None and nothing belong to anyone or anything

"What is ignorance?"

"Why the minds that are highly educated, knowledgeable, intelligent, creative, successful, or accomplished are not necessarily being free from ignorance?"

"How to be free from ignorance?"

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Ignorance, is not knowing the truth of Selflessness and Non-self in all and everyone and everything, a.k.a. "None and nothing belong to anyone or anything."

Ignorance is nothing to do with the presence and absence or the different degrees of education, knowledge, intelligence, creativity, success, and accomplishment.

It has nothing to do with lack of education, or lack of knowledge, or poor/absence of cognitive intelligence, or stupidity, or laziness, or bad karma, or sin, and etc.

Ignorance is not something bad, or evil, or weak, or punishable, or shame deserving, even if under the influence of ignorance, the minds ignorantly keep generating hurtful damaging action/reaction/activity/behavior/desire/aspiration that hurt all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment, directly and indirectly, intentionally and unintentionally.

The educated and knowledgeable minds might have been accumulating lots of knowledge and might know many things, such as the minds might know and understand that the earth is not flat, and that the earth is turning at a particular speed while orbits around the sun at a particular speed under the influence of the selfless power of gravitation, that generates the false impression of time/day and night/year/sunrise and sunset, or there are essential elements that provide essential needs for supporting the generation and maintenance of life existence, and the mind might know a lot about engineering, architecture, finance and business management and investment, biology, chemistry, physiology, neurology, geography, creativity, invention, innovation, agriculture, or different types of skills and productivity, but the minds might not know or understand towards the truth of Selflessness and Non-self, as the minds are being conditioned and limited by the egoistic mind thinking and behavior pattern that is deriving from and empowered by the natural veil of ignorance.

The minds might be over-powered by and identifying with the presence of all kinds of thoughts, feelings, emotions, imaginations, memories flashback, and desires, or the presence of the idea of 'I' and egoism of grasping, attachment, identification, craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation, or the presence of all kinds of duality and impurities such as the sense of self-esteem and self-worth, the sense of ownership and belonging, the sense of separateness and loneliness, the sense of pride and shame, the sense of goodness and badness, positiveness and negativeness, happiness and unhappiness, joyfulness and joylessness, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, deserving and undeserving, superiority and inferiority, righteousness and wrongfulness, appropriateness and inappropriateness, selfishness, possessiveness, obsession, greed, dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, hatred, jealousy, envy, grief, painful sorrow, uncomfortable or painful sensations, hurts, victimized, intimidation, humiliation, fear, worry, anticipation, wild imagination, longing, insecurity, insufficiency, protectiveness, offensiveness, defensiveness, aggressiveness, violence, and so on (restlessness), being conditioned and limited (influenced/threatened/tempted/moulded/restricted) by the existing inherited and/or adopted worldly egoistic impure ancestral/cultural/spiritual/religious/political/national/commercial/family/community/social/educational ideas, beliefs, values, practices, desires, inspirations, aspirations, and visions, for the mind to think, to reason, to evaluate, to understand, to desire, to act and react, or to behave in certain way and not in certain way (the conditional mind thinking and behavior pattern).

The existence of ignorance, is due to the natural intentionless manifestation of the veil of ignorance in the modification of the mind being what it is, as it is. It is a natural selfless intentionless manifestation in all minds that have the normal functionality of a selfless and non-self, limited and conditional, impermanent and restless modification of a perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind, that manifests along with the formation and activation of the selfless restless gross and subtle or conscious and unconscious thought current/activity/process or modification of the mind throughout the three states of consciousness, semi-consciousness, and unconsciousness, that are essential for the selfless formation of life existence and function as well as the inevitable ceaseless life maintenance until the body and mind ceased functioning and existing.

Not only that there is the restless gross and subtle brain activity (conscious/semi-conscious/unconscious internal and external inputs processing and outputs responding) happening throughout the states of consciousness and semi-consciousness, but there is also continuous subtle thought current/process or brain activity (unconscious autonomous inputs processing and outputs responding) during the state of unconsciousness/deep sleep/coma that is essential for life maintenance, unless there is complete cut-off from energy supply or complete energy depletion, or there is complete brain dead and/or complete failure of the life supporting organs or the life supporting systems.

The mind that is functioning under the presence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness upon the state of consciousness (wakeful state) and semi-consciousness (sleep and dream state) might be aware of the conscious and semi-conscious restless random thought activity/current/process, but it might not be aware of the underlying ongoing ceaseless autonomous involuntary subtle thought current/activity/process for life maintenance, not to say, upon the state of unconsciousness (deep sleep/coma), there is complete absence of conscious awareness and egoistic self assertive voluntary activity.

There is the presence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness in the mind to be aware of the conscious and semi-conscious restless random thought activity/current/process upon the states of consciousness (wakefulness) and semi-consciousness (sleep and dream state).

Such as under the state of consciousness, the mind that is fully conscious is consciously aware of certain physical/mental/emotional conscious activity of thoughts, feelings, emotions, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, reasoning, problem solving, choice making, memories, imaginations, desires, actions, reactions, interactions, communications, and etc, while under the state of semi-consciousness, the mind that is semi-conscious is semi-aware of the state of not fully awake or the state of sleeping as well as the selfless manifestation of dream during the state of semi-consciousness or the sleep and dream state, where the mind wakes up and remembers all or certain part of the dream, a.k.a. the mind is aware of itself witnessing the semi-conscious/voluntary and unconscious/involuntary thought activity during the sleep and dream state (I slept and/or there was dreaming). Or, the mind wakes up doesn't know/remember anything that had been happening internally in the body and mind and externally in the surrounding environment after falling asleep - unconscious/deep sleep/coma/complete absence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness.

The manifestation of dreams a.k.a. the subtle involuntary thought current processing and 'digesting'/'filtering'/'discarding'/'reconstructing' the ceaseless and boundless random inputs and outputs, activities, interactions, memories, wild imaginations, desires, and physical/mental/emotional tension built up, might be happening during the state of semi-consciousness (presence of semi-conscious awareness) and throughout the state of unconsciousness (absence of conscious awareness), however, the mind that is in sleep and deep sleep state under the absence of conscious awareness might not be aware of and/or remember the dreams.

Not being consciously aware of and don't remember the dream (the subtle involuntary thought activities during sleep) doesn't mean that there is no dreaming, or absence of the subtle thought process/current/activity processing all kinds of ceaseless conscious and unconscious inputs and outputs.

Some minds might even have the presence of conscious awareness in the sleep and dream state, where the mind is aware of or witnessing the ceaseless subtle involuntary random thought current/activity/process of processing/digesting/filtering/discarding/reconstructing all kinds of inputs during sleep state that is being referred as 'the manifestation of dreams', and these minds are consciously knowing and understanding that what they are witnessing is 'not real' or 'merely some selfless and non-self modification of the mind', and have the limited conscious awareness and freewill to be interfering with the dreams or the subtle thought activity during the sleep and dream state (the subtle ego-less involuntary thought current/activity/process is being dominated and interrupted by the egoistic voluntary thought current/activity/process), or not.

That is how extremely restless and busy the modification of the mind is.

That is why the highly importance of the observation of renunciation and dispassion and the practice of silence (mauna) in solitude and seclusion, to limit and minimize all kinds of conscious and unconscious mind inputs, especially all kinds of worldly egoistic affairs/activities/interactions/communications/ties and connections as much as possible, on top of engaging in the persistent regular practice of asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, and dhyana, to be quieting/calming/reducing the speed and volume of the conscious and unconscious thought current/activity/process, diligently and practically.

The veil of ignorance (the busy restless random gross and subtle thought current of ceaseless voluntary and involuntary thought after thought arising and passing away) is always there as it is, manifesting along with the ceaseless and restless continuous conscious/semi-conscious/unconscious modification of the mind, however, it is only valid or prevail (being the intentionless veil of ignorance/hindrance/murkiness) upon the state of consciousness and semi-consciousness under the presence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness (there is the conscious and semi-conscious awareness/acknowledgement towards the existence and function of the body and mind, a.k.a. the arising of the idea of 'I', or the ego, or the sense of separateness), while it is invalid or doesn't serve any purpose of being the veil of ignorance/hindrance/murkiness upon the state of unconsciousness, under the complete absence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness in the mind that is unconscious (there is no conscious awareness/acknowledgement towards the existence and function of the body and mind, a.k.a. absence of the idea of 'I', or the ego, or the sense of separateness).

The mind awareness is temporary absence, or cut-off, or disconnected, during the state of unconsciousness/deep sleep/coma (temporary cutting off from conscious and semi-conscious physical and mental activity, a.k.a. complete rest and sleep, is highly essential for life existence and function, especially when there is the presence of illness, or injury, or traumatic impact), where there is no conscious or semi-conscious perceptive/cognitive/intellectual/emotional/thinking/acting self-assertive thought current/process/activity, but only the presence of subtle autonomous thought current or brain activity happening ceaselessly to be maintaining the non-self life existence and function of the selfless impermanent limited and conditional body and mind.

There is no perception of time in the state of unconsciousness, or upon the complete absence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness in deep sleep or coma, even though unconscious subtle involuntary brain/thought activity is continuously happening.

Such as the mind wakes up from the state of deep sleep or complete absence of conscious/semi-conscious awareness for a prolonged duration would be thinking that, "I thought I have just lied down or gone to sleep for a moment."

Meanwhile, there is the perception of time in the sleep and dream state where the mind is aware or semi-aware of itself witnessing the subtle involuntary brain/thought activities that is happening under extremely high speed (so called dreams) and the mind wakes up from the state of sleep and dream state for a very short duration, remembering the entire process of the dream (the subtle involuntary thought activity/process/current that it witnessed and remembered), would be thinking that, "I thought I have been gone for many days/weeks/months/years," or "I had a very long dream."

This indicates that 'time', or 'past and future', or 'existence that is not in NOW, that is before and after or beyond NOW', is merely the perception or reflection of physical and mental activities/movements/impermanent changes/growing, decaying, or aging process/thought process or thinking, that are happening under a particular speed being perceived by the perceptive cognitive mind under the presence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness under the function of memory and remembering.

This allows the mind to know and understand towards Timelessness, or there is only NOW, or there is only this existence in NOW, and it is ceaselessly changing (formation, growth, decay, and disintegration under specific pace/speed governed by the nature's law of cause and effect) in between the beginning of existence and ceased existence.

