Can't have everything - Appreciate certain things while let go some other things

There are some reasons why the mind is in the state of disturbance, unrest, dissatisfaction, disappointment, unhappiness, or misery, that is unnecessary and evitable.

- Fear towards making choices or taking responsibilities.

- Doesn't know what it wants and doesn't want.

- Has some ideas towards what it wants and doesn't want, but is unsure towards what it really wants and doesn't want.

- Knows what it really wants and doesn't want, but has fear towards making wrong decisions that lead to regrets.

- Knows what it wants and doesn't want, and has no fear or regret towards making decisions to be achieving what it wants and doesn't want, but it is greedy, where it wants all and everything that it wants, and even beyond.

 

There are inevitable limitations in this selfless impermanent worldly existence of names and forms.

One can only be here, or there.

One cannot be here and there at the same time.

 

No matter how big the pot is, the pot can only fill up what it can fill up.

It's about making choices towards keeping what can be put and kept in the pot, while let go certain things that can't fit into the pot, or when the pot is full.

 

None can have all and everything.

One can fill up all the pockets that one has, and hold something in bags or containers sitting on top of the head, or holding in both hands, or hanging onto the ears, the shoulders, the forearms, the waist, and the hips, or strapping onto the entire body, as much as possible, until one can no longer move and breathe, or one can keep as much as possible in the biggest warehouse(s), but still, there is limitation.

The healthiest, fittest, strongest, fastest, and most knowledgeable, intelligent, skillful, talented, beautiful, charming, admirable, influential, wealthy, successful, or powerful person in the world also has limitation.

For the minds that are devoid of desires, they are free as they are, regardless of all kinds of limitations.

For the minds that have desires, they can be free as well, if they know how to accept and respect limitations.

Appreciate certain things without attachment or clinging, while be bold to let go some other things.

The mind will be free from unnecessary disturbance, unrest, dissatisfaction, disappointment, unhappiness, or misery.

Be free.

Hardship and difficulty

Some people have to go through many hardship and difficulty in life, while some people don't need to go through any hardship or difficulty at all.

It doesn't mean that those who have been and/or are undergoing some kind of hardship and difficulty in life are any less good, or less smart, or less deserving than those who don't need to go through any hardship and difficulty, and vice versa.

It's definitely nothing to do with what the worldly minded think and believe as the presence and absence of past accumulated and present generated good and/or bad karma.

Many wise and compassionate selfless beings had/have to go through many different kinds of hardship and difficulty, during their limited selfless impermanent worldly life existence, before and even after they attained self-realization or enlightenment.

Upon undergoing prolonged ongoing hardship and difficulty, some people might become more ignorant, corrupt, selfish, bitter, hard, and cruel, while some people might become more wise, understanding, open, cheerful, gentle, and kind.

Similarly, upon the presence of easiness and enjoyment in life, some people might become more proud and arrogant, clinging onto easy and enjoyable conditions and experiences, while some people might realize the fleeting impermanence in all kinds of names and forms, regardless of easy or difficult conditions, and pleasant or unpleasant experiences, and develop a firm foundation in non-attachment and letting go.

Hardship and difficulty are neither good nor bad. It's up to this mind.

One might become less and less ignorant, selfish, hard, bitter, and hurtful, or, one might become more and more ignorant, selfish, hard, bitter, and hurtful.

What does this mind choose to become?

Be free.

The middle path - Neither too tight nor too loose

For the minds that sincerely want to realize yoga/selflessness/unconditional peace, they need to know what is the middle path, and adopt the middle path in everyday life's relationships, affairs, duties, and responsibilities, as well as in the physical and mental yoga and meditation practice.

When it's time to rest, one rests.

When it's time to be active, one be active.

When it's time to retreat, one retreats.

When it's time to move forward, one moves forward.

When it's time to exert energy, one exerts energy.

When it's time to conserve energy, one conserves energy. 

When it's time to eat, one eats.

When it's time to sleep, one sleeps.

When it's time to perform action, one performs action.

When it's time to be silence, one be silent.

There's nothing wrong if the yoga practitioner still have to be living among the worldly passionate egoistic society, and have to be spending approximately 2/3 of one's life existence into the family/social inputs, outputs, affairs, interactions, activities, relationships, duties, and responsibilities, as well as making a living to support oneself and those under one's care, and spending certain amount of time into performing specific physical and mental yoga practice, while spending the rest of one's life existence into sleeping. Although one is sort of being inactive and alone by oneself during the time of sleeping, it's highly important for the yoga practitioner to also reserve a few moments to be alone in solitude and seclusion, in silence and inaction (including not performing any specific physical and mental yoga practice, or so called spiritual practice), while awake, being away/cut off from all kinds of worldly and/or spiritual inputs, outputs, affairs, interactions, activities, relationships, duties, and responsibilities, and eventually, prolonged the moments of being in silence, in solitude and seclusion.

