The yoga class beyond the yoga asana and pranayama practice

Let go of the past.

Whether the past is something happy or not happy, it is not important. 

Let go of the future.

The future doesn't exist.

The future is just some wild imagination, anticipation, projection, wishful thinking, fearful thinking, expectation, and uncertainty, in NOW, that are not real, that don't exist in NOW.

The only reality, the only existence, is the present moment NOW, and it is impermanent. 

Be aware of the present moment now.

Be aware of where you are and what you are doing.

Be aware of the breath coming and going.

Be aware of the movements of the abdomen expanding and relaxing. 

And everything in NOW is impermanent, constantly changing.

The breath is impermanent.

Every breath coming and going is a different breath, there is never the same breath, even though they might appear to be the same.

Every thought/feeling/emotion arising and passing away is a different thought/feeling/emotion, there is never the same thought/feeling/emotion, even though they might appear to be the same.

Every idea of 'I' is a different idea of 'I', even though they might appear to be the same, and they appear to be one single idea of 'I' under a continuous stream of countless ideas of 'I' (self acknowledgement) arising and passing away, and they appear to be the one same 'I' under the function of memory where the perceptive mind remembering some or all of the different states of mind/perceptions/experiences/learning/knowledge/understanding/ideas/desires/aspirations/ties and connections/relationships/interactions/activities/affairs/interactions/duties/responsibilities/plannings/thoughts/feelings/emotions/sensations/sights/smells/sounds/tastes/dreams/imagination/likes and dislikes/agreements and disagreements, and etc (as they are, or distorted/corrupted/not as they are).

Just like a stream of continuous motion movie (film or digital) is manifested under a continuous stream of countless different individual images or pixels. Each image or pixel is a different image or pixel.

Just like each sunset is a different sunset, there is never the same sunset, even though they might appear to be the same. 

The sensations are impermanent.

The thoughts, the feelings, and the emotions are impermanent.

The state of mind is impermanent.

The physical internal and external condition and appearance is impermanent. 

The strength, the flexibility, the stamina, and the ability and disability are impermanent.

The limitation and condition is impermanent. 

The surrounding environment is impermanent.

The life existence is impermanent.

Allow all kinds of impermanent changes to be there, as they are.

 

Let go all kinds of identifications under different qualities of different names and forms.

All kinds of identifications are not you.

All kinds of qualities are not you. 

You are not all these names and forms.

They are not what (you think) you are.

They don't belong to you, and you don't belong to them. 

 

What is your given name or your family name is not important, although the existence of the many different names for addressing the many different individuals and things is merely existing for the purpose of convenience of having the specific names to address someone or something in this world of many diversities, or else there will be many confusion or misunderstanding arise in all kinds of communication and interaction in everyday life.

Whether other people remember you or your name, or not, is not important.

Whether other people pronounce your name correctly, or not, is not important.

Whether other people call and address you by your name with certain title in a specific way, or not, is not important.

Similarly,

What you recognize, identify, and think is your background, belief, values, and practice, is not important. 

What you do or don't do in life, what you can do or cannot do, and what or who you think you are and you are not, is not important.

How other people look at you, or how other people perceive or judge you, or how other people think and feel about you, is not important.

How other people behave, act, and react towards you, or treat you, is not important.

 

You have the freedom to be what you are.

Other people also have the freedom to be what they are.

Regardless of what is your given name and your family name,

Whether people remember and recognize you, or not, 

Whether people remember your name, or not,

Whether people pronounce your name correctly, or not,

Whether people call and address you by your name with certain title in a specific way, or not,

Whether people call and address you with many different kinds of names or labels with different meanings or qualities,

And, 

What you recognize, identify, and think is your background, belief, values, and practice, 

What you do or don't do in life,

What you can do or cannot do, 

What or who you think you are and you are not,

How people look at you, perceive and judge you, or think and feel about you,

And how people behave, act, and react towards you, or treat you,

It doesn't determine you,

It cannot affect or destroy the peace and freedom in you for being what you are, as you are.

 

More importantly, is what and how you choose to think, feel, reason, understand, desire, behave, act, and react towards yourself and other people, and all and everything in this world.

 

In the beginning,

You think and believe that the given name and the family name that you carry is highly important,

You think and believe that what you think and identify as what and who you are, as well as what you think and believe is where you belonged to and what belonged to you, are highly important,

You expect and desire other people to know you and your name, and remember you by your name,

To call and address you by your name correctly with certain title in a specific way, and not to call and address you with some other different names or labels with different meanings or qualities,

To acknowledge and appreciate you and your effort, achievement, and contribution,

To understand you, to agree with you, to praise and compliment you, to be attentive to you, to be kind to you, to be friendly to you, to be thoughtful of you, to be helpful to you, to be agreeable to you, to be respectful to you, to be true to you, to be faithful to you, to admire you, and to look up to you.

That's okay.

There is neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative. 

In the beginning,

You might be unwittingly thinking, feeling, reasoning, understanding, desiring, behaving, acting, and reacting under the influence of ignorance, being conditioned and influenced by the internal biological genetic traits inheritance and/or the external influential and conditioning influences and conditions.

You might be consciously and unconsciously reacting towards all and everything that you experience under the influence of ignorance, and generate all kinds of impurities wittingly or unwittingly reacting towards the names and forms that you like and dislike, agree and disagree with, desire and don't desire, feel pleased or annoyed, and enjoy or don't enjoy.

There are clinging, craving, passion, possessiveness, and greed towards the names and forms that you like, agree with, desire, feel pleased, and enjoy.

There are aversion, dissatisfaction, hatred, violence, vandalism, and destruction towards the names and forms that you don't like, don't agree with, don't desire, feel annoyed, and don't enjoy.

There are longing, clinging, admiration, disgust, jealousy, defensiveness, offensiveness, aggressiveness, bullying, manipulation, exploitation, sabotage, mischievousness, vengeance, bitterness, resentment, anger, ill will, superiority, inferiority, pride, arrogance, anticipation, imagination, anxiety, insecurity, fear, worry, disappointment, shame, guilt, regret, urge to control or over-power, and etc, reacting towards the presence or absence of certain names and forms or experiences that you like or dislike, agree or disagree with, desire or don't desire, feel pleased or annoyed, and enjoy or don't enjoy.

There are constant comparison, judgment, and expectation being generated towards oneself, and towards others and all and everything.

There are constant conflict, argument, justification, hypocrisy, story telling, or lies, within oneself, and towards others.

There are boundless desires waiting to be fulfilled or gratified.

There are endless ambitious personal and community aspirations waiting to be accomplished.

There is constant physical, mental, or emotional tension, fatigue, exhaustion, and burnout.

There are vain talk, boasting, scheming, slandering, gossiping, politicking, day-dreaming, wishful thinking, hopeful anticipation, and building castle in the air.

There are perishable momentary sense of goodness, righteousness, happiness, joyfulness, positiveness, success, and meaningfulness, that will also inevitably give rise to the sense of badness, wrongfulness, unhappiness, joylessness, negativeness, failure, and meaninglessness.

You are constantly acknowledging and telling yourself and others that you love all and everyone and everything very much, but you are also constantly generating ongoing hurtful possession/interference/plotting/politics/slandering/behavior/action/reaction unto all and everyone and everything that you think you love very much out of ungratified desires, pride and shame, superiority and inferiority, possessiveness, obsessiveness, selfishness, greed, discontentment, dissatisfaction, disappointment, jealousy, lust, insecurity, fear, anger, bitterness, resentment, vengeance, disturbance, hostility, animosity, offensiveness, defensiveness, or feelings of annoyed, irritated, humiliated, belittled, intimidated, hurt, and so on.

You are constantly longing for receiving ongoing acknowledgement, attention, love, support, encouragement, liking, agreement, recognition, praise, and compliment from all and everyone, to feel good, confident, happy, meaningful, powerful, and high self-esteem or high self-worth, or else, you will feel bad, not confident, unhappy, meaningless, powerless, and low self-esteem or low self-worth.

You constantly think and feel that you are in competition with all and everyone, with yourself, with your friends, with your parents, with your siblings, with your relatives, with the members of your community, with your partner/spouse/lover, with your children, or with your classmates/colleagues/co-workers/neighbours/teachers, and constantly feel inferior/envious/jealous towards (or feel disturbed, offended, intimidated, and belittled by) others who appeared to be more intelligent, or more knowledgeable, or more talented, or more skillful, or more successful, or more accomplished, or happier, or friendlier, or kinder, or stronger, or wiser, or even, more evil and cruel than you, and you would feel proud in oneself and more superior towards the others who appeared to be not as 'good', or not as 'evil' as yourself.

You constantly think and believe that you are the victim of the bad and wrongful behaviors or treatments of the others, and if you behave hurtfully unto yourself and others and the surrounding environment out of feelings of hurt, is because all those bad people and all those bad things that have been happening unto you, that you don't deserve.

You strongly think and believe that you are thinking, feeling, reasoning, understanding, desiring, behaving, acting, and reacting in certain way, is the respective effect of the existing inherited cause deriving from your genetic traits inheritance from your parental lineage, that you are born like that, that it is not your responsibility, and that you have no freewill to be free from all that no matter what and how, just because some biologists say so.

Out of self-righteousness, you are hurting all kinds of names and forms that you think and believe as bad and wrong based on your particular personal and community belief, values, and practice, while you think and believe that you are doing something good and right, and that you are doing all that as a favour, or service, or heroic act to all and everyone.

Most of the time, under the influence of ignorance, you are wittingly or unwittingly and intentionally or unintentionally hurting yourself and others and the surrounding environment.

You might be aware or unaware towards all THAT.

You might be wittingly or unwittingly being the slave of all THAT.

The presence and absence of all THAT, is affecting and determining you for what and how you perceive, think, feel, reason, understand, evaluate, desire, behave, act, and react towards yourself, others, and all and everything in this world.

There is neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative.

It doesn't mean that you are bad, or evil, or sinful, or bound by bad karma. You are not any of that.

It doesn't mean that you deserve all kinds of ill treatment, bad happening, punishment, cruelty, bullying, or painful suffering. You don't deserve any of that.

 

All THAT are not what or who you are.

They are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, 

They are not you or part of you, and they don't belong to you.

Regardless of how bad, evil, sinful, or bad karma that other people tell you that you are or have been, or that you yourself think and believe that you are or have been, you can be free and have peace.

None can take away or destroy the wisdom and compassion, or the freedom and peace that is always there in you. 

You can stop hurting yourself and others and the surrounding environment, if you want, and only if you want.

Wisdom and compassion, or freedom and peace, is always there in you and in all and everyone, never increase or decrease, regardless of what you think you and everyone are, or no matter how good and right or how bad and wrong that you think you and everyone are.

It is merely the presence of impurities and restlessness and egoism and the idea of 'I'/the ego, that is absolutely possible to be eliminated from your selfless modifications or the selfless mind stuff, that doesn't belong to you, that are not you, where even what you think is you, also doesn't belong to you, and that is what hindering you from realizing all that within you.

There is needless of guilt, or shame, or regret, or repent, or punishment towards all THAT.

Guilt, or shame, or regret, or repent, or punishment, cannot undo or erase the past and the effect or impact of the actions/causes being generated. Let it go.