The realization towards Selflessness and Non-self and Timelessness, will also allow the mind to know and understand towards there is NO past or future continuous different separate life existences of a permanent independent immortal infinite individual self identity/consciousness/soul/spirit (that doesn't exist) ceaselessly undergoing the beginningless and endless countless reincarnations of ceaseless births and deaths reincarnating into countless separate different life existences transitioning under many different realms/worlds/spheres being determined by the belief of past and present ceaseless accumulation of boundless inexhaustible good/bad/neutral karma or merits and virtues and sins, being generated through the ceaseless and boundless thoughts, actions, and speech that are being perceived or categorized as good/bad/neutral/neither good nor bad, based on the specific inherited and/or adopted ancestral/cultural/spiritual/religious ideas, beliefs, story telling, fairy tales, values, desires, and practices in the mind.

In certain cases, under the usage of certain drug substances or hypnotism (induced state of trance/hypnotized), similar to the perception/experience of vivid dream (that appeared to be realistic but not really), the mind that has been being conditioned to believe in 'the continuous infinite existence of a permanent independent individual self identity/consciousness/spirit/soul undergoing ceaseless separate different life existences (ceaseless reincarnations/rebirths) strongly thinks and believes that, "I saw my previous past lives," not knowing that all kinds of images/names and forms/experiences/perceptions that the mind witnessed/perceived/experienced/remembered under such states of mind, are merely part of the selfless random manifestation of restless thought activities/current/process that ceaselessly arising, changing, and passing away, processing the ceaseless gross and subtle/conscious and unconscious boundless physical and mental inputs and outputs/sights/sounds/smells/tastes/sensations/thoughts/ideas/feelings/emotions/desires/urges/memories/wild imaginations/inspirations/aspirations/dreams, and etc.

Similar to the minds that have been being conditioned to believe in 'the existence of the almighty creator/controller/authority/judge of the universe' and 'ghost/spirit/soul of the dead', or that have been hearing, reading, and watching all kinds of stories telling, novels, and movies, would strongly think and believe that, "I see 'God'," or "I feel 'God'," or "I see this or that while experiencing 'near death' experience," or "I see 'ghost' or 'my ancestors'," or "I see my dead mother/father/husband/wife/son/daughter/friend, and etc."

The minds that are not being conditioned by such beliefs, that are not being exposed to such ideas, they don't have such perception/identification/cognition/recognition.

All are Maya. All are the creation/manifestation of the mind.

That is why the highly importance of renunciation to be moving away from all kinds of worldly egoistic affairs, activities, ties and connections, interactions, or communications, to be observing silence (mauna) in solitude and seclusion, to be quieting and silencing the restless modification of the mind practically and effectively, to attain direct realization towards knowing Thyself, while refraining from activities that stimulate the restless thought activities/current/process, such as novels, magazines, and newspapers reading, fictional and non-fictional story listening, TV and movies and advertisements watching, social media scrolling, or engaging in such mind influential activity involving the usage of drugs substances/hypnotism that empowers ignorance and the idea of 'I' and egoism, although it is the freedom of the minds for what they want to do or don't do with the selfless impermanent limited and conditional momentary non-self life existence and function that doesn't even belong to the body and mind itself. There is neither right nor wrong.

All minds that are genuinely interested in science or any kind of scientific research must be free from the influence of all kinds of worldly egoistic impure cultural/spiritual/religious/family/communal/national/political/commercial/educational/philosophical ideas, beliefs, values, and practices (renunciation and dispassion), on top of engaging in the conscious process of mind conquest (the practice of meditation and the observation of silence in solitude and seclusion) to be quieting the restless modification of the mind, to see things as they are, not being influenced or limited by what they have been hearing, reading, learning, or studying from the existing accumulation of information, data, or research coming from anyone and everywhere, but to attain direct realization towards the truth of what things are, under the presence of absolute clarity.

Under the state of consciousness and semi-consciousness, the thought current/activity/process or the modification of the mind, is a mix of egoistic voluntary (the presence of self awareness and self assertiveness a.k.a. the conscious and semi-conscious ego, of limited conscious freewill of choice making, thinking, and acting) and ego-less involuntary activity (the absence of the conscious and semi-conscious ego, of limited autonomous involuntary activity prompted by the selfless survival instinct, just like the earth is rotating and orbits around the sun prompted by the selfless power of gravitation).

Under the state of unconsciousness, there is only ego-less autonomous brain activity for life maintenance prompted by the selfless survival instinct.

Regardless of egoistic voluntary or ego-less involuntary activity, all are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self. This understanding is highly important in order to proceed in the process of self-inquiry.

The veil of ignorance - The selfless autonomous manifestation of the idea of 'I'/the ego/the conscious and semi-conscious awareness, or acknowledgement, or perception, or cognition towards the existence and modification of the body and mind as well as the surrounding environment of everything that is not this particular body and mind (the sense of separateness), that gives rise to and empowered by egoism of grasping, attachment, identification, craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and expectation, that gives rise to and empowered by all kinds of impurities, and that gives rise to and empowered by the restless thought current/process/activity (restlessness).

Unwittingly, or naturally, autonomously, and ignorantly being hindered/veiled/obstructed by the veil of ignorance, the conscious/semi-conscious mind under the presence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness upon the state of consciousness and semi-consciousness cannot see/know/understand things or the perception of names and forms (clearly) as they are, where it is being ignorant towards the truth of Selflessness and Non-self in all kinds of names and forms, or it is being ignorant towards the selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and function of the body and mind that is non-self, that doesn't even belong to the body and mind itself.

The mind doesn't know Thyself is due to the natural formation of the intentionless veil of ignorance/hindrance/murkiness/restlessness.

Because of not knowing Thyself, on top of under the influence of the veil of ignorance, the mind keeps generating actions/reactions/responses/activities/behaviors through the organs of action and speech that would be hurting itself and others and the surrounding environment ignorantly, intentionally and unintentionally, randomly and deliberately.

The mind that knows Thyself, will also know that "There is none and nothing belong to anyone or anything" - The truth of Selflessness and Non-self in all and everything, including the momentary impermanent limited and conditional mortal existence and function of the body and mind itself, not to say, all and everything that is related to the body and mind (under the presence of grasping/attachment/identification/possession/ownership/belonging/pride/self-esteem/self-worth/self-expansion or procreation) - my ancestor, my parents, my children, my siblings, my spouse, my family, my community, my ethnicity, my tribe, my birth place, my country, my nationality, my friends, my effort, my hard work, my initiation, my action and fruit of action, my achievement and contribution, my reputation, my status, my job, my business, my livelihood, my survival, my happiness, my ability and disability, my home, my house, my land, my property, my belongings, my health, my wealth, my suffering, my enjoyments, my ideas and point of views, my belief, my culture, my spirituality, my religion, my inspiration and aspiration, and etc. 

The minds that know Thyself and the truth of "None and nothing belong to anyone or anything" are free from the sense of separateness, selfishness, possessiveness, sense of ownership and belonging, pride and shame, superiority and inferiority, discrimination, insecurity, fear, worry, anger, hatred, dissatisfaction, disappointment, violence, or fighting within oneself and towards others and the surrounding environment that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

That is the essence of the upmost essential peace and harmony in oneself, in the relationship, in the family, in the community, in the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

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To be free from ignorance, the mind needs to inquire towards what does it mean about "None and nothing belong to anyone or anything." Or, about what does the terms of Selflessness and Non-self really mean.

It has to come from the direct self inquiry and direct self realization of the mind itself towards knowing Thyself, or knowing the truth of Selflessness and Non-self.

It is not that difficult for the mind to reason and understand towards what is impermanence, limitation, and conditional, but it is quite challenging (and yet it's possible) for the mind to inquire/investigate and know what is Selflessness and Non-self, even if the mind thinks that it sort of understands, but not really, or not completely, not until the mind is completely free from the influence of the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness (the annihilation/absence of the veil of ignorance), to see things as they are, where the mind sees the selfless and non-self existence/function/modification/manifestation of itself through the reflection reflected upon the all pervading, all presence, all existence, all knowledge, selfless, timeless, attributeless universal consciousness that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

The minds that know and understand this, will know that there are many different individual body and mind of different qualities of names and forms and characteristics and personalities and impermanent changes, but there is no individual consciousness that belong to the many different individual body and mind respectively.

The selfless body and mind is finite, impermanent, conditional, and limited. The selfless universal consciousness is infinite, permanent, unconditional, and unlimited.

The minds that know and understand this, will also know the truth of about the creation and existence of the many different worldly egoistic ideas, beliefs, fairy tales, justifications, values, practices, desires, inspirations, aspirations, visions, ambitions, wishful thinking, or empowerment in the world of human beings that are mostly functioning under the influence of the veil of ignorance, such as the belief of karma (good/bad/neutral karma), or merits and sins, or the almighty creator/controller/authority/judge of the universe, or the after life upon death, or the ceaseless reincarnation of a permanent independent infinite immortal individual self identity/consciousness/spirit/soul, as well as all kinds of superstitions and myths.

Without the presence of consciousness/awareness, upon the state of unconsciousness, under the absence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness, or under the absence of the idea of 'I' upon the presence of consciousness under the state of clarity, there is no "I am thinking", "I am inquiring", "I am meditating", "I am enjoying", "I am suffering", "I am good", "I am bad", "I am happy", "I am sad", "I am calmed", "I am disturbed", "I see", "I hear", "I smell", "I taste", "I feel", "I touch", "I act and react", "I know", "I understand", or "I think I know and understand."

It is merely the selfless ego-less perceptive cognitive mind under the presence of conscious/semi-conscious awareness being aware of the selfless restless modification of the mind existing and functioning being what it is, as it is, that is neither good nor bad, and that is ceaselessly changing (different states of mind).

Time, or the notion of the past and the future, or age, or moment, or second, or minute, or hour, or day, or month, or year, is merely the reflection of the ceaseless impermanent changes of the selfless and non-self formation, growth, ceased growing, decay, and disintegration process of the mortal physical body and mind, as well as the reflection of ceaseless physical and mental activity/movement at a particular speed, or the sleep/wake cycle, or the breath coming and going, or the heart beats one after another, or the planets self-rotating while orbit around the sun at a particular speed, being perceived by the mind that is conscious/semi-conscious under the presence of conscious/semi-conscious awareness on top of the function of memory and remembering.

There is only NOW, and it is always NOW, and everything in NOW is ceaselessly changing.