That alone, will allow the mind to develop essential understanding towards the selfless impermanent modification of the selfless mind, and to attain direct self-realization towards selflessness and impermanence, even if under the absence of a personal teacher or guru.

Many passionate minds might see and criticize the practice of solitude and seclusion, or dispassion and renunciation, as a form of extremity, but, it is indeed an essential part of the middle path that will lead the mind towards knowing Thyself.

Inquire the truth of everything.

The basic roles of the yoga teacher

Guiding the yoga students towards -

Develop correct understanding and clarity of thinking

Take responsibility towards one's thinking/belief/values/practice/desires/decisions/behavior/action/reaction, and the consequences of all that

Self-reliance

Self-discipline/control

Self-introspection

Mental and emotional independence

Simplicity and truthfulness

Question/investigate/inquire the truth of everything

Open the mind

Non-blind believing, non-blind following, non-blind agreeing/disagreeing, non-blind practicing, non-blind propagating

Quiet/purify/discipline the restless impure modification of the mind

Turn the outgoing tendency of the mind inward

Develop inner (mental) stamina (patience/perseverance/cheerfulness/contentment), strength (acceptance/will power/attentiveness/forbearance/determination/independence/the ability to let go/non-grasping), and flexibility (adjustment/adaptation/accommodation)

Develop non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment, and non-expectation

Let go the idea of 'I', self-esteem, sense of self-worth, sense of belonging, self/group-identification, self/group-image, pride, arrogance, selfishness, self-righteousness, pettiness, stinginess, possessiveness, ownership, greed, hoarding, bribery, prejudice, discrimination, untruthfulness, hypocrisy, story telling, fairy tales, lies, superstition, day dreaming, wishful thinking, boasting, justification, debate, argument, gossiping, slandering, back-biting, manipulation, exploitation, scheming, cheating, stealing, passion, lust, jealousy, admiration, bitterness, resentment, vengeance, anger, hatred, ill-will, cruelty, violence, blame, self-blame, fear, worry, guilt, regret, obsession, clinging, longing, chasing after love/attention/sympathy/empathy/acknowledgement/recognition/agreement/approval/admiration/name/fame/glory/power/status/title/wealth/luxurious enjoyment/superior treatment, ...

Renounce/Let go worldly passionate egoistic ideas/affairs/activities/interactions/status/titles/castes/sects/associations/organizations/ties and connections/thinking/belief/values/practice/desires/aspiration/inspiration/ambition/indulgence of the senses

Transcend duality/dualism

Go beyond the worldly egoistic thinking/belief/values/practice about good and bad, right and wrong, should and shouldn't, positive and negative, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, happiness and unhappiness, joyfulness and joylessness, pleasant enjoyment and painful suffering, hardship and easiness, success and failure, achievement and non-achievement, gain and loss, superiority and inferiority, appropriateness and inappropriateness, respectfulness and disrespectfulness, attractiveness and non-attractiveness, usefulness and uselessness, purposefulness and purposelessness, deserving and non-deserving, ...

Middle path

Dispassion

Renunciation

Solitude

Seclusion

Respect the nature's law of cause and effect

Respect all and everything as they are

Observe/Witness the perceived reality as it is

Non-interference and non-association

Perform self-inquiry

Identify/Recognize what is the ego (the idea of 'I') and egoism

Thin-out/Eliminate the ego (the idea of 'I') and egoism

Focus/Be/Live in the present

Non-wavering to the past memories and the future imaginations

Meditation/Silence/Stillness/Quietness

Direct realization towards selflessness and impermanence

Self-realization

Know Thyself (the selfless impermanent modification of the mind/the mind perception of a selfless impermanent worldly life existence/what is 'I' that the thinking mind thinks and believes as its permanent independent self-existence/suffering and the root cause of suffering)

Liberation from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance

Realize unconditional peace

Stop hurting oneself and others

Be free

Be happy

Be peaceful

How to be happy?

It's not about how I feel, and what I want and don't want.

It's not about how others feel, and what others want and don't want.

It's not about how others think and feel about me or themselves, and how others act/react and don't act/react.

It's not about what I can do and cannot do, and how much I have done and didn't do for myself and others.

It's not about what others can do and cannot do, and how much they have done and didn't do for themselves and others.

It's not about positive thinking, optimism and hopefulness.

It's not about give others happiness and take away others' unhappiness.

It's not about pleasing others to make others happy.

It's not about ignoring, denying, and supporting others' ignorance, so that others won't be unhappy.

It's about the absence of the idea of 'I' and egoism, in this mind.

It's about the absence of attachment, identification, craving, aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation towards this mind and others.

It's about the presence of non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment, and non-expectation towards this mind and others.

 

Be kind to this body and mind, and let it go.

Be kind to others, and let it go.

May all be happy, including those who have been selfish, difficult, and unkind, and including this mind, that is imperfect, selfless, and impermanent.

It's okay that this body and mind doesn't know many things.

It's okay that this body and mind cannot do and achieve many things.

