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

The minds that want to practice yoga and/or buddhism need to inquire towards Selflessness, Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self.

Regardless of what people think and believe and identify themselves and others as good or bad, right or wrong, wise or ignorant, kind or unkind, selfish or unselfish, positive or negative, pure or impure, peaceful or peaceless, humble or arrogant, superior or inferior, higher class or lower class, healthy or unhealthy, and so on, all and everyone and everything are selfless, impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self.

Most minds, including many yoga and buddhism practitioners, might have no difficulty to know what is Impermanence, Limitation, Conditional, and Non-self, however, it might be challenging for the minds to know what is Selflessness.

Most minds would interpret and refer selflessness as a state or a quality of unselfishness, purity, calmness, kindness, goodness, righteousness, compassion, generosity, higher evolution of mind consciousness, or self-sacrifice for others. But selflessness has nothing to do with any kind of state or quality. 

Selflessness is not a practice. It is not the result/outcome/fruit of a practice.

It is not about a mind performs some kind of practice to become selfless, or transforming and evolving from a state of non-selflessness into a state of selflessness. One doesn't practice selflessness. One doesn't evolve into selflessness. One doesn't become selfless. All are selfless, regardless of sentient/non-sentient living beings or non-living objects, pure or impure, kind or unkind, wise or ignorant, selfish or unselfish, calm or not calm, peaceful or peaceless, free from suffering or not free from suffering, and so on.

There is this selfless mechanism of the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind in the selfless physical body that is perceiving all these, acknowledging all these, knowing all these, reasoning all these, understanding all these, remembering all these, agreeing or disagreeing towards all these, liking or disliking all these, desires or doesn't desire all these, feels good or bad towards all these, or being aware of all these.

It has no difficulty to understand that 'this mind awareness' is being conscious/aware of all these, and understands that 'this mind awareness' is not the objects of awareness, and 'this mind awareness' can develop non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment, and non-expectation towards all these.

'This mind awareness' is being aware of the restless modification of the mind. It understands that it is not the restless impermanent modification of the mind, and vice versa, regardless of pure or impure, positive or negative, happy or unhappy, selfish or unselfish, kind or unkind, passionate or dispassionate, peaceful or disturbed state of mind.

However, there might still be the notion or the idea of 'I' existing to be identifying with 'this mind awareness' as 'I'. The notion or the idea of 'I' identifies itself as "I am aware of all these. All these are not I. I am non-attaching, non-identifying, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparing, non-judging, and non-expecting towards all these. I am merely witnessing all these. All these don't determine I as who I am, and all these cannot disturb I, and I am peaceful as I am."

'This mind awareness' that is conscious/aware of itself and the objects of awareness, is ignorant towards its own impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self existence and function is selfless, that there is no permanent independent infinite immortal individual self existence/identity in 'this mind awareness' as well as in all kinds of names and forms.

When the selfless mechanism of the mind stops functioning or existing, there is no such notion/idea of 'I' existing to be identifying as anything, not even the selfless universal consciousness that pervades all and everything, that enabling the selfless impermanent limited and conditional mechanism of the mind to have 'the mind awareness' to be conscious or aware of its own selfless impermanent existence and function and all these.

'This mind awareness' that has a notion or idea of 'I' asks, "What does it mean that 'there is no I', that I don't exist? I am aware of myself being aware of all these. I am thinking. I am experiencing. I am doubting. I am learning. I am understanding. I am knowing. I am remembering. I see. I hear. I smell. I taste. I sense. I feel. I feel pain. I feel happy. I feel good. I feel bad. I am performing actions. I am receiving the fruit of my actions. I am existing and I am real."

Without the selfless organs of the brains, the heart, the lungs, the throat, the airway, the stomach, the liver, the spleen, the pancreas, the kidneys, the bladder, the gallbladder, the reproductive organ, or the selfless organs of the senses of the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, and the skin, without the selfless organs of action/expression of the mouth (the jaw, the lips, the teeth, the tongue, the voice box), the limbs of arms and legs, the hands and feet with the different fingers and toes, without the selfless functions of the hair, the nails, the eyebrows, the eyelids, the eyelashes, the skull, the spine and the spinal column, the different bones/joints/tendons/ligaments/connective tissues and muscles, the nerves, the blood vessels, the glands, the hormones and secretions, without the selfless mechanisms of the cardiovascular and respiratory system, the digestive system, the elimination system, the hormonal system, the reproductive system, the musculoskeletal system, the autoimmune system, the central and peripheral nervous system, and etc, without each single selfless cell/atom/neutron/proton/neuron, and without the availability of the selfless energy, water, oxygen, nutrients, and minerals, or without a selfless conducive and supportive living environment, what is this 'I'? What is "I am thinking. I am experiencing. I am doubting. I am learning. I am understanding. I am knowing. I am remembering. I see. I hear. I smell. I taste. I sense. I feel. I feel pain. I feel happy. I feel good. I feel bad. I am performing actions. I am receiving the fruit of my actions. I am existing and I am real."?