The minds that know and understand this, will also know that there is no continuous past existence(s) or future existence(s) (ceaseless continuous reincarnation - the cultural/spiritual/religious/commercial belief of the infinite wheel of births and deaths transitioning under different realms/worlds/spheres) of a permanent independent immortal infinite existence of an individual self identity/consciousness/spirit/soul (that doesn't exist) in anyone or anything, where there is only this selfless and non-self momentary impermanent limited and conditional mortal existence in NOW, and it is impermanent, limited, and conditional.

In NOW, this is what the body and mind is, this is where the body and mind is, this is how the body and mind is, this is what the mind perceives/experiences/acknowledges/comes in contact with/conscious of, and everything that is existing here and everywhere throughout the infinite space, in NOW, is ceaselessly changing/moving/aging/decaying/disintegrating/decomposing, and ceased existing, under a particular speed and cause.

That is why the minds that truly understand this, they are appreciating and making good use of the existence and function of the body and mind that is still existing and functioning under the selfless support of the selfless energy and many different elements, in NOW, to be performing action that will be benefiting oneself and all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment, indiscriminately and unconditionally, without grasping. All actions are being performed effortlessly without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation.

Just be kind, be generous, and let go.

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To perform self-inquiry to be inquiring towards the truth of itself, there is prerequisite of preparing the mind by diligently purifying and sharpening the intellectual reasoning power (free from the influence of worldly passionate egoistic impure ideas, beliefs, values, desires, and practices), turning the restless outgoing tendency of the mind that ceaselessly chasing after the objects of the senses inwards resting upon the selfless universal consciousness, which also leads towards rendering the restless modification of the mind one-pointed, focus, calm, and quiet (desirelessness/stillness/silence), where the conscious/semi-conscious mind under the presence of conscious/semi-conscious awareness stands as the silent selfless witness witnessing the selfless and non-self thought activity/process/current or modification of the mind without grasping, attachment, identification, craving, aversion, comparison, judgment, or expectation. 

It is because of the presence of conscious/semi-conscious awareness that is why the mind is perceiving/knowing/acknowledging/sensing/doubting/thinking/reasoning/understanding/remembering/imagining/projecting/anticipating/acting/reacting/seeing/hearing/smelling/tasting/enjoying/suffering/and etc.

There is no conscious self-assertive intellectual cognitive reasoning or discrimination, intention, duality, or suffering and enjoyment in the state of unconsciousness.

The yoga and/or buddhism practice and observation if being practiced as they are, under the presence of basic correct understanding and mentality, served as the tools that help the mind to purify and quiet the restless impure egoistic modification of the mind, to allow the rendered pure and quiet and ego-less mind to have a precious glimpse towards the truth of Selflessness and Non-self under the presence of the limited conscious awareness during the state of consciousness and semi-consciousness (the rendered state of meditation/stillness/silence/one-pointedness that is also impermanent).

There is nothing spiritual, or religious, or mystical, or extraordinary, or miraculous, or magical, or unreachable about all this.

The minds that understand this, are devoid of justification, debate, argument, or fighting, and will only make use of the selfless impermanent limited and conditional momentary life existence and function of the body and mind on top of the existing available energy, physical and mental condition, knowledge, learning, experience, ability, and opportunity to be looking after oneself, others, and the surrounding environment that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, selflessly, indiscriminately, and unconditionally, without grasping.

Do not blind-believing, blind-following, blind-agreeing/disagreeing, blind-practicing, blind-glorifying, blind-worshiping, or blind-propagating anything from anywhere and anyone. 

Inquire the truth of everything, including all that is here, and attain direct self realization, and be free.

Renounce worldly passionate egoistic thinking and behavior

The teachings and practice of yoga and buddhism are for the minds that are interested to learn and practice and realize the universal teachings or dhamma of yoga and/or buddhism through direct self-realization via purifying and quieting the restless egoistic impure modification of the mind.

The minds that are not interested in learning, or practicing, or realizing yoga and/or buddhism, they don't need to practice yoga or buddhism, not to say, to practice yoga or buddhism as it is.

The core of the teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism is about activating the mind purification process to be modifying/changing the limited and conditional passionate egoistic impure restless mind thinking and behavior pattern, a.k.a. engaging in the mind quieting process to be free from the influence of the veil of ignorance a.k.a. the idea of 'I', or the ego, or the conscious/semi-conscious self acknowledgement and the sense of separateness, egoism, impurities, and restlessness, effectively and practically, by renouncing, or letting go, or moving away from the worldly passionate egoistic minds, ties and connections, relationships, affairs, activities, interactions, habits, or the passionate egoistic way of living, thinking, and behavior.

What is normal way of thinking, meaningful way of living, and appropriate behavior for the passionate egoistic minds, is exactly what needed to be renounced or letting go in the teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism.

There are different worldly egoistic cultures (different ways of living, thinking, belief and disbelief, evaluation, desire and don't desire, practice, and behavior), while regardless of from the one same cultural background or from the different cultural backgrounds, all and everyone have the freedom of their own particular way of living, thinking, belief and disbelief, evaluation, desire and don't desire, practice, and behavior.

Meanwhile, all kinds of different cultures have some similar common egoistic ideas, values, and practice that they all share in common, that is exactly what needed to be renounced or letting go during the mind purification and quieting process. Or else, even after years and years of practicing yoga and/or buddhism, the mind is still being conditioned by the worldly passionate egoistic mind thinking and behavior pattern to think, to evaluate, to desire, to act and react, or to live life and behave in certain way or not in certain way. The mind is still being restless swaying in between satisfaction and dissatisfaction, elevation and depression, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, happiness and unhappiness, joyfulness and joylessness, togetherness and separateness/loneliness/missingness, goodness and badness, pleased and displeased, enjoyment and suffering, and etc. Even so, there is neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong about that.

For the minds that sincerely want to practice and realize yoga or buddhism as it is, then they can contemplate upon this, if they want. 

The commonly shared among the different worldly passionate egoistic ideas, beliefs, values, practices, inspirations, aspirations, desires, visions, or ways of living, thinking, and behavior is about -

- "We all need to have family and friends, and we all need to have our particular community mental and emotional support."

or, "Aloneness, being by oneself, living by oneself, eating by oneself, enjoying life by oneself, navigating life existence in the world of impermanence and uncertainty by oneself, dealing with all kinds of challenging condition and situation by oneself, and performing beneficial action to be looking after the well-being of oneself and others and the surrounding environment, without family and friends or community mental and emotional support and interaction, is lonely and unhealthy, is bad and wrong, and is joyless and meaningless."

There is nothing wrong with having the companionship of family and friends or community mingling and interaction and support, but for the minds that want to practice and realize yoga or buddhism, it is about - "We can have family and friends or engaging in community activity and interaction to be giving and receiving mental and emotional support among one another, but we don't need to must have family and friends, or engaging in community activity and interaction to attain mental and emotional support among one another. It is absolutely okay and there is nothing bad, or wrong, or meaningless, or joyless, or unhealthy, if we are being alone and living alone by ourselves without being surrounded by family and friends or without mingling and interacting with any particular community.

Mental and emotional independence is one of the essential criteria and precious element to be developed and empowered in yoga and/or buddhism. All kinds of worldly passionate egoistic cultural/spiritual/religious/political/commercial/national/communal ideas, beliefs, values, and practices are all about developing and empowering mental and emotional dependence, that is a huge hindrance towards attaining direct self realization towards the truth of names and forms - Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self, that is crucial for promoting and maintaining world peace and harmony among the countless diversities in the world of diverse names and forms that doesn't belong to anyone or anything."

- "As human beings, we should behave like this and we shouldn't behave like that."

Which also being brought into the path of yoga and/or buddhism - "As a yogi or a buddhist, we should behave like this and we shouldn't behave like that."

There is nothing wrong with we ourselves want to be behaving in the way that we think and believe as 'good and appropriate', and don't want to be behaving in the way that we think and believe as 'bad and inappropriate' in accordance to our own particular cultural belief, values, and practice, but for the minds that want to practice and realize yoga or buddhism, it is about - "Our own particular cultural belief, values, and practice is only limited to ourselves. Others have their own freedom of their own particular cultural belief, values, and practice. What we think and believe and how we want to behave is our own freedom of thinking, belief, and behavior. What others think and believe and how others want to behave is their own freedom of thinking, belief, and behavior, including our particular immediate family members, parents, siblings, children, relatives, friends, and particular community, not to say all the others that are not our immediate family members, parents, siblings, children, relatives, friends, and particular community. Even the minds that are practicing yoga and/or buddhism, they are not necessarily practicing yoga and/or buddhism as it is, and they have the freedom for what they want or don't want to practice, and how they want to practice."

- "Life like this is joyful and meaningful, and life like that is joyless and meaningless."

There is nothing wrong that we have our own interpretation towards what is meaningful and meaningless, and what is joyful or joyless, but for the minds that want to practice and realize yoga or buddhism, it is about - "Our own interpretation towards what is meaningful and meaningless or joyful and joyless, is only limited to ourselves. All the others, including our family members, parents, siblings, children, friends, relatives, our particular community, and the many other diverse individuals and communities, they all have their own interpretation towards what is meaningful and meaningless, that can be completely different from one another."

Apply this inquiry towards all and everything about ourselves and all the others that are different from us.

The minds that have this understanding, will not be disturbed or offended by the other yoga and buddhism practitioners being what they are, not to say, all the others (non-yoga and buddhism practitioners) that have their own particular worldly egoistic cultural belief, values, and practice that influences their own particular way of living, thinking, belief and disbelief, reasoning and evaluation, desire and don't desire, practice, and behavior, while respecting all and everyone as they are.

If there is intense disagreement or discomfort towards some others' cultural belief, values, and practice or way of living, thinking, and behavior, then one can distance oneself away from such minds, environment, condition, and situation, to minimize coming in contact with anyone and anything that oneself strongly dislikes and disagrees with, as much as possible, while not expecting or bullying the others to change their cultural belief, values, and practice or way of living, thinking, and behavior, that oneself doesn't like and doesn't agree with, or expecting the others to go somewhere else to move away from oneself.

There is a room full of many different people. One person that doesn't like some others or all the others can leave the room, and everyone will have peace. But out of ignorance and possessiveness, this person expects the others that oneself doesn't like to leave the room - "I have the rights and freedom to be here, all these people that I don't like shouldn't be here."