It's okay that this body and mind has certain limitation and weakness.

It's okay that if the mind still couldn't understand all these.

 

What others think and feel, and how others act and react, is others' freedom.

What this mind thinks and feels, and how this mind acts and reacts, is its own freedom.

Regardless of how much hardship, pain, and difficulty in this present moment, choose forbearance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, openness, kindness, cheerfulness, contentment, and peace.

Let go selfishness, bitterness, resentment, vengeance, jealousy, pride, arrogance, anger, and hatred.

If others are being ignorant, selfish, bitter, hard, difficult, unkind, wrongful, discontent, greedy, evil, cruel, violent, jealous, prideful, arrogant, angry, and hateful, let them be what they are, and let them go.

More importantly, this mind is not being determined or disturbed by them, being what they are, as they are.

This mind doesn't need to be like them.

This mind can choose not to become one of them.

 

If this mind can truly understand "May all be happy", and wish all and everyone "Be happy", unconditionally, this mind will be happy as it is, regardless of whether others are happy, or not.

Be happy as it is, unconditionally, it doesn't mean that there are no negative thinking, disagreement, or unpleasant feelings and emotions arising and passing away in the mind, but the mind understands that all these are impermanent, and it's not 'I', while not being determined, disturbed, influenced, or over-powered by all these selfless impermanent modifications of the mind, standing as a witness towards all these names and forms, without association, attachment, identification, craving, aversion, comparison, judgment, or expectation.

Regardless of what is happening in the body and mind, in life, in all kinds of relationship/ties and connection, and in the surrounding environment/the world, and whether it's something pleasant/unpleasant, agreeable/disagreeable, desirable/undesirable, or soothing/painful, the mind can still be happy as it is, if the mind knows and understands towards selflessness and impermanence.

Be open. Be wise. Be compassionate.

Be free. Be happy. Be peaceful.

None can remove the ignorance in others but one can refrain from empowering the ignorance in oneself and others

It's normal and nothing wrong that when the mind is functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism (the presence of the idea of 'I', attachment, desire of craving and aversion, and expectation), the mind will be disturbed by and would feel depressed/hopeless/meaningless towards the truth about "None can remove the ignorance in others," and hence, either it chooses to perform actions that would bring destruction to all and everyone and everything (if I am in unhappiness/painful suffering, I want all and everyone also to be in unhappiness/painful suffering), or it is reluctant to be performing actions that are beneficial for all and everyone, that might or might not bring constructive improvements in all and everyone and everything (why bother if all and everyone will die sooner or later anyway, no matter what).

That is what ignorance is about. Ignorance feeds/empowers ignorance.

None can change or escape the truth of selflessness and impermanence (decay and death/disintegration), but all and everyone can make good use of the existing ability, possibility, and opportunity in this present moment of the limited selfless impermanent existence, to be kind to oneself and all and everyone.

None, not even enlightened beings/minds/buddhas/gurus, can remove the ignorance in all the other minds.

But one can remove the ignorance in oneself.

One can refrain from empowering the ignorance in oneself.

And, more importantly,

One can also refrain from empowering the ignorance in all the others.

Meanwhile, upon the presence of ability, possibility, and opportunity, one can also perform actions under the presence of correct understanding (wisdom) and kindness (compassion) that are beneficial for all and everyone, that might or might not bring constructive improvements in all and everyone and everything, that might or might not uplift some other minds that are struggling/drowning in ignorance and suffering, unconditionally without egoism of attachment, desire of craving and aversion, or expectation.

Allow the fruit of actions being what it is.

Allow all and everyone being what they are.

Allow all and everyone to remove ignorance in themselves, or not.

Allow all and everyone be free from ignorance, or not.

Be free.

The mind that knows and understands towards selflessness and impermanence

There is needless of engaging in any form of expression or communication, not to say, to be engaging in passionate egoistic interaction, or justification, or debate, or argument, if the mind knows and understands towards selflessness and impermanence, knowing Thyself, being free from ignorance and egoism, and resting in unconditional peace, while respecting all the other minds being what and how they are, and allowing the world being what it is, selfless, and impermanent, governed by the nature's law of cause and effect, where all kinds of names and forms arising, changing, and passing away, at their own respective cause and pace.

There is neither good nor bad.

There is neither right nor wrong.

There is neither positive nor negative.

There is neither meaningful nor meaningless.

All and everything are just what they are.

Who and what, it doesn't matter.

Short-lived or long-lived, it doesn't matter.

Healthy or unhealthy, it doesn't matter.

What is the cause of death, it doesn't matter.

It's whether there is peace, or not, regardless of what is manifesting/happening/changing in this present moment, under the presence or absence of knowing and understanding towards all these.

If the mind still doesn't know and doesn't understand (yet) towards selflessness and impermanence, and it is in doubt and disturbance, and has no peace, while it has intense yearning towards liberation from ignorance by knowing and understanding all these, then it just needs to keep practicing, keep purifying, and keep inquiring.