking and acting faculty of the selfless body is behaving/acting/reacting in the way that is kind or non-hurtful to the selfless limited existence and function of the body and mind that is impermanent, that is not perfect, and that will never be perfect, but that's okay.

The selfless mind that is behaving/acting/reacting in the way that is kind or non-hurtful to the selfless limited existence and function of the body and mind, will also be kind to others that are not perfect, or be kind to the world that is not perfect.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Yoga practice in everyday life

The yoga practice that most people know or familiar with, is about the yoga practice under certain names and forms that people learn and do in the yoga class, of specific style of yoga asana practice, breathing exercises, concentration practice, relaxation, chanting, cleansing practice, diet regulation, or meditation practice. These yoga practice are very good for the minds that are restless and passionate, to be calming the restlessness, to be balancing the energy field, and for developing certain degrees of basic correct understanding and self-discipline.

Yoga practice is more about applying the essential teachings of yoga into everyday life, by ceaselessly purifying, disciplining, filtering, and restricting the mind inputs and outputs, or the modification of the mind, of the thoughts, actions, speech, expressions, interactions, or conduct in every moment of this selfless impermanent life existence, practically.

Just by doing some form of yoga practice under certain names and forms for many hours a day without knowing how to practice yoga practically in everyday life, integrating the teachings of yoga into the thoughts, actions, speech, expressions, interactions, and conduct, it doesn't lead the mind towards liberation.

One who practices yoga in everyday life, ceaselessly and vigilantly purifying, disciplining, filtering, and restricting the mind activities, or the modification of the mind, doesn't necessarily has to be performing some form of yoga asana practice, breathing exercises, concentration practice, relaxation, chanting, cleansing practice, diet regulation, or meditation practice. All these yoga practice are merely served as the tools that help to purify, calm, and quiet the mind, preparing the mind for self-inquiry, that allow the mind to attain direct experience towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence. However, if without knowing what is non-attachment, non-identification, desirelessness, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment, or non-expectation in the daily life existence, all these practice might give rise to certain momentary and conditional physical and mental health and fitness benefits, but it doesn't lead the mind towards the realization of selflessness, or unconditional peace.

It's the development of openness, independence, self-inquiry (Vichara), right discrimination (Viveka) and dispassion (Vairagya) that will lead the mind towards liberation from ignorance, and hence, be free from the suffering and restlessness or peacelessness deriving from ignorance.

It's about freeing the mind from the idea of 'I', 'my', and 'mine', or the ego and egoism.

In the yoga class, all kinds of physical and mental practice must be practiced along with non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment, and non-expectation, as well as it's all about eradicating the idea of 'I', and moving the mind away from the conditional worldly passionate egoistic ideas, values, and practices, while not empowering all that.

The only thing that hinders the mind from realizing selflessness, or attaining self-realization towards oneness, non-separateness, or the selfless universal consciousness, that leads to the vanished of suffering, is the idea of 'I' and its by-products, that derived from ignorance, as well as that fuels and empowers ignorance.

It's nothing magical, or mystical, or super extraordinary, or sentimental about self-realization, where there's no 'I' existing in any names and forms (sentient living beings and non-living objects). It's what all and everything are. But, out of ignorance, there's a very strong idea of 'I' existing in the form of thinking, that identifying with certain impermanent qualities of selfless names and forms as 'I' and/or 'us', which is the main culprit that gives rise to all kinds of selfishness, possessiveness, separateness, discrimination, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, corruptions, conflicts, violence, hatred, fear, and unrest in this world that doesn't belong to anyone.

Inquire the truth of everything.