Meanwhile, under certain passionate egoistic cultural practice, the one that wish to leave the room and let all the others to be what they are and have peace, would be stopped by the minds that are being conditioned by the cultural practice about, "No. You cannot leave the room. It is rude and inappropriate to leave the room. You need to stay here and interacting with all the others even if you don't like all the others, and you need to behave yourself as a well brought-up good and civilized human being (which means being a hypocrite that tell all kinds of lies to please all the others)."

So many minds are developing certain degrees of mental illness/blockage because of being conditioned and limited by such cultural practice from young, where it affects their relationship with all and everyone, and many of them who have became parents themselves also conditioning and limiting their own children in such way, to be well-trained professional hypocrite that please all and everyone, while being told that they should either keep all the dissatisfaction, complaints, and unhappiness suppressing within, or there is nothing wrong to be doing and saying everything bad behind people's back (back-stabbing their parents, their siblings, their children, their spouse, their friends, their colleagues, or the members of their particular community, behind their back, while being super nice and loving and hugging and saying all kinds of nice things towards one another all the time in front of them.)

That is not what kindness, compassion, accommodation, acceptance, and respect is about. Real kindness, compassion, accommodation, acceptance, and respect is free from any kind of ill will or resentment towards anyone or anything.

Hypocrisy is merely a hurtful values and practice and behavior that hurt oneself and others. It is indeed a form of hidden abusive behavior that begins in oneself that might grow into the surrounding environment that hurt all and everyone and the surrounding environment, where the accumulated intense disagreement, dissatisfaction, frustration, unhappiness, anger, and resentment towards someone or something are being directed to all the others and objects that are innocent, that are nothing to do with the accumulated intense disagreement, dissatisfaction, frustration, unhappiness, anger, and resentment towards someone or something.

All and everyone have the freedom to be what they are and where they are. All the others have the freedom to be what they are and where they are. We ourselves also have the freedom to be what we are and where we are, but we all need to know and understand that we all are co-existing and sharing the space that doesn't belong to anyone or anything with the many diversities, where there are many things or affairs are not necessarily pleasant, desirable, or agreeable. The infinite space in anywhere and everywhere doesn't belong to 'I', or 'my family', or 'my community', or 'my country', or 'my ancestors', or 'my spirituality/religion', or 'my almighty creator and authority and judge of the universe', or anyone and anything.

It has to come from ourselves to accommodate and respect towards all kinds of diversities that are co-existing in this space and sharing this space, under the presence of correct understanding, without any ill will, frustration, resentment, or bitterness. If we can't accommodate or tolerate this or that, we are the ones that can leave and go somewhere else, and let all the others to have peace and freedom being what they are and where they are.

The minds that don't have this understanding, will easily be disturbed or offended by all the others that have their own particular cultural belief, values, and practice that influences their own particular way of living, thinking, belief and disbelief, reasoning and evaluation, desire and don't desire, practice, and behavior. They expect and insist all the others to also think and behave like themselves. They want to interfere with and change the others either by temptation, reward, conversion, and manipulation, or by force, threat, intimidation, bullying, oppression, suppression, restriction, and/or painful disciplinary and punishment, if not, they want to chase away and eliminate anyone that are different from them. They gather power of control and bullying by encouraging and empowering financial and mental and emotional dependence among their own particular family, siblings, friends, relatives, or community in order to achieve their aspiration, vision, and ambition of to be possessing the power of control towards everyone to think and behave and desire in certain way and not in certain way, to gratify all their desires of what they want and don't want, as well as to be coveting and hoarding unlimited wealth and possessions and enjoyments, or land and space and natural resources that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

And hence, the highly importance of the observation of dispassion and renunciation, solitude and seclusion, and silence (Mauna), in the path of yoga and/or buddhism, to move the body and mind away from continuously being conditioned and influenced by such worldly passionate egoistic selfish, possessive, prideful, and hurtful ideas, beliefs, values, and practices, while respecting and non-interference towards all the others to be what they are, as they are.

As long as the mind still has the conscious and semi-conscious attachment and identification towards "This is 'I', this is who and what I am, I am this and I am not that, and this is my body, my mind, my ideas/thoughts/thinking, my feelings and emotions, my knowledge, my experience, my qualification, my identity, my self-esteem and self-worth, my confidence, my family, my friends, my relatives, my father, my mother, my siblings, my husband, my wife, my children, my community, my tribe, my village, my birth place, my origin, my country, my nationality, my belief, my culture, my spirituality, my religion, my land, my space, my rights, my deserving privilege, my pride, my belongings, my achievements, my lineage, my teacher, my guru, my yoga, my buddhism, my practice, my fruit of practice, my action, my fruit of action, my peace, my happiness, my realization, my liberation, my freedom, and so on," the mind is not free.

The mind that realized the truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self will understand that -

The idea of 'I' and 'my' or 'mine', is mere ignorance.

The body and mind doesn't even belong to the body and mind itself, or to one another. The body and mind cannot exist or function as what they are, if without energy and all kinds of elements come together selflessly and ego-lessly that enabling the body and mind to be existing and functioning as what they are.

The parents might give birth to the children, but the children don't belong to the parents, and vice versa. Even though the children don't belong to the parents, but the parents are the ones that are responsible for giving birth to the children and have the responsibility, kindness, and generosity of looking after the children until they become independent. Even though the parents don't belong to the children, but the children can be looking after the well-being of the aging parents out of kindness and generosity.

The fruits, the flowers, the leaves, or the structure of the tree don't belong to themselves or one another.

The same as all and everything don't belong to themselves, or anyone, or anything.

Even though all and everything don't belong to anyone or anything, but all and everyone and everything are inevitably inter-supporting and inter-influencing the existence and function of all and everyone and everything, directly and indirectly.

One doesn't need to be acknowledging and identifying as, "I am the citizen of this country. This is my country. This country belongs to me and I belong to this country. This is where I belong. And hence, I have the duty and responsibility to look after the well-being of this country," in order to be performing action to be looking after the well-being of oneself, others, all and everyone, and the surrounding environment (the world of many diversity) that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, while not hurting oneself, others, all and everyone, and the surrounding environment, out of kindness and generosity, out of correct understanding, and out of one's own freewill and initiation.

There is nothing belong to anyone or anything. The existence/function/mechanism/state of mind doesn't even belong to the mind itself, what is there that is belonging to who or what? All and everything are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self. None or nothing can exist as what they are if without all the other names and forms are existing to be inter-supporting and inter-influencing one another selflessly and ego-lessly to be manifesting/existing/changing/decaying/disintegrating/ceased existing as they are. None and nothing belong to anyone or anything.

There is neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong if the mind is not free. 

However, the mind that is not free might be keep hurting oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment ceaselessly, either wittingly or unwittingly, out of ignorance, under the presence and influence of the idea of 'I' and everything that belong to 'I' (a.k.a. possessiveness and hoarding, or greed and discontentment, or fear, or the urge to control all and everything to be or not to be in certain way, and the sense of belonging, pride, and self-righteousness), impurities, and restlessness.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Inquire towards the different paths of yoga

There are four major paths of yoga as well as their many branches of different lineages to suit the many different individual minds that have different physical and mental abilities, limitations, and conditions, having different personalities and characteristics, being conditioned by the many different genetic biological inheritances, ways of thinking, ways of living, ideas, beliefs, values, practices, visions, inspirations, and aspirations, of different conditional mind thinking behavior patterns, as well as coming in contact with different surrounding environment, growing and learning process, parental inputs, family inputs, community inputs, educational inputs, public social media inputs, commercial inputs, political inputs, financial inputs, non-scientific creative fictional stories, fairy tales, superstitions, myths, novels, television programs, and movies inputs, and undergoing different types of suppression and empowerment, conditions, situations, affairs, experiences, activities, or interactive relationships and friendships with some others, that influence their state of mind and behavior in certain way and not in certain way.

It is also normal and nothing wrong that the same path or the same teachings and practice are being interpreted or understood differently not only by the different minds under different degrees of clarity and different reasoning power that is being conditioned by the many different sets of ideas, beliefs, values, visions, inspirations, aspirations, or different mind thinking behavior patterns, but also by the same mind that is being conditioned by particular set of ideas, beliefs, values, inspirations, aspirations, or particular mind thinking behavior pattern, under the different degrees of clarity in different stages throughout the conscious process of purifying and sharpening the cognitive intellectual reasoning faculty and quieting the restless egoistic impure modification of the mind consciously, under the presence of the limited and conditional conscious awareness, conscious freewill, conscious initiation, and conscious effort.

More importantly, the different degrees or layers of understanding towards the same teachings or the universal dhamma, will keep evolving towards greater/deeper/clearer understanding under greater degrees of clarity throughout the persistent prolonged process of thinning-out the veil of ignorance by consciously starving the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, until absolute understanding appear as it is under the presence of absolute clarity, or stillness, or silence, upon the complete annihilation of the veil of ignorance.

At certain points, the mind might be confused and puzzled and demotivated by the different teachings from different paths and different lineages, or by the different interpretations of the similar teachings that appeared to be contradicting against one another, as well as by its own different realization and understanding throughout the different stages. But as the mind develops greater degrees of clarity and sharper/purer intellectual reasoning power, the mind will start to see the one common non-distinctive existence/function/meaning/purpose/reason in the existence of all the different teachings and all the different interpretations of the similar teachings that appeared to be distinctive from one another. There is no more contradiction, or confusion, or doubt existing in the mind that sees things as they are, under the state of clarity.