What matters, is your action/desire/intention/understanding, in NOW.

 

You don't need to know about all the others and all and everything in this world.

You just need to know yourself. 

It is merely because you haven't know yourself, or understand about yourself, and hence, you don't know the others, and don't understand about the others, or you don't know and don't understand about all and everything internally and externally in this world of names and forms that are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, that don't belong to anyone or anything, that don't even belong to the names and forms themselves.

It is merely because you have been unwittingly being conditioned and influenced by the worldly egoistic impure restless thinking, ideas, beliefs, desires, aspirations, values, and practices, to think, to believe, to feel, to reason, to understand, to desire, to aspire, to evaluate, to behave, to act, and to react in certain way and not in certain way.

It is merely because you have been told/conditioned by everyone from everywhere since birth, about not only that you need to be aggressive and possessive and ambitious and powerful, but that you also need to be more aggressive and possessive and ambitious and powerful than all and everyone else, to over-power all the others, in order to survive.

Nope. You don't have to.

Even the most powerful, or the strongest, or the most energetic, or the most intelligent, knowledgeable, experienced, skillful, and talented, or the most influential human beings, or living organisms, or non-living objects in the world, also cannot defy or escape the selfless impermanent changes of decay, weakness, illness/disease/damage/injury, fragility, malfunctioning, inevitable limitation and condition, ceased functioning, ceased existing, or disintegration and decomposition, or death, under the influence of the nature's law of cause and effect.

One can be using the avail power, or strength, or energy, or intelligence/knowledge/experience/skill/talent, or influence to be doing something that give rise to constructive or destructive impact unto oneself and others and the surrounding environment during one's momentary mortal existence and function, depending on whether the mind is functioning under the absence or presence of ignorance.

More importantly, 

One can be using the avail power, or strength, or energy, or intelligence/knowledge/experience/skill/talent, or influence to be helping oneself and all the others that are less power, less strength, less energy, less intelligent, less knowledgeable, less experienced, less skillful, less talented, less influence, or less opportunity than oneself, to improve, to evolve towards clarity and correct understanding, or peace and freedom.

 

None can tell you or advice you to let go all THAT.

None can tell you or advice you about what and how you should and shouldn't think, or believe, or feel, or understand, or desire, or behave, or act, or react.

Not even the buddhas, or the gurus, or the yoga teachers, not to say, the elders, the parents, the friends, or the leaders of any kind.

But, only yourself.

You can.

You have the will and effort to let go all THAT.

As long as you have the selfless functions of perception/cognition/intellect/emotion/memory under the presence of selfless conscious awareness being aware of all these, and you have the perception or experience of enjoyment and suffering, happiness and unhappiness, and the presence of doubts and unknown, and as long as you have the desire to know, to understand, to be free, to have peace,

You have the selfless conscious choice making (conscious freewill) to choose and act responsibly for yourself and others (self-awareness and self-control) and you have the intentionless indiscriminate influential power of conscious awareness to be perceiving, experiencing, learning, reasoning, inquiring, knowing, understanding, and remembering what you know and understand, that can influence what and how you live life, maintain life, think, feel, reason, understand, desire, interact, behave, act, and react.

All and everything that you need, all the dharma, all the teachings, all the guidance, all the tools, or all the knowledge, that can help you, that can liberate you, that most probably you don't even know what you need, are all within you.

You are your own one and only teacher. You are the dhamma. You are the teachings. You are the guidance. You are the tools. You are the knowledge. You are the truth seeker. You are the realization. You are the peace. You are the freedom. You are the wisdom. You are the compassion. You are the answer to all your doubts.

You are not even whatever you think you are. Whatever you think and acknowledge as 'this' and 'not that', are all merely momentary qualities of names and forms that are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, that don't even belong to the names and forms themselves. You don't and can't exist or function if without the selfless support of the selfless energy and the countless different selfless elements that all work together selflessly that give rise to the existence and function of you, the selfless impermanent limited conditional non-self perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting faculty being part of the many different selfless mechanisms of the mortal physical body that is selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self.

You don't even belong to you.

You are merely part of the selfless impermanent limited conditional non-self selfless manifestation of thought process and memory/imprint under the selfless support of the selfless energy and the many selfless elements.

Beyond the limited and conditional mortal existence and function of the body and mind, beyond the selfless limited and conditional mechanisms of the conscious mind awareness that can be present or absence (the different state of consciousness/semi-consciousness/unconsciousness), the perception, the receiver that receives inputs, the thought processor that processes inputs/information/experience/names and forms, the action performer that generates/delivers reflexes/responses/outputs/actions/reactions, the senses and the organs of the senses, the organs of action, the cognition, the memory storage/the accumulation of learning and experience/the imprint of perception/experience/names and forms/thought process/inputs and outputs, the intellect, the reasoning/discrimination/understanding, the emotion, the sensation, the thinking or the thought process/activity/current, the conscious/semi-conscious/unconscious actions and reactions, the fruit/effect/consequences of action and reaction, the internal genetic traits inheritance, the external influential conditions, the ties and connections, the ongoing experiences and interactions, the personal and collective affairs/events, the wakeful conscious state, the semi-awake/sleep/conscious or dream state, the deep sleep or unconscious/coma state, the purity or impurity/restlessness or calmness/known or unknown/correct understanding or incorrect understanding/selfishness or unselfishness in the modification of the mind, of what you think and acknowledge is you, or part of you, that belongs to you,

Is the all pervading timeless attributeless selfless universal consciousness that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, that is unlimited and unconditional (independent and permanent), devoid of 'birth and death or changes and decay', 'quality', 'name and form', 'thinking/thought', 'action/reaction', not to say, 'acknowledgement', 'attachment', 'identification', 'self-ness', 'I-ness', 'mine-ness', 'internal and external', 'discrimination', 'condition', 'judgment', 'myself and not myself or others', 'agreeable and disagreeable', 'desirable and undesirable', 'positive and negative', 'meaningful and meaningless', 'good and bad', 'right and wrong', 'perfection and imperfection', 'healthiness and unhealthiness', 'heaven and hell', 'past and future', or 'enjoyment and suffering' (that are all MERELY part of the momentary selfless manifestation within the selfless modification of the selfless mind), that pervades the entire space within and without all and everything, that hosts all kinds of selfless manifestations of you and all and everything that are all momentary, selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, to be momentarily existing/functioning/changing/being what you and all and everything are/decaying/disintegrating/ceased existing.

Keep practicing, keep going until you know yourself and understand about yourself, and then, you will also know and understand about all the others, and all and everything in this world that you perceive or experience. It is okay that you don't know many things, that you don't know everything. What you don't perceive or experience, is unknown to you, and that's okay.

It is to know all and everything that you perceive and experience of what you know, as what they are, as they are, under clarity, under the absence of impurities, restlessness, egoism, and the idea of 'I', or the ego, not being influenced or contaminated by all kinds of worldly egoistic impure restless thinking, ideas, beliefs, values, desires, aspirations, and practices.

The more you understand, the less disturbed you are.

The less disturbed you are, the more you understand.

And more importantly,

It is okay,

If after you exert continuous effort and would like to be able to let go all THAT, but somehow, you are aware of you still can't let go all THAT.

You are aware of you are unwell, unsettled, disturbed, confused, hurt, insecured, restless, exhausted, in doubt, in painful sorrow, in suffering, lost, or in need of help and guidance.

The presence of the precious selfless conscious awareness of being aware of you (a.k.a. the selfless impermanent limited and conditional mind stuff, or the conscious perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind) can't let go even if you have tried your best, but without judging or punishing yourself, is indicating the presence of the precious correct understanding and non-grasping, or the presence of wisdom and compassion, and that is already a great liberation.

The presence of non-grasping is more relevant than the complete annihilation of all THAT, or the state of absolute Silence/Samadhi.

While without attachment or expectation, the persist presence of non-grasping will eventually and naturally/effortlessly lead towards the annihilation of all THAT, without forcing, without struggling, without violence, without controlling.

And it's okay, if the mind still can't let go certain things, or still haven't attained direct self realization, or still have doubts at the end of life existence, but having the conscious awareness being aware of all that without grasping, without attachment, without identification, without judgment, without expectation. That is already served the purpose of the entire effort of practice. It really doesn't matter.

What matter is, before the selfless impermanent momentary life existence come to an end, when the selfless body and mind still have the energetic energy and endless possibility to be performing certain actions/activities via the selfless organs of action and expression, under specific conscious intention/aspiration and/or under random intentionless instinctive urge, that can impact all and everyone and everything in this world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, either destructively or constructively, that are being performed under the presence or absence of impurities, restlessness, egoism, and the idea of 'I', a.k.a. the veil of ignorance.

That is why it is so highly important for activating the conscious mind purification and silencing process, or the conscious mind evolution, to thin-out and eliminate impurities, restlessness, egoism, and the idea of 'I' or the ego from the selfless modification of the mind or the selfless mind stuff, even if it is selfless, impermanent, and momentary, because there are so much damage can be done via the selfless organs of action and expression during the short duration of the momentary existence and function of a selfless mind that is functioning under the influence of ignorance, that can impact all and everyone and everything for a prolonged extended duration.

So that the mind stops hurting itself and others and the surrounding environment out of disturbance/suffering/all kinds of impurities in the selfless modification of the mind under the influence of ignorance during its momentary selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and function in this space that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

So that the mind can make use of the existing knowledge, understanding, talent, skill, experience, ability, and opportunity to be doing something beneficial for oneself and all and everyone and everything in this world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, under the presence of the selfless wisdom and compassion, or peace and freedom, devoid of ignorance a.k.a. impurities, restlessness, egoism, and the idea of 'I'.

Never give up.

You can understand, if you want.

You don't have to become like the many other minds that don't understand, that are confused, that are being determined, influenced, and disturbed by all and everything that they come in contact with/perceive/experience, that are wittingly or unwittingly hurting all and everyone and everything out of the disturbed, disappointed, discontented, confused, violent, restless, insecured, exhausted, desperate, painful, and suffering state of mind.

It's okay, if you don't, and can't (fully) understand, in NOW.

This is also impermanent.

Just keep letting go, until there is nothing there that need to let go.

No judgment. No expectation.

Purify. Meditate. Inquire. Realize.

Even the most restless impure suffering minds also can attain peace and freedom, if they want, and only if they want (the indication of the presence of conscious mind awareness that is essential for activating the conscious mind evolution).

Inquire the truth of everything.

The selfless universal consciousness is attributeless, neither pure nor impure

When the mind is still functioning under the veil of ignorance, where the mind is still being conditioned by the mind perception of duality and 'I-ness' and 'mine-ness' under the influence of worldly egoistic ideas, beliefs, values, aspirations, and practices, where the mind couldn't perceive, or grasp, or understand the teachings about 'The conscious mind evolution' and 'The mind purification and silencing process', and the one same essence in all and everything, about 'Selflessness', 'Oneness', 'Non-separateness', 'Non-self', 'Timelessness', as well as 'The timeless attributeless selfless universal consciousness', or 'The silent witness', it is normal and common that the mind will think and believe that there are many different individual consciousness under different degrees of impurities that exist in the many different bodies and minds respectively under different realms/conditions/qualities/traits, that there is different quality or attribute in the consciousness, that there is the higher pure consciousness and the lower impure consciousness, where there are different degrees of impurities existing in the different individual consciousness, where the mind thinks that the mind purification process is about purifying and removing the impurities in the contaminated corrupted impure consciousness, to make the consciousness to become pure, to regain its original state of purity, that is identical with the universal pure consciousness.