In the path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga), "Focusing on 'God', by performing daily rituals/chanting/reciting japa and mantra/prayers to praise and worship 'God', to only think about 'God', and oneself will be looking after by 'God' naturally." - Surrender to 'God'

In the path of action (Karma Yoga), "Focusing on the well-being of others or the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, by performing action to serve others or serve the world (if disbelieve in 'God') where all and everyone and everything are inter-supporting, inter-influencing, and inter-affecting one another, directly or indirectly, or to serve 'God' (if believe in 'God') where the mind sees 'God' in all and everything, where serving all and everyone means serving 'God' in all forms, and channel the entire life existence to be giving, supporting, and benefiting others and the surrounding environment, and oneself will be looking after by nature or the universe, naturally." - Surrendering the ego and egoism

In the path of mind conquest or self discipline (Raja Yoga), "Focusing on oneself, by attending and perfecting one's daily yoga practice of asana, pranayama, yama, niyama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, by channeling the outgoing tendency to be focusing within to render and conquer one's own modification of the mind, to empty Thyself (clearing out all kinds of mental and emotional rubbish/blockage), to look after the over-all well-being of oneself and perform one's duty and responsibility towards oneself devoid of egoism of grasping, attachment, identification, craving, aversion, comparison, judgment, intention, desire, or expectation, in solitude and seclusion, in silence, and the universal truth/dhamma or the unconditional peace will be revealing to oneself eventually and effortlessly." - Looking after the over-all well-being of oneself is the highest duty of mankind, as looking after oneself is indeed looking after all the others, where peace in the surrounding environment, or in the world (in the relationship, in the family, in the neighbourhood, in the particular community, among the diverse communities, among the diverse Eco-systems, in anywhere and everywhere) begins from peace in oneself, where oneself is kind to (doesn't harm) oneself, or others, or the surrounding environment under the presence of peace under the absence of restlessness

In the path of wisdom and right discrimination (Jnana Yoga), or science, "Focusing on attaining or knowing the absolute truth of everything via self-effort and self-realization, through self-investigation, self-introspection, right discrimination, and self-inquiry, by contemplating and reflecting towards the truth/nature of everything via uncontaminated intellectual reasoning power, under the state of absolute clarity, under the absence of the veil of ignorance (A selfless flawless motionless intentionless non-discriminative mirror that reflects the image of everything in front of it, as it is) - Seeing the universal truth/dhamma of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self in all kinds of names and forms including living organisms and non-living objects (the subject and the object, the perceiver and the perceived, the thinker and the thinking, the observer and the object of observation, the awareness and the object of awareness, the nature's law of cause and effect, the suffering and the cause of suffering, the ignorance and the cause of ignorance, the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, the pleasurable enjoyment and the painful suffering, and etc), that also gives rise to the direct realization towards Oneness, Non-duality, Non-separateness, Timelessness, Attributelessness, Namelessness, Formlessness, Birthlessness, Deathlessness, beginninglessness, and endlessness." - Neither about 'God', nor about 'others' or 'the world', nor about 'oneself'

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Due to the different degrees of clarity that give rise to the different degrees of understanding in the many different minds that have different personalities and characteristics, that have different conditions, situations, experiences, impermanent voluntary and involuntary changes, obstacles, energy levels, hormonal changes, states of mind, and the different speeds of conscious and unconscious evolution of the mind, that are undergoing different stages of different degrees of clarity and different layers of understanding, where the minds are evolving at their own particular cause and pace, and hence, there are different teachings and practices (the different paths) existing to suit each and every individual mind at the different stages of conscious/voluntary/intentional/freewill by choice evolution and unconscious/involuntary/intentionless/non-freewill not by choice evolution, under different degrees of clarity and understanding, where the mind needs to make adjustment and adaptation from time to time to accommodate the ceaseless impermanent changes in the body and mind, in life, and in the surrounding environment.

It doesn't matter which path that the mind prefers and partakes, or changing path at different stages, or keeping one same path throughout the different stages, or changing teachers/gurus/schools/lineages of the same path or in some other paths, it is about the absence of grasping/attachment/identification/clinging/craving/aversion towards all and everything while being diligent, persistent, and determined in the practice under any circumstances, ceaselessly making necessary adjustment and adaptation, be able to move around obstacles, be able to avoid what can be avoided, be able to forbear what cannot be avoided, be able to accept and respect the reality of everything as it is, not necessarily pleasant, desirable, or agreeable, not being distracted by pleasurable enjoyments and not being hammered by painful difficulties, devoid of possessiveness or the sense of belonging and ownership, that will eventually lead the mind towards the annihilation of the veil of ignorance a.k.a. the absence of the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, where the mind perceives/sees/knows/understands/reflects things as they are, under the state of clarity or stillness (non-distracted one-pointedness), and resting upon unconditional peace, that contributes peace and harmony to the surrounding environment, that benefits all and everyone and everything in the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

It doesn't matter by the end of life existence, the selfless impermanent limited and conditional perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind is still not free, still in doubt, and still peaceless or restless under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance. That is also impermanent and non-self. At least during the prolonged process of practicing yoga regularly, to be quieting the mind, to be free from ignorance, and to have peace, or merely to be gaining certain physical and mental health and fitness benefits, is already benefiting oneself and others and the surrounding environment up to certain extend.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The four paths of yoga - Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga

The minds that are free from the influence of ignorance and are peaceful as they are, they don't need to practice yoga or anything, not to say, to consider which path is suitable for them. They may or may not perform certain yoga practice or activity that benefits the body and mind and/or others and the surrounding environment, if they want.

Bhakti Yoga

The path of devotion is the easiest path for many minds that are not mentally and emotionally independent, as there is either non-development of mental and emotional independence/maturity (mental disability) either due to genetic biological formation by birth, or (mostly) due to deprived/suppressed/prohibited development of mental and emotional independence after birth being conditioned and limited by the surrounding ignorant egoistic possessive ties and connections, either wittingly or unwittingly, under certain limited and conditional conditions and situations.

Instead, the minds are being conditioned and empowered to become highly mental and emotional inter-dependence (intense mental and emotional attachment/clinging/craving), being empowered to develop the need (cultural/family/community/spiritual/religious/national/political/commercial values and practice) to depend on receiving love and support, acknowledgement and recognition, agreement and approval, appreciation and togetherness, or praise and compliment from some others to develop, possess, maintain, and empower the sense of success, accomplishment, satisfaction, deserving, worthiness, righteousness, positiveness, togetherness, powerfulness, purposefulness, usefulness, happiness, joyfulness, and meaningfulness, as well as to depend on something better/higher/purer, or more superior, or more perfect, or more powerful than themselves, to give them the sense of hope, or direction, or purpose, or meaningfulness, or to have a refuge.

These minds are being conditioned to believe in the existence of an almighty 'Creator/Controller/Judge/Authority of the universe', or to believe in the existence of 'the wheel of ceaseless births and deaths or reincarnation of a permanent independent immortal infinite individual consciousness/soul/spirit being reincarnated into many different separate mortal impermanent limited and conditional life existences transitioning between different realms/spheres/worlds being determined by the inexhaustible past accumulated boundless good/bad/neutral karma or merits and virtues and sins that keeps bringing forward to the next and next continuous separate mortal life existences', in order to not getting 'lost' or 'drowned' in the ocean of restlessness, ignorance, and suffering, in order to be good and do good as well as not to be bad and not to do bad (out of fear), in accordance to the particular belief, values, and practice about what is good and bad, or what is right and wrong, as well as to justify many things and behaviors that are unknown or painful to the mind.

However, under the influence of the veil of ignorance or incorrect understanding, the minds under this path might also easily be over-powered by the sense of self-righteousness, that is hurtful to oneself and/or others, where the mind might punish and hurt itself and torture the physical body under the name of shame, guilt, repent, or penance, as well as, might be hurting others out of self-righteousness, pride, possessiveness, sense of belonging, upholding, and protectiveness towards what it thinks is its belief/values/practice/identities/home/family/brotherhood/origin/country/belongings/spirituality/religion/'God'/'gods'/temple/holy place and space, based on its own belief, values, and practice about what is right and wrong, what is good and bad/evil, what is should and shouldn't, what is appropriate and inappropriate, or what is respectful and disrespectful, and etc, being offended and disturbed by as well as being angry and hating or violent and destructive towards what they don't agree with, don't like, and don't desire, that is against or threatening their particular desire, vision, aspiration, ambition, belief, values, and practice, or upon their comforting daily ritual or routine (physical and mental inputs and outputs) that is part of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (intense craving and aversion towards any particular names and forms), is being disrupted by someone or something.

These minds are living under the presence of fear or tension in themselves being limited and conditioned by such belief, values, and practice, as well as intentionally or unintentionally, they impose/inflict/threaten/intimidate/oppress/limit all the others with fear, hurtful treatment, threat, intimidation, oppression, or limitation based on their own belief, values, and practice about 'The almighty creator/controller/judge/authority of the universe will be judging all and everyone upon death by punishing, sentencing, or inflicting painful suffering unto those that have been disobedient, bad, and wrong,' or about 'The next reincarnation upon the end of this life existence to be reincarnating/transitioning into lower inferior realms/spheres/worlds to be reaping the past accumulated bad karma, or the seeds of painful suffering.'

These minds can be free from all THAT, (only) if they want, out of their own limited and conditional but highly precious conscious awareness, conscious initiation, conscious freewill, and conscious effort, under the presence of intense yearning towards liberation from all THAT, under the presence of perseverance and determination.

However, under the path of devotion that is devoid of the sense of self-righteousness, without imposing its own belief, values, and practice unto any others, where the mind spends most or all of its energy/attention/effort/life existence onto performing all kinds of rituals/chanting/japa and mantra reciting/prayers/scriptures studying/thinking and focusing about 'God', regardless of under what type of names and forms/spirituality/religion/belief/values/practice, where there is no extra energy/attention/effort/space left for engaging in any kinds of harmful activities that harm oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment, that is already what the path is about.

Karma Yoga

The path of action is the most effective path for many minds to be eradicating the ego and egoism practically under the notion of "Perform actions/duties/responsibilities/yoga practice, and let go instantly," a.k.a. "Non-attachment towards the actions, and renouncing the fruit of actions." Or else, the mind will never be free even after many years of performing many good actions to serve and benefit others, if the actions are being performed under the egoistic idea and attachment/identification/craving/aversion/judgment/expectation/desire/intention of, "I have been doing many good actions, and I will receive or experience everything good in return (I will go to heaven, or I will be reincarnated in higher realms), and I won't receive or experience anything bad in return (I won't go to hell, or I will not be reincarnated in lower realms)."

But that's okay too, because just by spending most of the energy/attention/time/effort/life existence to be performing many beneficial actions that will benefit others and the surrounding environment, where there is no energy/time/attention left to be engaging in unwholesome or destructive activities that hurt oneself, or others, or the surrounding environment, regardless of under the presence or absence of grasping, regardless of with or without intention/desire/expectation to be gaining something or anything, is already what the path is about.

If the mind understands about Non-grasping, then there is no difference in all kinds of actions that are being done for oneself, or not for oneself, or for others, as all actions are beneficial to all and everyone and everything that are inter-related to as well as inter-supporting and inter-influencing the existence and function of one another, directly and indirectly. It is not only actions that are being done for others and the surrounding environment, is Karma Yoga. Being alone by oneself to be focusing unto oneself to be looking after the well-being of oneself, is also Karma Yoga. Refraining oneself from engaging in harmful activities that harm oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment, is Karma Yoga. Every single action regardless of involving some others, or not, is all Karma Yoga, under the absence of the idea of 'I' and egoism, or grasping.

Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Jnana Yoga, are not separated from one another and they exist in one another, but they appear to be distinctive and different from one another for the mind that is still functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance.

Raja Yoga

There are minds that are neither devotional nor desire to accumulate good karma and merits, but they have some energy/time/interest/initiation/inspiration/desire/aspiration/ability/possibility for doing something that benefits the over-all well-being of their own body and mind.

There might be something that they want to attain from engaging in some kind of yoga practice.

- There is certain degrees of yearning towards liberation to be liberated from doubts and painful suffering,

- There is the initiation and desire of "I want to be free", "I want to be happy", "I want to have peace", or even, under wishful desire of "I want to develop and possess super physical and mental power to do and achieve everything that I desire and to control everything to be the way that I desire",

- To be recovering from certain existing physical and mental illness/weakness/injury/limitation and to avoid certain preventable physical and mental illness/weakness/injury/limitation,

- To be maintaining and empowering physical and mental health and fitness condition,

- To improve the over-all physical appearance and mental state, to look good and feel good about themselves,

- To be able to perform and demonstrate many of the challenging yoga asana poses,

- To empower the sense of self-esteem and self-worth or meaningfulness,

- To overcome negative thinking and the disturbed unhappy state of mind,

- To improve concentration to enhance study and work performance,

- Having the conscious awareness and initiative of want to stop hurting oneself and/or others,

- To expand one's social networking and friends making, to be socializing and interacting with some others of similar interests,

- There is free time and energy to learn and do or experience something or anything,

- Challenging oneself, or being challenged by some others,

- Being inspired and aspire to become 'yoga teacher', or to become like 'some others that oneself admires',

- Want to change the world to be a better place,

- Want to have some peaceful quiet moment and space for oneself, to be away from the over-whelming madness in the surrounding environment or in the world, 

- And under any particular type of inspirations, aspirations, desires, and intentions.

These minds are being restless and exhausted swaying back and forth between happiness and unhappiness, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, goodness and badness, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, joyfulness and joylessness, positiveness and negativeness, hopefulness and hopelessness, togetherness and separateness, enjoyment and suffering, and so on, however, if they have the basic physical and mental function and ability and energy to be learning something physically and mentally, and to perform certain physical and mental activity, and have certain opportunity and possibility of engaging in certain physical and mental yoga practice such as Asana, Pranayama, Yama, Niyama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi, where all these practices and observations served as the tools to turn the outgoing tendency of the mind inward, to render the mind calm, quiet, focus, and clear.

The path of mind conquest or self discipline, is the most common and all rounded path of yoga, that suits most minds that are interested to be learning and engaging in some kind of yoga practice regularly, especially the inspired and aspiring minds that aspire to become 'yoga teachers' under their own particular reason. But this is also the path of yoga that is easily being contaminated, misused, and/or commercialized widely, even though there is nothing wrong in making an honest livelihood from conducting yoga classes or teaching yoga to others.

The different types/styles/brands of yoga classes/workshops/teachers training courses deriving from and attaching onto different schools/lineages/teachers/gurus, exist for the yoga enthusiasts to learn the basic teachings and practice from certain yoga teachers by attending the yoga classes/workshops/courses that are available easily in everywhere, even if these yoga classes/workshops/courses are heavily commercialized being transformed into a form of commodity/trade/service, and there's neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, but after learning about the basic knowledge and understanding on the teachings and practice of yoga, the yoga students need to develop independent self-practice, without the need to be attending ongoing yoga classes, or to be accompanying by and interacting with some others, or to be supervised and encouraged by some others, in order to be self-independent, self-initiative, and self-discipline to perform the yoga practice diligently and regularly by oneself, alone, in solitude and seclusion.

There is neither right nor wrong, if after many years, one still needs to rely on attending ongoing yoga classes/workshops/courses, to be physically and mentally motivated to perform the yoga practice under the company of some others in the group yoga classes, as well as under the supervision/instruction/encouragement of the yoga teachers in the group or private yoga classes, or else one doesn't know what to do and/or isn't motivated to perform the yoga practice by oneself, alone. Or, to be continuously reminding oneself on the basic teachings and practice of yoga. Or, merely to be continuously learning more new styles or routines. Or, maybe there is no suitable conducive space available to oneself at home or anywhere for performing the yoga practice except in the space provided by the yoga teachers/schools/centres/studios, even if oneself can perform the yoga practice independently by oneself, alone, without the need of companionship, interaction, instruction, supervision, or encouragement from any others. By attending ongoing yoga classes/workshops/courses regularly, regardless of under any particular reason, regardless of highly/slightly commercialized or non-commercialized, and regardless of whether the mind develops correct understanding, or not, it is already a great wholesome activity that benefits oneself and others.

The path of devotion and/or the path of action also can be contaminated, misused, or commercialized, where under the name of highest devotion towards 'God' or 'Guru', and under the name of serving 'God' or 'Guru' or 'others', unconditionally, many desperate suffering disturbed minds are wittingly and/or unwittingly being exploited and/or abused physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually, and/or financially, by the other minds that are highly corrupted.

The minds that are undertaking any of these paths to begin with, might change path later on, or might be undertaking more than one path or all paths simultaneously at different stages under different reasons or just want to experience different paths and/or all paths to see which one suits oneself most, or eventually, the minds start to realize that there is no separateness or distinction among the different paths, where all paths exist among one another, where there is no this path and that path, but all are one, as the minds evolve further and develop greater clarity and understanding towards the universal teachings of Yoga Vedanta, or the dhamma.

It is all about preparing the mind to be focus, calm, quiet, and clear, that enables self-inquiry and self-realization to be happening, naturally, intentionlessly, and effortlessly.

The paths of Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Raja Yoga (if being practiced diligently and persistently under correct understanding and right attitude) will eventually merge into Jnana Yoga, intentionlessly, effortlessly, and naturally.

The passionate mind will become dispassionate.

The non-intellectual mind will become highly intellectual.

The mentally and emotionally dependent mind will become mentally and emotionally independent.

The irrational and superstitious mind will become rational and scientific.

The fearful mind will become fearless.

The outgoing wandering wavering indecisive mind will become one-pointed, firm, and precise.

The doubtful mind will become doubtless.

The non-understanding mind will become understanding.

The close-minded will become open-minded.

The ignorant egoistic impure possessive obsessive lustful jealous violent angry hating hurtful greedy ambitious prideful selfish uncomfortable distracted disturbed restless suffering murky mind will become silent and clear.

Wisdom (the absolute knowledge, the correct understanding, the universal dhamma) is there as it is, under the absence of the veil of ignorance under the state of absolute clarity, regardless of being rendered under which type of practice under any path.

Jnana Yoga

The rare minds that are naturally dispassionate and rational being endowed with or that have developed certain degrees of clarity and basic correct understanding under the presence of higher intellectual reasoning power as well as mental and emotional independence, either genetically and biologically inherited by birth, or developed from young after birth, or after have been engaging in the other paths of Bhakti Yoga, or Karma Yoga, or Raja Yoga, to be rendering the mind focus, calm, quiet, and clear (one-pointedness being in the present), to be thinning-out and eradicating the ego and egoism, or have been purifying and sharpening the intellectual reasoning power via the observation of renunciation, dispassion, solitude, seclusion, and silence, to be free from the influence or contamination of worldly egoistic conditional and influential ideas, beliefs, values, practices, actions, reactions, behaviors, visions, inspirations, and aspirations to reason everything, then these minds are suitable for undertaking directly, or evolving indirectly and eventually onto the path of right discrimination and wisdom, or the path of self inquiry and self realization - Jnana Yoga, to know Thyself, or to attain direct self realization towards the truth of all these names and forms that the mind comes in contact with.

The path of Jnana Yoga cannot be contaminated, misused, or commercialized, even if some corrupted impure minds try their best to do that.

The minds that don't have the basic correct understanding or mental and emotional independence won't be taking the path of Jnana Yoga, because it is too difficult, intimidating, impossible, unreachable, non-comprehensible, non-interesting, or even too boring for them. Meanwhile, the minds that are taking the path of Jnana Yoga, are already endowed with some essential basic correct understanding (right discrimination and dispassion - Viveka and Vairagya) as well as mental and emotional independence or maturity, where these minds won't be fooled, or influenced, or manipulated, or threatened, or intimidated, or bullied, or lured, or exploited, or determined by the corrupted activities and behaviors of the corrupted minds.

How can anyone trade/sell/buy wisdom, or liberation from ignorance, or unconditional peace, or absolute knowledge, or self realization, or enlightenment, or the universal dhamma, or the universal truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self that exists in all and everyone and everything, within and without?

The yoga teachers don't and couldn't sell all THAT to anyone, but there is nothing wrong to be making an honest livelihood to support the momentary life existence and function of the body and mind, while exerting energy/time/effort/inevitable cost into engaging in certain activities to transmit the knowledge, teachings, and practice of yoga to some others who are interested in learning and practicing and realizing yoga.

Even after paying some fees, or donations, or offerings to the yoga teachers to learn about the teachings and practice of yoga, the yoga student (the mind) still needs to perform all the practice physically and mentally, regularly and diligently, under its own continuous effort and perseverance, all by itself, to prepare itself for self inquiry, and to attain direct self realization through intense willpower, effort, perseverance, and determination, via direct experience towards the truth of selflessness, impermanence, limitation, conditional, and non-self within the body and mind and in the surrounding environment in all kinds of names and forms that the mind perceives through the senses, while may or may not be undergoing additional evitable and inevitable obstacles or difficulties, of undergoing unpleasant and undesirable difficult conditions and situations internally and/or externally, or coming in contact with painful suffering directly or indirectly, that are all neither good nor bad.

The minds on the path of right discrimination or wisdom, they can be and might be, but they don't need to be engaging in any forms of chanting, prayers, japa and mantra reciting, or serving 'God'/others/the world under particular name and form, or observing yama and niyama, or performing asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, and dhyana practice regularly or irregularly under particular name and form, or coming in and out of Samadhi.