There is nothing wrong, and it's common and natural that the mind will think and understand in such way under the influence of ignorance.

Upon the annihilation of ignorance after engaging in the genuine and persevered mind purification and silencing process, the same mind will realize that it is not what it thought it is, but there is also nothing wrong, because the presence of that impure incorrect understanding in the mind, where the selfless thinking and acting faculty under the presence of conscious awareness is aware of the presence of ignorance/unknown/impurities in itself, and hence, there is the intense yearning towards liberation, knowledge, purity, and peace, that activates the mind purification and silencing process to be annihilating the veil of ignorance, of restlessness, impurities, the idea of 'I', and egoism, and to be engaging in the self inquiry process to inquire towards the truth of everything.

That incorrect understanding of 'Purifying the inferior lower impure consciousness to regain the state of purity and become one or identical with the superior highest pure universal consciousness', which has been the main conscious desire/motivation that motivates the mind to be engaging in the mind purification and silencing process diligently and determinedly, even though it is not at all about purifying the consciousness that is neither pure nor impure, that doesn't need to be purified, but then, eventually the engagement in all kinds of genuine persevered practice and observation will lead towards the annihilation of the veil of ignorance, a.k.a. the silence of the restless egoistic impure mind stuff/thought current/thought activities/restless modification of the mind, devoid of the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, that enables the mind to realize or see the truth of all that.

Because the mind couldn't grasp something that the mind doesn't know, that is unknown to the mind.

The mind might be able to perceive, know, and understand towards, "I am aware of/experiencing/conscious towards this or that, I know and understand and remember this and that, or I am not aware of/not experiencing/unconscious towards this or that, I don't know and don't understand and don't remember this or that."

Under certain innovative scientific tools or machines deriving from advanced science and technology, where the tools/machines can detect certain gross and subtle conscious and unconscious brains activities/thought current, of thinking, emotions, restlessness, calmness, sleep state, dreaming, or deep sleep state, of the state of consciousness (wakeful state/conscious activities), the state of semi-consciousness (semi-awake/sleep state and dreaming/semi-conscious activities), and the state of unconsciousness (deep sleep state/coma/autonomous selfless operation of the selfless bodily systems ceaselessly operating for basic life maintenance even under complete absence of conscious awareness or conscious physical and mental activities, that is highly essential for life maintenance/regeneration/rehabilitation/recuperation).

But then, "The selfless timeless attributeless universal consciousness? Selflessness? Timelessness? Attributelessness? Universal consciousness?" The mind puzzled.

Just as the infinite space, that is nameless/formless/shapeless/sizeless/weightless/tasteless/soundless/smell-less/attributeless/substanceless/motionless/timeless/limitless, that doesn't increase of decrease regardless of all kinds of names and forms under different qualities ceaselessly arising, changing, and passing away in the infinite space, that one cannot see, cannot touch, cannot feel, cannot hear, cannot smell, cannot taste, cannot imagine, cannot hold, cannot keep, cannot measure, and cannot destroy, but one cannot deny that it is here and there and everywhere, within and without all and everything that are under certain names and forms of certain qualities.

Before the mind attains direct self realization towards the all pervading infinite timeless attributeless selfless universal consciousness that pervades all and everyone and everything selflessly, it is normal and nothing wrong that the mind might understand and refer 'the selfless universal consciousness' that is being mentioned in both the teachings of yoga and/or buddhism as something of pure quality, or of the highest purity, that 'belongs to' the highest 'authority' of the universe a.k.a. the 'creator of the universe', that is distinct and separated from the many different 'individual consciousness' that are impure, that 'exist' in the many different individual sentient living organisms respectively, that 'belongs to' each of the many different individual impure bodies and minds respectively, where after engaging in the mind purification process to be purifying the impure consciousness that is being contaminated by all kinds of impurities, the individual consciousness will regain its original state of purity, which will then become one and identical with, or non-distinctive from the superior highest and purest consciousness of the 'creator of the universe', that 'belongs to' the 'creator of the universe'. And hence, there is the proclamation of, "I am THAT."

The mind might misunderstand that the mind purification process or the path of yoga/buddhism/meditation, is about purifying the lower impure individual consciousness (some minds might refer that as the permanent independent immortal individual soul) to be free from impurities to regain the original state of purity, to become pure again, to become one and identical with the superior highest and purest universal consciousness that 'belongs' to the 'creator of the universe', and hence, some minds refer that as, "I am the immortal pure soul," or "I am the infinite pure consciousness," or "I am THAT."

The selfless timeless attributeless universal consciousness doesn't belong to anyone or anything, not even 'belongs to' the universe, no to say, the so called 'creator of the universe' that 'exists in' and 'belongs respectively to' the many different worldly beliefs under different names and forms.

It is the selfless universal consciousness, because it is the one same all pervading timeless attributeless selfless consciousness that pervades the entire infinite space, that pervades and exists within and without all and everything, regardless of living organisms or non-living objects that had existed, that are existing or have been existing, that are constantly changing and decaying, and that are disintegrating and ceased existing, in NOW.

It is all pervading within and without all kinds of selfless impermanent limited and conditional momentary names and forms that ceaselessly arising, changing, and passing away under the influence of the intentionless indiscriminate nature's law of cause and effect in this infinite space that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

Under the absence of the selfless conscious mind awareness, or under the state of semi-conscious, or being unconscious, where the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind is semi-conscious/unconscious towards anything, there are still some semi-conscious physical and mental activities (such as dreaming and/or sleep walking during sleep, or wild imaginations and hallucinations under the influence of substances, or under certain physical condition and mental state), or there are ceaseless subtle autonomous life maintenance activities ceaselessly receiving inputs and/or releasing outputs operated under the different selfless autonomous bodily systems, even though the selfless universal consciousness is always here and there and everywhere, as it is, never appear or disappear, never increase or decrease.

Just as the sun is always there as it is, never appear or disappear. However, under the movement of the earth (just like the inter-changing conscious, semi-conscious, and unconscious states and activities of the body and mind) and the various elements in the atmosphere (just like the impurities and restless thought activities in the modification of the mind), the sun (just like the selfless universal consciousness) appears to be appearing and disappearing, generating the false impression of day and night, or sunrise and sunset, or the light and heat appears to be mild or intense.

Just like the body and mind being fully aware (wakeful), or semi-aware (sleep/dream), or unaware (deep sleep, or coma), of the different states/degrees of conscious awareness (just like the movements of the earth and the various elements in the atmosphere that are ceaselessly changing) generating the false impression of the consciousness appears to be coming and going (just like the sun appears to be rising and setting), while it is actually the selfless mind conscious awareness that is changing, that is presence or absence, that appears or disappears, that appears to be strong or weak, and hence, there is the practice of developing and empowering the limited and conditional degrees of awareness, or alertness, or focus, or attentiveness.

That is also why, after a prolonged duration of wakefulness/alertness or intense focus on something, the mind will become tired, and needs to take rest/momentarily shut-off. Just like the selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and the different functions of the body and mind, the conscious mind awareness/focus/attentiveness, or the willpower/patience/forbearance/endurance/energy level is also limited and conditional.

The only 'thing' that is unlimited and unconditional, is the infinite independent permanent timeless attributeless all pervading selfless universal consciousness.

 

The selfless impermanent limited and conditional world of names and forms, of inevitable ceaseless maintenance during the momentary existence and function, of non-satisfactory momentary perishable goodness or pleasurable enjoyment, and the inevitable/evitable impermanent painful suffering that is being perceived/experienced by the selfless mind under the presence of the conscious mind awareness, don't exist, if without the selfless function of the selfless mind functioning under the existence of the selfless universal consciousness that gives rise to the conscious mind awareness to the mind, to be conscious towards itself internally (the physical structure) and externally (the surrounding environment).

Whether the selfless body and mind is living/activating/functioning consciously/semi-consciously/unconsciously, or not, and is 'being aware of' the ceaseless changes in the selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and function of the selfless body and mind that has a beginning of existence and an end of existence, or not, it doesn't affect the timeless attributeless all pervading selfless universal consciousness.

There might be certain illness/injury/damage happening to the brains, or the nerves, or the senses, or the organs of the senses, where there is certain partial dysfunction or complete dysfunction of the brains, or the nerves, or the senses, or the organs of the senses, where the body and mind might not be able to function as it is, but that also doesn't affect the selfless universal consciousness.

Just as there are all kinds of activities that are happening in the universe, of countless names and forms ceaselessly arising, changing, and passing away, but all that don't affect, or damage, or contaminate the infinite space, that is always there, as it is.

 

The selfless universal consciousness doesn't increase or decrease, and doesn't come and go, even if the energy level can be high or low, or the body and mind can be functioning efficiently or inefficiently, or the body and mind is fully conscious/aware, or semi-conscious/aware, or unconscious/unaware, or whether there is the presence or absence of ignorance, restlessness, or impurities in the modification of the mind, or the different states of mind, as well as upon the body and mind ceaselessly decaying, weakening, and disintegrating, or completely ceased existing and functioning.

The selfless universal consciousness that pervades all and everything, that enables the living organisms to have the conscious awareness to be aware/conscious of its selfless impermanent momentary existence and function as well as the surrounding environment, is the one same consciousness in all and everything.

There are many different individual selfless bodies and minds that have their own particular cause and effect and traits/qualities/conditions/abilities/disabilities/limitations to be existing and functioning as what they are, but there is no different separate individual consciousness of specific permanent independent immortal individual self identity, that belongs to each particular individual selfless impermanent limited and conditional momentary living being or non-living object respectively, not to say, there is no 'lower impure individual consciousness'.

It is attributeless. It is permanent and unchanging. It is infinite, limitless, and unconditional. It is neither superior nor inferior. It is neither pure nor impure. There is neither pure consciousness nor impure consciousness. There is neither higher consciousness nor lower consciousness. There is neither my consciousness nor your/his/her/its consciousness.

The selfless universal consciousness is the selfless actionless timeless silent witness that has been witnessing all kinds of selfless impermanent limited and conditional momentary names and forms ceaselessly arising, changing, and passing away upon it, that is untouched, uncontaminated, undetermined, unaffected, uninfluenced, unchanged, or undamaged by all THAT as well as the presence or absence of all kinds of impurities, restlessness, the idea of 'I', and egoism, of all kinds of physical and mental conditions/states/activities/abilities/disabilities/limitations, thoughts, feelings, emotions, sensations, memories, imaginations, ideas, beliefs, values, understanding and non-understanding, desires and don't desires, behaviors, actions, reactions that ceaselessly arising, changing, and passing away upon the selfless universal consciousness throughout the countless different selfless bodies and minds.

Just as all kinds of different images or contents of the different movies being projected onto the screen don't affect, or contaminate, or damage, or change the screen. The screen (just like the selfless universal consciousness that pervades the entire infinite space) is what allowing the countless different movies (all kinds of manifestations/perceptions of names and forms under different causes and effects) to be screened upon it for the viewers (the perceptive minds under the presence of conscious awareness) to watch (to perceive/experience/be aware of) the movies (the mind perception of all kinds of names and forms/experiences/impermanent changes), and to have different reflection/understanding/opinions/thoughts/ideas/actions/reactions towards the different movies (pleased or displeased, desirable or undesirable, agreeable or disagreeable, like or dislike, enjoyable or non-enjoyable, inspiring or non-inspiring, enlightening or non-enlightening, elevating or depressing, calming or disturbing, grasping or non-grasping, and etc).

The difference between the screen and the selfless universal consciousness, is that the screen is a name and form like all the other names and forms that are impermanent, limited, and conditional, that is subject to decay and disintegration, that can be damaged and destroyed, that will affect the quality of the images or contents of the movies being projected onto it, that will cease existing, but not the selfless universal consciousness.

The selfless universal consciousness witnesses and reflects all and everything as they are, however, the presence of the veil of ignorance, or the restlessness, the impurities, the idea of 'I', and egoism in the selfless modification of the mind distort or corrupt the reflection of all and everything, and/or hinder the mind to perceive/know/see/understand all and everything as they are.

It is like the mirror will reflect all and everything as it is, however, the presence of dust, or dirt, or cracks, or movement will distort or corrupt the reflection, or hinder the mind to see the reflection of all and everything as they are. Similarly, the mirror is also a name and form that is impermanent, limited, and conditional, but not the selfless universal consciousness.

It is the selfless impermanent limited and conditional mind stuff, or the selfless function/modification/activity/state of the mind, that appears to be pure/calmed/egoless under the absence of impurities, restlessness, or the idea of 'I' and egoism, and that appears to be impure/agitated/disturbed/restless/egoistic under the presence of impurities, restless thought activities, or the idea of 'I' and egoism.

Under the presence of impurities, restlessness, and the idea of 'I' and egoism, the impure restless egoistic modification of the mind (the selfless corrupted mind stuff - the cognition, the understanding, the intellect, the reasoning power, the thinking and behavior pattern, the action and reaction) is the selfless subject that needs to be undergoing the mind purification process to be purifying and eliminating impurities, restlessness, the idea of 'I', and egoism from the selfless impermanent modification of the mind, so that the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting faculty that perceives and that is conscious/aware of all kinds of names and forms under the presence of the selfless conscious mind awareness to be conscious/aware of all THAT that are being reflected upon the selfless universal consciousness, can now perceive/see/know/understand all the names and forms that it perceives through the senses, or the objects of the awareness/perception/senses as what they are, as they are.

Upon the direct self realization towards all that under a purified and quiet modification of the mind (clarity), the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting faculty (the selfless mind) will know that there is only the one same all pervading timeless attributeless selfless universal consciousness that pervades all and everyone and everything, within and without, that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

 

There is not any lower inferior individual consciousness that is impure (that is distinct and separated from the so called 'highest superior universal pure consciousness'), that needs to be purified to become pure, to regain the state of purity, and to become one and identical with the selfless universal consciousness. It is always the one same all pervading timeless attributeless selfless universal consciousness.

Similarly, the selfless mind stuff/function/mechanism is also neither pure nor impure, even though they can be functioning under the presence or absence of impurities, because the impurities don't belong to them, or the impurities are not them or part of them.

That is also why, it is absolutely possible to free the mind stuff from the veil of ignorance, of restlessness, impurities, the idea of 'I', and egoism. It is like the dirt or dust, that is landing on the subject that can be removed/cleaned up/eliminated from the subject. However, the dirt or dust can be very stubborn to be removed/cleaned up/eliminated, that requires prolonged and persevered continuous action of cleaning under the help of certain tools.

Similarly, the minds are neither good nor bad, even though the minds can be functioning under the presence or absence of the veil of ignorance and its by-products, and hence, the minds can appear to be good or bad, kind or unkind, selfish or unselfish, wise or ignorant. Under this understanding, one will know that all minds can be free and have peace, or be kind, if they want, and be willingly to exert effort for that.

 

The different impermanent limited and conditional selfless bodies and minds/names and forms/living organisms/objects coming and going in this infinite space that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, generating different causes (actions) and effects (consequences of actions) impacting all and everyone and everything, either wittingly or unwittingly, and they are never the same but ceaselessly changing, but the selfless timeless attributeless universal consciousness is still the same. The infinite space of the universe is still the same. They are not being affected, or damaged, or contaminated by all kinds of selfless manifestations being what they are.

The many different individual selfless perceptive minds have their own particular individual and/or collective group perceptions/experiences/cause and effect/impermanent changes in their respective momentary existence, and might or might not remember/recall all the perceptions/experiences/actions and consequences of actions/impermanent changes from the moment of forming/arising (birth) until the moment of disintegrating/passing away (death) under the selfless function of the memory and memory storage (just like the timeless selfless imprints of everything imprinted in/witnessed by the timeless selfless universal consciousness), however, it is the one same selfless timeless universal consciousness (the one and only silent witness) that pervades all and everyone and everything, that has been witnessing all and everyone and everything, of the ceaseless births and deaths of the countless names and forms, of the ceaseless impermanent changes in the countless names and forms in between arising (birth/the beginning of existence) and passing away (death/the end of existence).

The minds that understand this, they will also understand towards what is 'the recollection of countless momentary existence of the many different names and forms under different qualities existing momentarily under different time, space, and causation' (that is being mistaken as 'the countless and endless reincarnations of the respective immortal individual consciousness/soul' reincarnating into countless and endless 'different existences' transitioning under 'different realms', under different time, space, and causation, in an infinite loop of 'the wheel of ceaseless births and deaths'), that are merely the timeless imprints of the timeless selfless manifestations of all kinds of momentary names and forms arising, changing, and passing away upon the selfless timeless all pervading universal consciousness (the one and only timeless silent witness that witnesses the timeless and endless manifestations of countless names and forms manifesting/arising under different qualities/states/conditions, and ceaselessly changing and passing away under different time (era), space (location), and causation (cause and effect)), where some of the selfless perceptive minds might be able to perceive or have a glimpse towards the flashing of the random imprints of 'the timeless countless manifestations (different births and deaths) of countless different selfless momentary names and forms, arising, changing, and passing away under different realms/conditions/qualities in different time, space, and causation respectively' that don't belong to this particular selfless mind that only exists momentarily in NOW, in this particular selfless body, that has its own particular perceptions/experiences/impermanent changes/conditions/states/qualities/traits/cause and effect, and its particular memory storage of all that, in NOW.

All these imprints of the timeless selfless impermanent limited and conditional manifestations of countless different names and forms witnessed by and imprinted in the one and only timeless selfless silent witness a.k.a. the one same timeless selfless universal consciousness that pervades all and everything, are neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative. That is also why there is the highly essential and basic teaching and practice of yoga and buddhism of non-grasping/non-attachment/non-identification/non-craving/non-aversion/non-comparison/non-judgment/non-expectation, for all the selfless impermanent momentary minds that have the intense yearning towards knowledge, liberation, freedom, and peace, during their momentary existence and function in this space that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

That's why, the selfless mind only knows and remembers what it knows and what it can remember that it has been perceiving/experiencing in its particular selfless impermanent momentary existence and function in NOW, that there is only this particular selfless impermanent limited and conditional momentary mortal life existence and function of this particular selfless body and mind (limited adjunct) that is constantly changing, decaying, and disintegrating, and eventually, it will pass away or ceased existing, and there are NO past previous countless lives or future next continuous lives (the worldly egoistic belief of 'ceaseless and endless loop of reincarnation' of 'a permanent independent immortal infinite individual self identity that doesn't exist' to be 'reincarnating' endlessly into different finite momentary mortal existence of different names and forms transitioning under different realms, under different time, space, and causation, in accordance to the worldly egoistic belief/values/practice of the endless generation and accumulation of inexhaustible good and bad karma) of this particular selfless body and mind, that is impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, that only exists and ceaselessly changing, in NOW.

Most of the time, when the minds think and believe that they 'see', or 'feel', or 'experience' something that is not real, that doesn't exist in the reality, in NOW, it is merely some wild imaginations or hallucinations that happen under certain physical condition and/or mental state, or under the influence of certain substances. Just like dreams. Dreams are not real. If the mind thinks and believes that all the dreams that it perceives as something real, it is insanity.

If it is not merely some wild imaginations, or hallucinations, or dreams that are not real at all, where the minds claimed that they could fully consciously 'know' or 'perceive' something that they think and believe is 'their own' countless ceaseless reincarnations in countless different existences of countless different names and forms transitioning under different realms/conditions/qualities under different time, space, and causation, but they are merely some random flashing of selfless imprints deriving from the all pervading timeless selfless universal consciousness (the timeless silent witness) that has been witnessing the countless selfless manifestations of countless names and forms under different time, space, and causation, manifesting under different realms/conditions/qualities/states, that don't belong to these particular minds that only exist selflessly and momentarily in this particular impermanent, limited, and conditional existence and ceaselessly changing, in NOW.

There is the beneficial reason why the one same timeless selfless universal consciousness in all and everything, or the one and only timeless silent witness of all and everything, is unknown to most minds, even when it exists in all and everything, and all perceptive minds are being conscious because of that. It will be tremendously over-whelming, and extremely disturbing and confusing for the minds that don't really understand what and why are all those flashing of random imprints coming from the timeless limitless selfless universal consciousness that don't even belong to themselves, and such experience/happening will be treated and referred as insanity.

 

Many minds would like/wish to be able to know what is going on in the minds of others, under specific intention or desire, that is their freedom of thinking and desire, but if they know the truth of the restless impure mind stuff, they won't even want to confront with their own restless impure corrupted modification of the mind, not to say, they would not want to know about what is going on in the mind of anyone, as it will be extremely disturbing and exhausting. Just by dealing with the restless impure mind stuff in oneself, is already so difficult, over-whelming, confusing, and exhausting, not to say, if being consciously aware of what is going on in all the other minds that are full of all kinds of desires, greed, violence, hypocrisy, lies, plotting, scheming, anticipation, projection, ill will, hatred, anger, jealousy, fear, worry, insanity, madness, confusions, corruptions, wild imaginations, hallucinations, impurities, and restlessness, as well as all kinds of painful sorrow and suffering, while not being able to interfere with all the others being what and how they are under the influence of the nature's law of cause and effect.

That is why the universal consciousness is also selfless, even if it is permanent, independent, or infinite.

There is no painful suffering in the all pervading timeless attributeless selfless universal consciousness, even when it is the timeless silent witness timelessly witnessing towards all kinds of painful suffering that the countless selfless impure egoistic restless minds had/have been generating and undergoing, under the veil of ignorance.

It is only the countless selfless conscious perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting minds functioning selflessly under the selfless impermanent limited and conditional mortal physical structure that is non-self, that doesn't even belong to the selfless body and mind itself, that is the one that perceives all kinds of painful sorrow and suffering, or the notion of 'I am not free' due to being ignorant towards all these selfless natural manifestations, under the influence of the veil of ignorance, not knowing that they themselves and all and everything are selfless.