All and everything, all kinds of impermanent abilities, limitations, and conditions, all kinds of experiences, all kinds of easiness and difficulties, all kinds of uncertainty and impermanent changes, all kinds of impermanent pleasurable enjoyments and painful suffering, all kinds of goodness and badness, the entire physical structure operating by different bodily systems, and all the impermanent states of mind, are the dhamma/teachings/teachers/gurus/realization/knowledge/wisdom.

All and everything, in action or inaction, understanding or non-understanding, known and unknown, agreeable or disagreeable, true or untrue, perfection or imperfection, pure or impure, contaminated or non-contaminated, finite or infinite, including the existence and function of the different paths of yoga and/or buddhism and their different brunches/lineages, all kinds of pleasurable enjoyments and painful sufferings, all kinds of ignorance and consequences of ignorance, the direct experience and realization, realized or non-realized, wise or ignorant, peaceful or peaceless, long-lived or short-lived, easy life or difficult life, knowledgeable or non-knowledgeable, intelligent or non-intelligent, educated or non-educated, aware or unaware, healthy or unhealthy, good or bad, right or wrong, happiness and unhappiness, positiveness and negativeness, success and failure, gain and loss, accomplishment and non-accomplishment, and etc, all kinds of manifestations under whatever types of cause and effect and impermanent changes, and the existence and function of the modification of the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind under different states of consciousness, are all Selfless, Impermanent, Limited, Conditional, and Non-self.

The violent disturbed minds that would hurt themselves and others and the surrounding environment, as well as the minds that ignite, provoke, and promote others to hurt themselves and others and the surrounding environment, are all functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance.

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The presence and experience or manifestation of all kinds of obstacles or difficulties on the path of yoga and/or buddhism, or in daily life, are not because of 'bad karma' or 'sin', but merely the consequences or by-products of ignorance coming from the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance in the mind that gives rise to corrupted and ignorant thinking, reasoning, understanding, ideas, beliefs, values, practices, inspirations, aspirations, desires, actions, reactions, or behaviors that are hurting or limiting/affecting/impacting oneself and/or others and the surrounding environment. But more importantly, the veil of ignorance is not something bad, or wrong, or negative, or short-coming, or weakness, or shame deserving, or suffering deserving, but it is a common natural manifestation in all minds under the presence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness upon the state of consciousness and semi-consciousness.

Although the veil of ignorance is something common and natural, and there is neither right nor wrong, but the minds that are functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance are most probably not aware of that, or might be aware of that but don't understand towards all THAT, and hence, either wittingly and/or unwittingly, the minds keep generating actions and reactions (behaviors) that might hurt itself and/or others and the surrounding environment, intentionally or unintentionally, directly and indirectly.

That's why it is the highest duty of all minds to be engaging in the mind purification and silencing process (conscious mind evolution towards liberation from ignorance), to be free from the influence of the veil of ignorance, to know Thyself, to know the universal truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self, where the mind will stop hurting or doesn't hurt itself and/or others and the surrounding environment.

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Upon the mind is rendered calm, quiet, focus, and clear, contemplate or reflect upon the truth of the essential teachings of yoga and/or buddhism -

"A yogi or vedantin is not determined by the impermanent limited and conditional condition, ability, disability, limitation, eat or doesn't eat, do or doesn't do, think or doesn't think, feel or doesn't feel, has or doesn't have, known or unknown, and achievement or non-achievement of the physical and mental function of the body and mind. All 'karma' will burn in toto (disappear), the 'wheel of ceaseless births and deaths' will come to a stand still (disappear), the world of names and forms (of duality/separateness/impermanent changes/decay and disintegration/limitation/conditional/restlessness) ceased existing (disappear), in silence, upon self realization, upon reaching the state of Turiya - beyond the three states of consciousness/semi-consciousness/unconsciousness, beyond the three Gunas/energy fields/energy levels/elements/states of mind/hormonal changes/impermanent changes, limitations, and conditions." - The essence of Yoga Vedanta.

"All are selfless. All are impermanent. All are limited and conditional. All are non-self. Non-believing/following/worshiping/glorifying, not to say, non-blind believing/following/worshiping/glorifying, as well as non-blind practicing and non-blind propagating. Inquiring and attaining the truth of everything under the limited and conditional impermanent selfless conscious awareness, conscious freewill, self-initiation, self-effort, self-discipline, self-control, self-introspection, self-investigation, and self-inquiry, under the presence of non-grasping. Silencing the restless mind, a.k.a. removing the veil of ignorance, and attaining direct self realization towards the truth of everything." - The essence of Buddhism.

"You come alone. You go alone. You are left alone now. Live alone. Eat alone. Walk alone. Meditate alone. Do not mix. Do not associate. Do not hoard disciples. Do not build ashrams." - The repeated advice of Swami Sivananda

"The only one book to read is the heart." - The advice of Ajahn Chah

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Both the teachings and practice of Yoga Vedanta and Buddhism are grounded in non-grasping, non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation, perseverance, determination, forbearance, patience, acceptance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, intense yearning for liberation/freedom/knowledge/peace, renunciation, dispassion, right discrimination, solitude, seclusion, mental and emotional independence, desirelessness, non-violence, non-greed, non-hatred, the middle path, simplicity, non-hoarding, non-possessiveness, truthfulness, non-interference, respect, self-control, self-discipline, self-effort, self-inquiry, self-realization, direct experience, non-believing/following/worshiping/glorifying, non-blind practicing, non-blind propagating, open mind, silence, non-dualism, oneness, non-separateness, unconditional peace, the annihilation of the veil of ignorance, a.k.a. the absence of the idea of 'I'/conscious self acknowledgement/sense of separateness between 'I' and 'not I' (the ego), egoism, impurities, and restlessness, or the stillness/silence of the restless egoistic impure thought current/thinking process/thought activity/modification or state of the mind, or Samadhi, as well as the universal timeless intentionless changeless permanent infinite truth of Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self, and the intentionless and attributeless nature's law of cause and effect (that is widely being misinterpreted as the 'good/bad/neutral karma' or 'merits and virtues and sins').

There is neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, where most minds are being conditioned more or less by all those worldly egoistic ideas, beliefs, justifications, values, practices, actions, reactions, behaviors, visions, inspirations, and aspirations, to analyze, evaluate, understand, behave, and desire or expect everything in certain way. 

As the mind evolves towards greater degrees of clarity as well as deeper and clearer understanding, the mind starts to understand the meanings of the essential teachings of Yoga Vedanta and/or Buddhism, as well as about all those worldly egoistic ideas, beliefs, justifications, values, practices, actions, reactions, behaviors, visions, inspirations, and aspirations.

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Neither right nor wrong in the different understanding towards the same teachings 

There is neither right nor wrong in the function of the mind that is being determined/affected/influenced/disturbed/conditioned and limited by the perception of duality.

Upon reaching the state of absolute clarity, those same minds transcend all kinds of duality, where they perceive, acknowledge, and see things as they are, neither positively nor negatively, neither meaningfully nor meaninglessly, where all and everything are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self. There is neither grasping nor non-grasping at this stage, as there is no ego being there to assert grasping or non-grasping.

Suffering arise upon the presence of grasping. There is no suffering upon the absence of grasping, or there is neither grasping nor non-grasping.

There is nothing wrong with the many different understanding and the evolution of the understanding towards the same teachings by the same mind at different stages, not to say, by the many different minds at different stages.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Healthy body happy mind?

Just like the many common and popular terms of 'mental and emotional healing' and/or 'spiritual healing', or 'be positive, be strong', or 'you can fly', or 'you deserve', or 'you are unlimited', or 'you can be/do/achieve anything that you desire', and etc, similarly, the term of 'healthy body happy mind' is also one of the many common and popular terms in the world of yoga, and they are neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, but all these common and popular terms are nothing to do with the teachings and practice of yoga.

The minds that are still functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance, need to be prompted/inspired/motivated/attracted by certain pleasant, desirable, agreeable, enjoyable, motivational, or attractive 'benefit'/'result'/'goal'/'achievement', in order to be inspired and aspired to do something or anything. And hence, there are many different types of 'motivational positive encouragement' existing to motivate the minds to be engaging in certain kind of yoga practice to begin with. If there is persistence and regularity in the engagement in some kind of yoga practice, the mind might or might not start to realize and understand towards all those 'motivational positive encouragements' are not the objective, or the highest goal, or the end of the yoga practice.

Very few minds that are already endowed with the basic correct understanding from young, and that have the intense immovable yearning towards liberation, self discipline, and the mental and emotional independence, where they will devote their entire life existence and function, or their entire attention and energy onto the path of yoga and/or buddhism diligently to inquire the truth of everything internally and externally to know Thyself, even if they have read or heard from someone or somewhere, or they have realized and understood from the very beginning that the path of yoga and/or buddhism is not an easy or pleasant path, but rather there are many challenging obstacles and difficulties arising from time to time, internally and externally, where they endure or forbear, and break through or move around all kinds of unpleasant or even painful obstacles or difficulties, and upon the direct self realization towards knowing Thyself takes place, they might or might not return to the world of ignorant egoistic impure restless suffering minds, served as the reflective object and/or subject for the suffering minds that are in searching for genuine guidance or way towards liberation, to reflect/contemplate upon themselves to know Thyself.

Do not mistaken such devotion onto the path of yoga and/or buddhism as 'Being a monk or a nun living in the temple or ashram with the monk/nun community', as that doesn't guarantee that the mind is practicing yoga and/or buddhism as it is.

There is nothing wrong with 'healthy and fit physical body' and 'happy minds'. 

It is indeed very good to have a 'healthy and fit physical body' with minimum illness, injury, weakness, limitations, or disabilities. It saves lots of unnecessary expenses, conserves life existence/effort/energy, and generates less evitable inconveniences to oneself and others, if one has the basic general knowledge or universal common sense, correct understanding, and proper action taking to avoid or prevent all kinds of evitable unnecessary physical illness, injury, limitation, or disability that is not due to inevitable genetically inherited physical and/or mental condition from the beginning of formation and birth, or if upon the presence of any kind of treatable/recoverable illness or injury, one has the self initiative and understanding to take immediate action to be rehabilitated from the existing treatable illness or injury attentively as soon as possible, before it becomes worst if being left unattended without proper action taking or necessary medical treatments.