The sense of separateness and duality, as well as pride and shame, low and high self esteem, positiveness and negativeness, goodness and badness, righteousness and evilness, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, offensiveness and defensiveness, togetherness and aloneness, possessiveness, discrimination, discontentment, greed, clinging, the conscious desire and/or the instinctive urge to control/to possess/to hoard/to own/to protect/to be strong and powerful, and fear, that exist under the sense of separateness and duality deriving from ignorance, will all be vanished from the modification of the mind, upon the direct self realization towards all these.

Regardless of whether the minds realize or don't realize towards all THAT, it doesn't change the truth of selflessness, impermanence, limitation, conditional, and non-self. Beyond all the different qualities of the different names and forms, beyond the selfless mind stuff, or the selfless functions/mechanisms of the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind, or the different selfless impermanent states of mind, beyond the selfless mind perception towards the world of selfless impermanent limited and conditional names and forms, is the one same infinite timeless attributeless selfless universal consciousness.

However, the realization towards all THAT during the momentary existence and function of the countless selfless impermanent minds under the countless selfless impermanent physical structures in this world of diversity that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, is the highest duty of all minds, so that the minds stop hurting themselves and others and the surrounding environment during their momentary existence and function in this infinite space that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, resting in unconditional peace and freedom, being undetermined, undisturbed, and uninfluenced by the boundless ignorance in this selfless impermanent world of all kinds of limited, conditional, and non-self momentary mortal existence of diverse names and forms that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

Renunciation, dispassion, right discrimination or basic correct understanding, seclusion, solitude, silence, mental and emotional independence, meditation, contemplation, self inquiry, determination, perseverance, forbearance, acceptance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, intense yearning towards absolute knowledge/liberation from ignorance and suffering/unconditional peace and freedom, non-attachment and non-identification, non-craving and non-aversion, non-judgment and non-expectation, non-violence, non-clinging, and non-grasping, are the essential elements of The Middle Path in both yoga and buddhism that will lead towards direct self realization towards all THAT.

 

If the mind doesn't know this, where it has doubt (and, the mind should be doubting*) towards the truth of all these, then the mind can engage in certain methods or practices that can help to purify and quiet the modification of the mind, to be inquiring towards the truth of all these, to attain direct self realization towards all these.

*Doubting, is absolutely nothing wrong, and it indicates the possibility of conscious mind evolution. Doubting towards the truth of something or everything, apart from the direct or indirect experience of painful sorrow and suffering, is the highly essential element that initiates the mind purification and silencing process, to be inquiring towards the truth of everything, to be free from ignorance, to attain direct self realization towards the truth of everything.

Just as the young Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was being initiated by the indirect non-personal experience under the perception/coming in contact with/awareness towards the existence of painful sorrow and suffering in all the others in the surrounding environment, towards the inevitable suffering of selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and function that needs ceaseless effort for maintenance, of inevitable changes, decay, aging, weakness, illness, and disintegration, or death, and had ignited the intense yearning towards knowledge, liberation, freedom, and peace in himself, even when he hadn't have any direct personal experience towards painful sorrow and suffering (yet), while being determined to attain direct self realization towards the truth of suffering, and eventually, he attained self realization after years of renunciation while learning and observing all kinds of methods and practices from different teachers of different lineages and paths, and underwent the different paths of extremity that didn't work, that led to the realization towards the middle path, that eventually led to the self realization towards the mind stuff, the truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self, and the nature's law of cause and effect.

"All have the one same essence of BUDDHA." - Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

Do not blind-believe, blind-follow, blind-agree/disagree, blind-practice, or blind-propagate anything from anyone.

Inquire the truth of everything, including all that is here. 

Taking responsibility towards the action, reaction, desire, and behavior of oneself

The very basic yoga practice or teachings of yoga that the students of yoga learn in the yoga class even before trying to learn about some basic yoga exercise or yoga asana and pranayama practice, is about taking full responsibility towards oneself, towards all the different impermanent states of mind, of the thinking, understanding, feelings, emotions, ideas, belief and values, likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements, desires and don't desires, behaviors, actions, and reactions being generated through the body and mind, towards looking after oneself physically, mentally and/or emotionally, as well as towards making decision to be performing certain action/inaction, and to be active or take rest physically and/or mentally, in the present moment NOW accordingly, under the respective internal physical/mental and external environmental condition/situation/ability/disability/limitation/possibility/impossibility in the present moment NOW, that is impermanent, that is constantly changing.

Even though there is no infinite immortal individual self existence of 'I' existing in the selfless impermanent limited and conditional body and mind, but the selfless body and mind is indeed the one that is wittingly and/or unwittingly generating different countless cause after cause that give rise to respective different effects, deriving from certain behavior/action/reaction that are being generated under specific conscious desire/choice intentionally and/or under instinctive urge non-intentionally.

There is no infinite immortal individual self existence of 'I' that exists in the selfless body and mind to be responsible towards all the causes being generated by the selfless body and mind, while the selfless body and mind is responsible towards all the causes and effects that are being generated either wittingly (consciously by conscious choice and desire) or unwittingly (non-by choice unconsciously/instinctively/autonomously).

Regardless of whether wittingly or unwittingly, consciously or instinctively, intentionally or unintentionally, the body and mind is still the one that is responsible towards all its actions/reactions/behaviors being generated under conscious desires or instinctive urges of autonomous physical and mental activities being over-powered or conditioned by internal genetic inheritance or by external influential conditions.

There is sickness, or injury, or painful/unpleasant sensations in this body and mind, and this body and mind is undergoing this sickness, or injury, or painful/unpleasant sensations, while all the other bodies and minds are not undergoing all THAT, that is only happening in this particular body and mind, being perceived under the presence of the selfless conscious mind awareness of this particular mind.

Even when the mother can commiserate towards the painful physical and mental suffering that her child is suffering, and she herself is also being in a state of painful suffering upon seeing her child being in a state of physical and mental suffering, but she cannot replace the child or swap place with the child, to be the one who suffers the painful physical and mental suffering that the child is undergoing or suffering. She cannot take the medicine and receive the treatment, for her child to be recovering and become better. Her child has to take the medicine and receive the treatment to be recovering and become better.

It is the responsibility of the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind towards how it behaves, acts and reacts towards all and everything that it perceives/experiences/comes in contact with or doesn't come in contact with, as well as towards the consequences of all its behaviors, actions and reactions.

The minds that think and believe that there is completely no conscious freewill by choice to choose how to behave, act, and react under conscious awareness, where they think and believe that all behaviors, actions, and reactions are 'instinctively/autonomously/under the absence of conscious freewill' being influenced by the existing internal and/or external specific cause that leads to specific effect (that they think and believe as fixed, or non-modifiable), it is because they haven't attained direct self realization towards the truth of Thyself, or the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind, the mind stuff, the ego and egoism, the veil of ignorance, the selfless universal consciousness, the conscious mind awareness, the conscious mind evolution or the path of self inquiry and self realization, Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, Non-self, Non-grasping, Silence, and Transcend, even if they have been accumulating all kinds of knowledge and information about all that coming from someone and somewhere, or under the help of innovative tools under advanced science and technology.

The mind that understands this, it is free, as it is.

It knows that its selfless impermanent states of mind, of happiness and unhappiness, peacefulness or peacelessness, doesn't need to be determined by whatever it perceives/experiences or doesn't perceive/experience internally and/or externally, regardless of whether the internal and/or external experiences/non-experiences/conditions/situations are pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable, desirable or undesirable, enjoyable or non-enjoyable.

The selfless impermanent restless modifications/states of mind, of all kinds of random thinking/thoughts/ideas/feelings/emotions that ceaselessly arising and passing away/coming and going, also cannot determine the ignorance free thinking and acting mind that knows what is non-grasping/non-attachment/non-identification/non-craving/non-aversion/non-comparison/non-judgment/non-expectation to be what it is, to be existing and functioning, to be performing action/inaction, without being determined by the selfless impermanent modifications/states of mind/mind stuff that is non-self, that doesn't belong to the selfless thinking and acting mind, not to say, all kinds of mind perception of names and forms being perceived through the senses via the sense organs, internally and/or externally.

It respects and doesn't restrict the freedom of thinking or not thinking, belief or disbelief, understanding or non-understanding, desire or don't desire, and the different types of behavior, action, and reaction of all the other minds being what they are, as they are, but all that and all kinds of pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable or disagreeable treatments coming from others unto itself, cannot determine itself to be happy and peaceful, or not.

Under the presence of conscious awareness on top of the presence of correct understanding, the ignorance free thinking and acting mind can choose how it behaves, acts, and reacts towards all and everything.

It doesn't need to control anything. It doesn't need to defy the nature's law of cause and effect being what it is. It doesn't need to defy or deny the natural process of decay and disintegration, or death. But it has the conscious awareness and correct understanding to be influencing the selfless impermanent changes in certain way in NOW, even if the body and mind is existing and functioning under certain inevitable restriction or limitation.

It doesn't need to stay there not moving away from any kind of natural disasters/hazards/dangers/risks/man made difficult and hurtful condition and situation, or ill treatments from others.

It doesn't need to argue with or fight against the ignorance of others.

It doesn't need to change or convince and convert others to be thinking, believing, understanding, desiring, behaving, acting, and reacting in certain way or not in certain way.

It may or may not do its best to help all the others to be free from the influence of ignorance, if there is the opportunity and possibility, without any obligation, and without egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, or expectation, allowing and respecting all and everyone to be what they are and what they are not, as they are, and to take their own pace under their own cause and effect, to be changing in certain way or not in certain way, or not.

That is what mental and emotional independence is about.

That is what the basic yoga and/or buddhism practice is about.

The mind that doesn't understand this, it thinks and believes that, "It is because of you and how you treat me, it is because of them and how they treat me, it is because of everyone and everything that had happened and that is happening to me, that is why I behave, act, and react like this and not like that, that is why I feel disturbed or pleased, meaningful or meaningless, that is why I am happy or unhappy, peaceful or not peaceful, and that is why I do this and not doing that, that is why I behave like this and not behaving like that." And more so, "It is because of my genes, that is why I am thinking, believing, reasoning, understanding, desiring, behaving, acting, and reacting like this and not like that," or even, "It's not my fault. Don't blame me for my bad behavior and ignorance. It's the responsibility of my bad genes inheritance inherited from my bad parental lineage."

It is true that a mango seed (the original cause) gives rise to a mango tree that gives mango flowers and fruits of mangoes, and it doesn't give rise to all other kinds of trees, flowers, and fruits that are not mango, however, the selfless impermanent changes from the seed being planted, to being nurtured, to be growing into a full blown matured tree that give rise to flowers and fruits, or not, are conditional, are not fixed. It depends on the availability and non-availability of certain environmental conditions, as well as the planter of seed/tree under the presence or absence of conscious awareness and understanding and effort that can influence the entire process of planting and nurturing that mango seed/tree/flowers/fruits.

The seed, the tree, the flowers, the fruits, the planter, or the environmental conditions, are all selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self. It doesn't mean that under the truth of selflessness, impermanence, limitation, conditional, and non-self, there are no conscious by choice activities deriving from the selfless thinking and acting minds functioning under certain ideas and understanding/non-understanding, that have the organs of actions to be performing all kinds of intentional and non-intentional activities under certain conscious desires/don't desires or aspirations in this world of diversity that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, that are impacting and influencing all and everything in certain way, selflessly, regardless of constructively or destructively.