It is also very good to have a 'happy mind', even if that state of happiness/satisfaction/comfort is also merely a momentary state of the mind, that is limited and conditional, that is coming and going, that will appear and disappear, that will arise, change, and pass away, but a mind that is in a state of happiness/satisfaction/comfort, will most probably be nicer and kinder to oneself and others, and will be less violent and hurtful unto oneself and others, even if such pleasant behavior is only presence during that momentary state of happiness/satisfaction/comfort.

Just as some people where their mind is being over-powered by the veil of ignorance, will appear to be more difficult than usual, and behaving irrationally and violently upon the presence of hunger or tiredness that is not being satisfied immediately, and even more so upon the presence of hunger or tiredness is persisted not being attended for an extended duration (non-gratification of needs/desires), while they appeared to be more easy going and a lot nicer when there is absence of hunger or tiredness, or upon the hunger or tiredness is being attended immediately and disappeared (gratification of needs/desires).

Such minds are unwittingly being the slave of the conscious/semi-conscious desires of craving and aversion, as well as the non-conscious urges/fluctuation of hormonal changes/involuntary autonomous bodily functions/conditions/situations. Such minds would become agitated/grumpy/bad mood if it doesn't get to sleep when it desires to sleep, or it doesn't get enough of sleep, or the sleep is disturbed by something or someone, or upon waking up but not fully awake yet.

Even though it is not necessarily, but it is a lot easier for the mind that is in a good mood or in state of comfort, happiness, or satisfaction, to be 'more easy going', or 'nicer', or 'kinder', or 'forgiving', or be able to 'let go' and 'not be bothered by' something or anything, even if that is conditional, and it is only possible for a limited duration.

Especially under the absence of the basic essential correct understanding towards what is happening in the mind itself, on top of under the presence of grasping as well as the absence of certain degrees of self control, the mind that is in a state of unhappiness/disturbance/great disappointment/unpleasantness/discomfort/dissatisfaction/painful suffering/exhaustion/tiredness/hunger and thirst, will tend to be violent and hurtful unto oneself and others and the surrounding environment, either wittingly or unwittingly, randomly or deliberately, intentionally or unintentionally.

And more importantly, if under the absence of correct understanding on top of the presence of incorrect understanding, the mind might unwittingly or ignorantly harming the existence and function of the body and mind as well as directly or indirectly harming others and the surrounding environment during the process to achieve a 'healthy and fit physical body' and/or 'happy mind'. Such as some minds feel good, happy, satisfied, or accomplished upon successfully damaging/hurting/manipulating/exploiting/destroying some others or something in order to achieve what they like and desire.

Meanwhile, 'healthy and fit body' and 'happy mind' are not necessarily relate to one another, or the shadow of one another.

Under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance, the mind can still be unhappy about something or everything even if the body is super healthy and fit, or is highly energetic and free from illness/injury/weakness/stiffness/limitation, or under the presence of correct understanding, the mind can still be cheerful and happy even if the body is unhealthy and unfit, or is undergoing certain unpleasant and undesirable illness, injury, weakness, stiffness, limitation, disability, discomfort, or painful suffering.

No doubt that, it will be very good if all and everyone can have a 'healthy and fit physical body' as well as a 'happy mind' at the same time. There will be more peace and harmony or less unrest and disharmony, in this world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone or anything.

More importantly, a 'happy mind' doesn't necessarily mean that the mind is free from the influence of the veil of ignorance and the by-products of ignorance.

There are many minds are being happy and feeling good and satisfied because of the gratification of certain desires of craving and aversion, or the manifestation of the momentary conditional sense of confidence, strength, success, achievement, or accomplishment, upon experiencing/achieving/receiving/possessing/enjoying what the mind likes, agrees, and desires, that the mind thinks and believes and recognizes as 'superior' quality or status, while not experiencing/getting/receiving/possessing/suffering what the mind doesn't like, doesn't agree, and doesn't desire, that the mind thinks and believes and recognizes as 'inferior' quality or status.

The gratification of the desires of craving and aversion, or the momentary conditional sense of confidence, strength, success, achievement, or accomplishment, as well as during the process of achieving all THAT, are not necessarily be free from certain activities that are harming/hurting/exploiting some others or the surrounding environment directly and/or indirectly, either wittingly and/or unwittingly, that impact all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment short-termly, medium-termly, or long-termly, under the presence of boundless empowered greedy desires, inspirations, aspirations, visions, and ambitions waiting to be materialized and fulfilled endlessly.

It is also common and natural that most minds would like to have longevity or long life span, to be able to live as long as possible, as well as to be aging gracefully and joyfully, and to enjoy all kinds of enjoyments as much as possible, if it is not possible to be immortal and forever youthful infinitely, devoid of decay, aging, old age, weakness, stiffness, illness, injury, immobility, limitation, disability, or death.

Many minds might relate 'healthy and fit body' with 'longevity', because scientifically or biologically, a 'healthy and fit body' has the bigger possibility of having a longer life span.

'Healthy and fit or youthful and energetic body' and 'longevity' are not necessarily the shadow of one another, where there are many people don't or didn't live long due to certain impactful activities/conditions/situations even when the body is/was still in the tip top good health, fitness, youthful, and energetic condition.

Except certain inevitable intentionless natural causes of death regardless of short or long life span (impactful accidents and diseases/non-human's ignorance induced natural disasters/genetically inherited underlying condition/natural process of decay and disintegration), there are many evitable unnecessary non-natural causes of death as well as physical and/or mental painful suffering, is due to the hurtful and impactful activities/conditions/situations/ties and connections/relationships/interactions/communications/affairs deriving from the minds that are functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance, a.k.a. the idea of 'I'/the ego (the conscious and semi-conscious self awareness or self acknowledgement under the presence of conscious and semi-conscious awareness upon the state of consciousness and semi-consciousness), egoism, impurities, and restlessness.

There are many evitable unnecessary human's ignorance induced detrimental and impactful conditions, situations, affairs, activities, ties and connections, relationships, interactions, communications, accidents, illnesses, diseases, injuries, damages, abuse, bully, violence, fighting, killing, unrest, oppression, invasion, intrusion, war, discrimination and prejudice, unjust and cruelty, exploitation and desperation, or all kinds of evitable painful physical and mental/emotional suffering inflicted by oneself and/or others, that are impacting, threatening, damaging, and detrimental towards the surrounding living environment and atmosphere, or the life existence and function as well as the over-all physical and mental well-being of all and everyone.

All THAT are the by-products deriving from the minds under the influence of all kinds of worldly egoistic ideas/affairs/beliefs/values/practices/visions/agendas/activities, especially selfish politicking or political power games, greedy commercial/financial/economical endless investment, development, growth, expansion, and empowerment (beyond the basic need of essential infrastructure development and management for all kinds of diversities to be existing and living in simplicity under a conducive peaceful and harmonious environment freely and indiscriminately), in order to support endless wealth and status accumulation and hoarding, or to gratify and materialize boundless desires, pleasurable physical and mental enjoyments, inspirations, aspirations, visions, and ambitions waiting to be fulfilled, being empowered by as well as empowering selfishness, possessiveness, sense of belonging and pride, mental and emotional dependence, the power of unity or togetherness, or more precisely, the power of control and authority for maximal survival and expansion (that is widely being misunderstood or linked to non-separateness or oneness or non-duality in yoga and/or buddhism), such as family-hood, brotherhood and sisterhood, gangsterism, nationalism, communism, capitalism, tribalism, leadership, organization, authorization, anarchy, monarchy, democracy, dictatorship, or authoritarianism, as well as the sense of self-esteem and self-worth, pride and shame, superiority and inferiority, envy and jealousy, fear and the urge to control and interfere or manipulate all and everything to be or not to be in certain way, discrimination and prejudice, and all kinds of corruption, exploitation, intrusion, invasion, occupation, fighting, or war, domestically and externally, either being generated wittingly and/or unwittingly, that directly and/or indirectly impacting all and everyone and everything, even to the minds that are functioning under the absence of grasping under the presence of correct understanding (non-feeding ignorance), not to say, even more so to the minds that are functioning under the presence of grasping and incorrect understanding (ignorance gives rise to ignorance, and that also feeds and empowers ignorance).

There are many unnecessary and evitable environmental damages or detrimental conditions and situations that give rise to unnecessary physical and mental painful suffering in the many minds are not because of the sake of 'survival', but the empowered boundless and endless greedy desires, inspirations, aspirations, visions, and ambitions of the minds of human beings functioning under the presence and influence of the veil of ignorance.

What is the point of having 'longevity' or 'continuously living as long as possible', under a 'healthy and fit and energetic physical body', to accumulate and hoard unlimited 'wealth and possessions', or to enjoy unlimited pleasurable enjoyments of the senses, while wittingly or unwittingly harming/hurting/exploiting all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment, directly or indirectly, in the process of achieving all THAT?

That is why the highly essential and practical teachings and observation or practice in yoga and/or buddhism about non-grasping, non-association, non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation, live in the present, letting go the desirable and undesirable past memories and future imaginations, renunciation, dispassion, desirelessness, contentment, non-greed, simplicity, generosity, kindness, respect, non-discrimination, inclusivity, forbearance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, non-possessiveness, solitude, seclusion, mental and emotional independence, open mind, non-blind believing/following/glorifying/worshiping/agreeing/disagreeing/practicing/propagating, silence (Mauna), concentration and meditation, all kinds of attention demanding and effort exerting/action taking exercises, self-introspection and self-investigation, self-inquiry and self-realization, and the middle path, to practically and effectively moving the body and mind (physically and mentally) away from continuously being bombarded, hammered, disturbed, conditioned, and influenced consciously/semi-consciously/unconsciously by so much over-whelming impactful worldly egoistic ideas/affairs/beliefs/values/practices/visions/aspirations/ambitions/agendas/activities/all kinds of 'motivational positive empowerment' to achieve endless higher and higher success, status, power, wealth, and enjoyment', in order to purify and quiet the restless egoistic impure modification of the mind, to develop, promote, and empower mental and emotional independence and correct understanding, to practically and effectively freeing the selfless impermanent limited and conditional perceptive, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, thinking, and acting faculty/mind from the influence of the veil of ignorance.

The mind that understands this, it appreciates and makes good use of the availability of a 'healthy and fit and energetic physical body' without harming/exploiting anyone or anything under the presence of unconditional peace and correct understanding, to perform actions/activities that are beneficial to all and everyone and everything and the surrounding environment that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, while being at peace being undetermined or undisturbed upon the non-availability of a 'healthy and fit and energetic physical body' to be performing any actions/activities.

Inquire the truth of everything.