If the mind has only one single opportunity of one single timing to be learning yoga and/or buddhism during its entire selfless impermanent limited and conditional life existence and function, is to be learning about taking full responsibility towards its selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and function that is non-self, that doesn't even belong to itself.

If the mind truly knows how to take full responsibility towards itself, towards its selfless impermanent modification/state of mind, of all kinds of selfless impermanent conscious by choice or unconscious autonomous instinctive thought activities, ideas, thinking, feelings, emotions, understanding, desires, behaviors, actions, and reactions, regardless of whether it is being conditioned by genetic inheritance condition, or being influenced by some external influential conditions and situations, this mind will have peace, unconditional peace, not being determined or disturbed by the presence/absence of all kinds of pleasant or unpleasant/agreeable or disagreeable/desirable or undesirable/enjoyable or non-enjoyable experiences/happenings/conditions/situations/impermanent changes, that are happening internally or externally.

The more the mind has peace, the more the mind can understand this and that clearly, as it is.

If the mind wants to be happy, none and nothing can make the mind unhappy.

If the mind wants to be unhappy, anyone and anything also cannot make the mind happy. 

And it's okay, if the mind doesn't understand something or many things.

Keep practicing.

Never give up. 

Inquire the truth of everything.

Purify. Meditate. Inquiry. Realize. 

The timeless freedom under the presence of correct understanding or wisdom and compassion

This timeless freedom doesn't mean that there is completely no limitation, or no restriction, or no self control in all our thinking, action, and speech or expression, or we have completely no restriction (that is nothing to do with the creation and existence of the many unnecessary man made egoistic non-universal rules and regulations) to be existing, functioning, and living in this world of diversity that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, in an infinite space of existence that is being shared momentarily among the many diverse objects and living organisms, individually and communally.

All and everyone and everything are limited and conditional, inevitably being limited by certain limitations and conditions, as well as selfless impermanent changes internally and externally, governed under the nature's law of cause and effect.

The selfless impermanent limited and conditional life existence of the mortal body and mind consisting of all kinds of individual and collective experiences, affairs, happenings, relationships, interactions, and activities are not necessarily the way that the different minds would like it to be, or the way that the different minds perceive as pleasant, desirable, agreeable, or enjoyable.

The selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and function of all and everyone and everything are inevitably inter-connected to one another, inter-supporting and inter-impacting one another.

It is inevitable that there are certain limitation and condition while being existing and functioning selflessly and momentarily in and sharing this space of existence that doesn't belong to anyone and anything, especially under the existence of the many different minds that are functioning under the presence of ignorance, that generate many ideas/desires/beliefs/values/practices/behaviors/actions/reactions/aspirations/ambitions that are impacting oneself, others, and the surrounding environment in certain way.

There are certain limitation existing in the body and the mind, where the body and mind cannot do certain things, or the mind cannot understand or doesn't know how to do certain things. And it's okay.

There are certain limitation and condition existing in the surrounding environment, where all and everyone and everything cannot completely be free/unlimited/unrestricted/unconditioned to be what all and everyone desire to be and not to be. And it's okay.

The moment there is attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation arising and coming from the selfless thinking and acting faculty being generated towards the possibilities and impossibilities in the body and mind and the surrounding environment, in NOW, there arise the perception or notion of "I am not free."

Upon the absence of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation in the mind, while there is respect and acceptance coming from the selfless thinking and acting faculty towards the body and mind and the surrounding environment being what it is, inevitably being limited by certain limitation and condition, where the body and mind cannot understand or do certain things, in NOW, where the selfless thinking and acting faculty doesn't force the body and mind beyond its limitation to be doing something that the body and mind cannot understand and cannot do, that is not possible, in NOW, there is no perception or notion of "I am not free."

Under the presence of correct understanding, or wisdom and compassion, where the mind understand that there are many things are limited by certain limitation and condition, as well as there are many minds are being limited by certain limitation, condition, and non-understanding, where certain things are not necessarily available in accordance to one's desire and don't desire, as well as certain minds are not necessarily thinking/understanding/behaving/acting/reacting in the way that is in accordance to one's agreements and disagreements, or that is unselfish, or non-possessive, or reasonable, or logical, or constructive, or beneficial for all and everyone unconditionally and indiscriminately, where the mind doesn't need to be determined or disturbed by the non-availability of certain things under certain inevitable limitation and condition, as well as the existing of certain unreasonable thinking/understanding/behavior/action/reaction of certain minds under the presence of certain inevitable limitation, condition, and non-understanding, but respecting and accepting all and everyone and everything being what they are and what they are not, as they are, there is no perception or notion of "I am not free."

This timeless freedom is always there as it is, where there is absence of the perception or notion of, "I am not free," even if the mind that is functioning under the presence of correct understanding, or wisdom and compassion, decides and chooses to not doing, or not saying, or not expressing something that is non-conducive or non-constructive for maintaining the peace and harmony in oneself and in the surrounding environment, and choosing not to be doing, not to be saying, or not to be expressing something that will be empowering the non-understanding, or the ignorance and the by-products of ignorance in the many minds in this world of diversity that doesn't belong to anyone and anything, but choosing to perform certain action, to be doing, or saying, or expressing, or disseminating something that will be conducive, constructive, and beneficial for all and everyone and everything in this world of diversity that doesn't belong to anyone and anything, to have more peace and harmony under the absence of ignorance and the by-products of ignorance, a.k.a. the presence of correct understanding, or wisdom and compassion.

It is insanity, but there were, and there are many minds would think and believe that it is 'easier' or 'more efficient' to control all the other minds to behave or not behaving in certain way, by keeping all minds as ignorant as possible, to be not knowing many things as they are, while to be fed with many untruthful manipulative story telling, to not questioning towards anything, especially towards the 'authorized' authority/authorization/head/leader/mystical superior powerful figure or entity, but to be conditioned to think and believe in certain way and to behave/act/react and desire in certain way, being conditioned under certain belief/values/practice, to be completely submissive and fearful towards the 'easily be offended and violent' prideful possessive ambitious authority/authorization/head/leader/mystical superior powerful figure or entity, within a family/tribe/community/organization/country/world/belief, to be threatened, oppressed, restricted, manipulated, and controlled under the many man made rules and regulations along with the painful disciplinary punishment upon the rules and regulations are being offended.

Many of these minds that are thinking and believing in such way, and there will be more and more minds would be thinking and believing in such way, it is not because they are what they are, or they are being born to think and believe and behave in such way, it is because they are and have been continuously being impacted, hammered, disappointed, threatened, disturbed, confused, frustrated, and exhausted by the existence of all kinds of untruthfulness/hypocrisy/discrimination and evitable man made suffering/painful sorrow/desperation/cruelty in the surrounding environment in the world, deriving from ignorant human's affairs/activities/behaviors arising under the influence of ignorance and its by-products.

The more the minds are thinking and believing and supporting ignorant practices in such way, the more frustration, desperation, suffering, and disturbance will be arising in the world that will impact all and everyone, including they themselves who support such way of thinking, beliefs, ideas, values, desires, aspirations, and practices.

That is why it is so extremely important and precious to be having the conscious mind awareness to be aware of and to be doubting/inquiring/investigating towards what is happening internally in the body and mind, and externally in the surrounding environment in the world of diversity that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, as well as the opportunity and possibility of conscious mind evolution, even if all and everyone and everything are selfless and impermanent, to attain direct self realization towards the truth of all and everything. It is not easy and it is challenging, but it is possible for the selfless self-aware minds that have intense yearning towards knowledge, liberation, freedom, and peace, to be free from all that madness that are being fed by ignorance, and that are feeding ignorance, of a loop that seems to be infinite and unbreakable, but it is POSSIBLE for each individual selfless mind to be free from that via self initiation and self effort.

There is no infinite existence of an immortal 'I' that exists in the selfless body and mind, that needs to be liberated, or needs to be free, or has the freewill for anything, however, the selfless impermanent limited and conditional thinking and acting faculty of the selfless impermanent limited and conditional physical structure, that is functioning under the influence of ignorance, that perceives all kinds of suffering and disturbance, that is in need of liberation, that needs to be free, that has the 'limited and conditional' conscious freewill to be deciding and choosing what and how it wants or doesn't want to do with the selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and function of the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting faculty via the selfless organs of action of the selfless physical structure, that is non-self, that doesn't even belong to the body and mind itself.

 

Even though there is the existence of certain limitation and condition, or restriction, or self control, or self filtering towards all one's physical and mental actions, speech, and expression under the presence of correct understanding, or wisdom and compassion in oneself, where oneself understands that there are certain minds don't have the correct understanding, or wisdom and compassion, where the many minds are functioning under the presence of ignorance and the by-products of ignorance, where the thinking/understanding/reasoning/behavior/action/reaction/desire of the many minds are not necessarily reasonable and constructive and beneficial for all and everyone and everything unconditionally and indiscriminately, where the many minds are thinking/understanding/reasoning/behaving/acting/reacting/desiring in the way that are selfish, possessive, discontent, greedy, impatient, disrespecting, intolerant, non-accommodating, disturbing, discriminating, violent, hurtful, and destructive unto all and everyone and everything, and hence, one decides and chooses to be doing and not doing something respectively in accordance to what is constructive and beneficial for all and everyone and everything, and vice versa, universally, unconditionally, and indiscriminately.

It is one's freedom of choice (not being forced, or threatened, or restricted, or oppressed by some others, under the existence of many unnecessary man made rules and regulations), of choosing what one wants to do or doesn't want to do, while respecting and accepting the possibility and impossibility of what can or cannot be done physically and/or mentally in NOW, going beyond or transcending the existence of certain inevitable limitation and condition in oneself, and in others and the surrounding environment, in NOW, that are also impermanent.

This is the 'limited and conditional' conscious freewill that exist under the presence of conscious mind awareness devoid of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, as there is the existence of inevitable limitation to be choosing (conscious self control) what type of action, speech, and expression, being limited by the existence of certain inevitable existing conditions, that are impermanent, that will change, that appear and disappear, that increase and decrease.

The presence of conscious self control under the presence of correct understanding to be filtering and choosing what type of action/reaction, speech, and expression, to help the world of ignorance and egoism to have more peace and wisdom, is indeed the highly precious 'limited and conditional' freewill, not being determined or disturbed by all kinds of ignorance in this world to also become ignorant, or behaving/acting/reacting ignorantly like all the others that are functioning under the influence of ignorance. 

Even if it is 'limited and conditional' freewill, but it is highly precious and essential that can be promoting more peace and harmony, while less unnecessary evitable disturb and suffering in oneself, and in this world of diversity that is selfless, impermanent, limited, and conditional, that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

The presence of the correct understanding towards, "Even when there is none having any intention to be generating any action, speech, or expression that meant to be deliberately disturbing, offending, disrespecting, humiliating, belittling, or hurting anyone or anything, but there are many minds that are functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance, that don't have the correct understanding, that are lack of wisdom and compassion, where many of these unrest disturbed impure egoistic minds would perceive and react towards many things that they dislike and disagree with under their own particular thinking, belief, values, desires, and practices as something disturbing, offensive, disrespectful, humiliating, belittling, or hurting towards them, either individually and/or collectively, due to the presence of the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness in themselves," is freedom.

"I don't want to do, or say, or express anything that will hurt myself, and others, and the surrounding environment, intentionally, even if it is possible for me to do, or say, or express whatever and whenever." That is one's own freedom of thinking/understanding/desire/choice.

"I want to do, or say, or express something that will be conducive and beneficial for myself, and others, and the surrounding environment, if it's possible. I don't have to do, or say, or express anything if it is not possible for me to do, or say, or express anything, in NOW, that is impermanent." That is also one's own freedom of thinking/understanding/desire/choice.

The mind chooses to move away from the non-conducive, hurtful, violent, and destructive family, relationship, community, environment, or area and space, to be looking after the physical and mental well being of this body and mind, is also it's own freedom of thinking/understanding/desire/choice.

Regardless of what the body and mind do or don't/can't do, what the body and mind say or don't/can't say, what the body and mind express or don't/can't express, where the body and mind go or don't/can't go, where the body and mind is and is not, and what the body and mind can be and cannot be, regardless of under the presence of certain limitation and condition in oneself and/or in the surrounding environment, the mind is always at peace as it is. The mind is not being determined or disturbed by all that. Because it understands. Because it understands that there are many other minds don't understand, that gives rise to many kinds of unnecessary limitation and condition that are inconvenient, unpleasant, or hurtful unto oneself and all the others and the surrounding environment.

It is one's freedom of choice, action, thinking, and understanding to be free and peaceful as one is, no matter what, being undetermined or undisturbed by any existing limitation and condition or impossibility, in NOW, that is impermanent.

It is one's freedom of choice, action, desire, thinking, and understanding, whether one wants to do something to be free from ignorance, and to have correct understanding, or not.

The minds that have correct understanding, that is functioning under the presence of wisdom and compassion, they won't be determined or disturbed by anyone or anything, not to say, to react and feel being offended, disrespected, humiliated, belittled, intimidated, threatened, oppressed, discriminated, or hurt by anyone or anything, even if some minds are deliberately generating action, speech, or expression that are meant to be deliberately offending, disrespecting, humiliating, belittling, intimidating, threatening, oppressing, discriminating, or hurting the others under certain intentions or desires, deriving from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance.

They won't waste any energy or effort a.k.a the non-self precious life existence and function into all kinds of ignorance and the consequences of ignorance in this world of human beings that are mostly functioning under the veil of ignorance, that direct their entire momentary life existence/energy/effort to be focusing on empowering deeper ignorance in themselves and in others.

That is freedom, even under the presence of certain inevitable limitation and condition of the selfless impermanent limited and conditional momentary life existence and function of the finite mortal body and mind that is non-self, that doesn't even belong to the finite mortal body and mind itself, being momentarily existing and functioning in this world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone and anything, where there are many things that the body and mind don't do or cannot do, or don't know and can't understand, physically and/or mentally, that are impermanent.

The timeless freedom that is always there, as it is, in all and everyone, that never appear or disappear, that never increase or decrease, that is unlimited and unconditional, that is unveiled upon the absence of ignorance, or upon the presence of correct understanding, or wisdom and compassion.

Inquire the truth of everything. 

The world of advanced science and technology and the path of yoga and buddhism, or self inquiry and self realization

The path of yoga and buddhism to be purifying and quieting the mind, to be performing meditation practice and self inquiry for annihilating the veil of ignorance, to be attaining direct self realization towards the dhamma, does not go against the advanced science and technology in the world at all, and vice versa, but contrary, both of them complimenting one another.

Just as the path of yoga and buddhism or the teachings and practices of yoga and buddhism can be contaminated and misused, the world of knowledge and information deriving from advanced science and technology can also be contaminated and misused by the minds that are functioning under the veil of ignorance and its by-products.

The uncontaminated scientific fact, or information, or knowledge deriving from the genuine research and discovery under the help of advanced science and technology will only be supporting the validity of the dhamma as it is, and vice versa. Because they are not different or separated from one another.

The world of knowledge and information deriving from advanced science and technology is neither good nor bad, as it can be used for something constructive or destructive. While the world of yoga and buddhism also can be used by the minds for something constructive or destructive.

Meanwhile, the knowledge and information deriving from advanced science and technology can be used for something constructive and beneficial for all and everyone, unconditionally and indiscriminately, by the minds that are free from the influence of the veil of ignorance, upon attaining direct self realization towards the truth about the selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and function of all and everything, or the dhamma, via genuine yoga and/or buddhism practices, or some other kinds of genuine teachings and practices under different names and forms.

Genuine scientists/biologists/physiologists/chemists/physicists/psychologists/mathematicians, and so on, are not different or separated from adept yoga and/or buddhism practitioners. The names and forms, and the identification of 'yogi' and/or 'buddhist' don't really exist in the minds that truly practice yoga and/or buddhism as it is.

Similarly, being a scientist/biologist/physiologist/chemist/physicist/psychologist/mathematician, and so on, that is highly intelligent and knowledgeable, and being a yoga and/or buddhism practitioner, that has been accumulating huge amount of practice and knowledge about yoga and buddhism, doesn't necessarily mean that the mind is also free from the influence of the veil of ignorance, a.k.a. the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, unless the mind attains direct self realization towards the dhamma of selflessness, impermanence, limitation, conditional, and non-self, not being conditioned by all kinds of worldly passionate egoistic impure ideas, beliefs, values, practices, behaviors, actions, reactions, desires, aspirations, and visions.

Yoga and buddhism is all about knowing the truth of the (life) existence and function of the body and mind, of the existence and function of all kinds of sentient and non-sentient living organisms and non-living objects, in this infinite space of the vast universe, a.k.a. the science of life existence and function and the surrounding living atmosphere or environment that are inter-connected and inter-supporting and inter-impacting one another to be existing and functioning momentarily in this infinite beginningless and endless space that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, via direct self realization through self inquiry under the help of several 'tools' of the different physical and mental practices that are being carried out under certain essential observations to be purifying and sharpening the conscious intellectual reasoning power as well as quieting the restless modification of the mind or the mind stuff, or the knower (the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting faculty under the presence of conscious mind awareness) and the receiver/reflector/storage of knowledge (the mind stuff or the modification of the mind), operating under the selfless support of the selfless energy and the different selfless elements, that is all about science and the different branches of science.

They appeared to be two separate extremity contradicting towards and going against one another for many minds, is due to the minds, including some minds that are practicing specific type or lineage of yoga and/or buddhism, would think and believe that the path of yoga and buddhism, and their teachings and practices are something spiritual, that it is about spirituality, and even more so, many minds that don't know and don't practice yoga and/or buddhism would think and believe that yoga and buddhism is something religious, or is a form of religion, because of the existence of certain rituals and prayers, or chanting, or worshiping, or glorifying, and the many different stories/myths, or images, or statues of the 'creator of the universe', or the 'gods or deities', or the 'buddhas', or the 'enlightened saints and sages', or the 'yogis' and the 'gurus', that exist under the existence/manifestation of the many different paths/lineages/schools that have their own particular purpose of existence and function for catering the many different personalities and characteristics in the many different individuals or communities.

The truth or the dhamma can be realized by the genuine truth seekers either under the absence or presence of all those names and forms that are neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad. It doesn't matter whether the minds want to think, believe, and refer it as something 'spiritual' or 'non-spiritual'. As whether the minds think and believe it is 'spiritual' or 'non-spiritual', it doesn't determine whether the minds are free from ignorance and its by-products, or not. It is about going beyond all kinds of names and forms, or duality, where all kinds of names and forms, or dualities, are all selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self.

It is about the presence or absence of non-grasping, non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment, and non-expectation, that is determining whether the minds realize or couldn't realize the truth or the dhamma, as it is.

It is understandable that why there is such confusion.

Upon direct self realization towards the dhamma, the mind will know that yoga and buddhism is not different from one another even though they appeared to be under different names and forms, and the origin/existence/function/purpose/objective of yoga and buddhism is nothing to do with spirituality and/or religion.

Although, there is neither right nor wrong for the minds that are still not free from the influence of ignorance, where they perceive, recognize, think, and refer the teachings and practices of yoga and buddhism as a form of spirituality or religion, if not, there is the intentional or unintentional desire to transform yoga and buddhism into a form of spirituality and/or religion.

Because most minds are being internally (genetically/biologically) and externally conditioned by, or deep rooted in, or coming in contact with the many different worldly egoistic spiritual and/or religious ideas, beliefs, values, practices, desires, aspirations, and visions, consciously (wittingly) and/or unconsciously (unwittingly), where they are being conditioned to think and believe that all and everyone in the world of human beings cannot live or function without the existence and function of spirituality and/or religion, or more precisely, a specific system consists of specific beliefs, values, practices, and visions, that creates the power of influence/manipulation/control/authorization over the majority of the human beings, if not all human beings, to be thinking, believing, reasoning, desiring, aspiring, behaving, acting, or reacting in certain way and not in certain way, to be controlled under certain rules and regulations, as well as deserving punishments or rewards, in accordance to the desires and don't desires, or the agreements and disagreements of the specific individuals, leaders, heads of the family and/or communities, and carried out by an authority of one single person and/or a group of people.

The significant difference between the non-universal worldly beliefs, values, practices, aspirations, and visions in the many different communities, and the universal teachings and practices of yoga and buddhism for all minds indiscriminately, is that the non-universal worldly beliefs, values, practices, aspirations, and visions have the common aspiration and vision or practice of converting or recruiting as many members as possible, including the non-by choice autonomous identity of specific spirituality inherited by birth, where renouncing, or abandoning, or non-observing the inherited spirituality by birth is 'sinful and punishable', as well as the enforcement of non-questioning towards the truth of the specific spirituality/belief, the teachings and the practices, and the authority/the leaders/the teachers under certain threatening or fearful judgment, disciplinary, and punishment, while the universal teachings and practices of yoga and buddhism don't have such aspiration and vision or practice at all, except maybe in certain lineage of yoga and/or buddhism that were/are being contaminated by some worldly egoistic impure minds functioning under certain impure ideas, beliefs, values, desires, aspirations, visions, and practices.

Such as, the nature's law of cause and effect, or the teachings of selflessness and impermanence, or the practice of selfless service, or the practice of letting go, non-attachment, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, and non-expectation, or the practice of silence, are being misused by certain minds under certain lineage of yoga and/or buddhism to be threatening and/or even abusing/bullying the yoga and/or buddhism practitioners or the public that were/are in some kinds of suffering, confusion, and desperation, who were/are seeking certain knowledge, love, support, understanding, acknowledgement, acceptance, agreement, and comfort, for manipulating and controlling them to behave or not behaving in certain way, by sowing fear into the minds under the belief of good and bad KARMA and the belief of 'ceaseless loop of endless reincarnation', especially endless reincarnating repeatedly back into the superior higher realm of human beings that are full of all kinds of fleeting momentary goodness and enjoyments, as well as painful sorrow and suffering that are inevitable, due to the nature of impermanence, and that are evitable, inflicted by or generated under ignorance, not to say, to be reincarnating into the unpleasant inferior lower realms of animal, Asura, hungry ghost, and hell, or even, the existence of many other sub-realms under specific lineage of buddhism, while even the highest superior realm of the pleasant, enjoyable, and desirable heaven under huge accumulation of virtues and merits of good KARMA, which is also an impermanent transition that will come to an end upon the exhaustion of the accumulated good KARMA, and eventually will be reincarnating into other inferior realms accordingly, because of the inevitable endless generation and accumulation of KARMA. - Which is not at all the truth of what 'restless reincarnation/manifestation of the countless illusive ideas of 'I' that are non-self, manifesting under different names and forms attaching unto and identifying with all the selfless impermanent mind stuff or thought activities in this particular selfless impermanent modification of this selfless thinking faculty/conscious mind awareness, transitioning under different realms/states of mind, in NOW' in the teachings of yoga and buddhism is about.

And hence, many of the existing teachings, practices and observations were/have been/are continuously being contaminated by or being mixed with the many different worldly egoistic cultural and spiritual beliefs, values, practices, observations, desires, aspirations, and visions, because that is one of the most significant common behaviors of the many minds that are functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness. Where the passionate egoistic impure restless minds naturally/instinctively want to take possession/ownership, to take control, to influence, to manipulate, and to transform all and everything to be the way that one desires and not being the way that one doesn't desire.

It also depends on what the minds think and believe what does 'spirituality' mean. It might mean slightly or largely different for different minds under the different degrees of understanding and knowledge, under the different intentions and desires.

Some minds think and believe that 'spirituality' and 'religion' is the same thing, while some minds think and believe that they are two different things, where 'spirituality' doesn't necessarily have to be something 'religious', while 'religion' is not necessarily related to 'spirituality'.

Many minds believe in the existence of the countless different infinite independent individual existences of the countless different immortal and pure spirits or souls existing in all kinds of momentary mortal life existence of the many different impure and imperfect sentient living organisms existing under the many different names and forms, and even, residing in certain non-sentient living organisms and non-living objects, or things, or mountains, or plants, or space, or water, or fire, or ocean and river, or caves, or buildings, or the sky, or all and everything, and so on, as what 'spirituality' is about.

Where certain minds think and believe that 'spirituality' is universal while 'religion' is non-universal, that 'spirituality' is more real and authentic than 'religion', or vice versa. And certain religions consist and embrace 'spirituality', while certain religions are against 'spirituality'.

There are many amazing selfless natural manifestations of the nature, as well as certain internal physical and mental biological condition that the minds couldn't comprehend, where the minds would just refer such manifestations as 'spiritual', or 'mystical', or 'miracle', or 'supernatural', or 'trance', and even, 'possessed'.

There are also many personal, family, and community affairs/happenings/conditions/situations/interactions/relationships, or the physical and mental illness/injury/weakness/complication/limitation/disability, or the death of the beloved ones, that are imperfect, unexpected, unpleasant, disagreeable, undesirable, hurtful, or painful, as well as many things that the minds don't understand and don't desire, where the minds would just justify all that as unexplainable 'Interference, or interception, or influence, or possession, or activity deriving from something non-human beings, or spiritual/mystical/alien/foreign entity'.

In the end, it is neither spiritual nor non-spiritual, upon the mind attains direct self-realization towards attributelessness, namelessness, formlessness, non-duality, and oneness. Where whatever that is happening/coming/going/manifesting in the selfless impermanent limited and conditional restless modification of the mind that is non-self, of whatever the minds know and don't know, understand or don't understand, desire or don't desire, agree or disagree, of all kinds of qualities of all kinds of names and forms, are all not different from one another.

Just as the sentient or non-sentient living organisms and the non-living objects are all not different from one another, where all and everything are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, existing and functioning only for a momentary duration, and are governed by the nature's law of cause and effect to be arising, changing, decaying, disintegrating, and passing away, being what all and everything are, as they are.

There are (too many) worldly cultural and spiritual or religious beliefs, values, and practices have been mixed into the path of yoga and/or buddhism, or into the teachings, practices, and observations of yoga and buddhism.

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha already knew what is and will be happening, and he did what he could be doing during his momentary life existence, to be delivering the dhamma, as it is, no more and no less, and laid down a few essential and simple advice or guidance, or the teachings and practices or observations for engaging in the practical mind purification and silencing process, meditation, and self inquiry in everyday life, for the minds to pick up, practice, purify, quiet down, meditate, contemplate, reflect, inquire, and realize the dhamma directly by the minds themselves, at their own cause and own pace.

All kinds of ceaseless accumulation/add on of all kinds of complicated rules and regulations, of countless layer and layer of thick and cross contamination over the original simple teachings and practices and observations of the dhamma, were/have been/are being created/introduced/added onto the teachings and practices and observations of yoga and buddhism, by the passionate egoistic impure restless minds that were/are functioning under the veil of ignorance and its by-products, either intentionally or unintentionally.

There is neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad.

That is why the most basic and essential teaching and practice in yoga and buddhism is about non-blind believing/non-blind following/non-blind-agreeing or disagreeing/non-blind practicing/non-blind propagating/non-admiring/non-glorifying/non-worshiping/non-praying/non-ritual, to be activating/initiating the process of self inquiry to be inquiring towards the truth of all and everything, including all the teachings and practices of yoga and buddhism coming from anyone and anywhere.

Because the dhamma is in all and everyone and everything and everywhere, within and without. The dhamma is infinite, timeless, causeless, unlimited, and unconditional.

All minds, including the most restless, ignorant, disturbed, evil, and violent minds (unless there is completely absence or no presence of consciousness, where there is no conscious perception/distinction of pleasurable enjoyment or painful suffering, where liberation from ignorance or painful suffering doesn't exist, or is unnecessary), as long as there is self initiation and the intense yearning for knowledge, liberation, freedom, and peace, all can access to the simple and straightforward dhamma as it is, all by oneself, just by looking within.

All and everyone and everything are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self. 

Even though there have been/are so much contamination, but all these all time contamination cannot determine, or damage, or hurt, or change, or increase/decrease, or limit, or destroy the dhamma as it is, or the truth of things as it is, however, the many different contaminated teachings and practices are what the minds coming in contact with, and hence, the minds would think and believe that, that is what yoga and buddhism teachings and practices is about.

"The only book that one should be reading, is within oneself." - Ajahn Chah

Both yoga and buddhism are also 'sort of' originated from a land or an area called 'India', where the people are called 'Indian', and 'Hinduism' is the main spiritual belief and practice, or religion. Where certain minds would think and believe that yoga and buddhism are the branches of Hinduism. Most minds would think and believe that yoga and/or buddhism were born after and under the existence of Hinduism, that they come from and belong to the names and forms of India, Indian, Hinduism, Hindu, or particular 'deity'/'entity'/'yogi'/'buddha', or particular enlightened being.

There is neither right nor wrong about that either. Because there are lots of the teachings and practices, especially the many stories telling created by the many different minds under certain understanding and intention, are sort of 'inter-sharing' among Hinduism, Buddhism, and Yoga Vedanta.

If the mind attains direct self realization towards the dhamma, it also knows that the dhamma doesn't have a beginning or an end. It exists as what it is. It is what things are, as they are. It is not an idea or a creation of the mind. More importantly, the dhamma can never be contaminated, influenced, affected, determined, hurt, damaged, altered, changed, manipulated, increased or decreased, limited, or destroyed by anything. It is only the 'recorded' or 'conserved' dhamma/teachings/practices under certain names and forms that can be 100% contaminated, influenced, affected, determined, hurt, damaged, altered, changed, manipulated, increased or decreased, limited, or destroyed by something and anything.

That's why Siddhartha Gautama Buddha never interested in 'conserving' the dissemination of the teachings or the dhamma into certain names and forms, and he insisted that any 'conserved' dhamma/teachings/practices under certain names and forms, must have the term of 'Thus have I heard', or 'Thus as I heard', in the beginning of all kinds of teachings, because it might not be the dhamma/the teachings/the practices as it is, that it might not be completely true, or even, it might be completely not true, but more importantly, that naturally initiates any minds to be performing self inquiry towards the truth of everything upon coming in contact with the teachings or the dhamma that are being conserved and exist under certain names and forms.

Even Swami Sivananda Guruji, had mentioned repeatedly many times in many of his books, emphasizing on Self inquiry and direct experience and self realization towards the truth of everything - "Purify. Meditate. Realize." and "Do not build ashrams. Do not hoard disciples. Do not mix. Live alone. Eat alone. Walk alone. Meditate alone."

Regardless of whether 'Hinduism', or 'Buddhism', or 'Yoga' was being manifested and have been existing earlier or later, is non-essential, as 'Hinduism', or 'Buddhism', or 'Yoga' are not even Hinduism, or Buddhism, or Yoga.

Yoga or buddhism, or the dhamma as it is, doesn't come from or belong to anyone or anything.

It is the dhamma as it is, that is always here and everywhere, being realized by the minds under a purified and calmed modification of the mind, not being conditioned by any worldly egoistic impure ideas, beliefs, values, desires, and practices to reason everything, regardless of whether the minds were/are existing, or coming from, or living, or carrying certain names and forms in any specific era, or area, or continent, or family lineage, or community, or culture, or spirituality, or religion, or none of that.

While the original teachings and practices of 'Hinduism', or 'Buddhism', or 'Yoga', were/are being influenced or contaminated by the many worldly egoistic impure ideas, beliefs, values, desires, aspirations, visions, and practices, as well as inter-contaminating one another. It doesn't matter which existed first before the other, or which has been contaminating the other or being contaminated by the other first, and it doesn't mean that the earliest manifestation of any particular belief, values, and practice is the most authentic one, or the truth of things, as it is.

Worldly egoistic beliefs/values/desires/practices/ways of living/ways of doing things/behaviors/actions/reactions have always been existing since the beginning of the existence and function of mind stuffs and mind consciousness that exists under the selfless impermanent limited and conditional physical structure under certain names and forms, that are non-self.

It is upon coming in contact with suffering and doubt, the minds started to inquire the truth of many things under the intense yearning towards knowledge, liberation, freedom, and peace, that gives rise to the realization towards the dhamma, as well as gives rise to the path, or the teachings and practices and observations that is accessible for all the others that are also in certain suffering and doubt, that also want to inquire and know the truth of all and everything, or the timeless dhamma as it is, that doesn't come from or belong to anyone or anything.

For the minds that have attained direct self realization towards the truth of the mind stuff, or knowing Thyself, or the truth of all and everything that is arising and passing away, or coming and going in the selfless impermanent modification of the mind, of all and everything that the mind comes in contact with, or perceives, or experiences, regardless of pleasant or unpleasant, desirable or undesirable, agreeable or disagreeable, enjoyable or painful, where all and everything are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self, they also know that yoga and buddhism are universal, neither spiritual nor non-spiritual, and it doesn't even come from or belong to the names and forms that exist on the planet Earth, not to say, it didn't come from and don't belong to any particular era, or area, or country, or continent, or people, or being, or spirituality, or religion.

It is universal, and it cannot be limited or conditioned by any quality of names and forms.

It exists in all and everyone and everything, regardless of all and everyone under the presence of the selfless universal conscious mind awareness realized or don't realize towards that.

The dhamma, or the teachings, is in all and everything and everywhere.

The selfless impermanent limited and conditional body and mind that is non-self, that doesn't even belong to itself, is its own one and only genuine teacher or guru.

Inquire the truth of everything, including all that is here.