This 'I', that the conscious thinking in the mind that perceives, thinks, believes, recognizes, acknowledges, and identifies as 'I', or 'me', or 'myself', is impermanent, limited, conditional, and non-self. The idea of 'I' doesn't even belong to itself, not to say, it doesn't belong to the selfless mechanism or function of the mind, or the thinking faculty. It cannot and doesn't exist as an idea or thought in the selfless modification of the mind, if the selfless mechanism of the mind stops or ceases functioning or existing, if without the selfless support of the selfless energy and the many different selfless elements that work together and inter-supporting one another that enables the selfless impermanent limited and conditional mechanism of the mind to be what it is.

Of course 'this mind awareness' or 'this thinking in the mind' exists and is real in NOW, even if it only exists and functions for a momentary duration, and it is the one that is perceiving and experiencing all these. It is the one that is performing all kinds of actions and it is the one that receives the fruit of all its actions. It is the one that is aware of/conscious towards all these. It is the one that is perceiving, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, sensing, feeling, thinking, acting, reacting, expressing, talking, learning, understanding, knowing, doubting, reasoning, remembering, agreeing/disagreeing, feels good or bad, and so on. It is the one that is responsible for generating ceaseless cause and effect through the physical body under its own conscious desires and don't desires, on top of some other cause and effect that are being generated under the autonomous non-conscious physical and mental activities for life maintenance functioning under the intentionless survival instinct. However, 'this mind awareness' is only a limited adjunct or a selfless impermanent limited and conditional mechanism functioning as one of the selfless mechanisms of the selfless physical body, where there is not a permanent independent infinite immortal self existence or self identity existing in the selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and function of the selfless momentary mortal body and mind, to be undergoing selfless impermanent changes or be responsible for the ceaseless cause and effect being generated by the selfless body and mind, consciously or non-consciously.

When 'this mind awareness' performs self inquiry to be inquiring towards "Who am 'I' or What is 'I'?", it is inquiring towards what is 'this mind awareness' that is functioning under the presence of the idea of 'I', that is being conscious/aware of the selfless impermanent existence and function of the mind itself, and everything that the mind perceives through the senses in NOW.

The entire existence and function or mechanism of the mind, is selfless. There is no self existence/identity of I (finite 'I' or infinite 'I') existing in all the countless different individual selfless elements/systems/components that work together and inter-supporting one another to be enabling the selfless mechanism of the body and mind to be existing and functioning as what it is. Without the selfless support of the selfless energy and the countless selfless elements/systems/components, there is no existence and function of the body and mind.

Even if under the selfless support of the selfless energy and selfless elements/systems/components that enabling the existence and function of the body and mind to be existing and function as what it is, if without the selfless universal consciousness, there is no conscious mind awareness for the selfless mechanism of the mind to be conscious or aware of all these.

The consciousness is not the selfless mechanism of the mind. The selfless mechanism of the mind is not the consciousness. The consciousness doesn't belong to the mind, and vice versa. It is neither 'my consciousness' nor 'I am the consciousness'.

The consciousness is untouched by the impermanent changes, the cause and effect (the actions and consequences of actions), and the mortality that the selfless mind is undergoing.

The selfless mind is limited and conditioned by all kinds of limitations and conditions. 

The consciousness is unlimited and unconditioned by the limitations and conditions that the selfless mind is undergoing.

There is the selfless impermanent limited and conditional function of perceiving/cognition/knowing/recognizing/reasoning/understanding/remembering/feeling/thinking/acting in the mind. The consciousness is merely the silent witness towards all that in the selfless mechanism of the mind.

The mind has the notion or the idea of 'I', of I perceive, I know, I recognize, I reason, I understand, I remember, I feel, I think, I act, as well as I am and I am not.

The consciousness doesn't have the notion or the idea of 'I'.

All minds are different from one another. Different minds have different genetic traits, personalities, characteristics, and behavior patterns. Different minds have their own respective cause and effect, different conditions, different appearances, different intelligence, different energy levels, different reasoning power, different understanding, different desires/behaviors/actions/reactions, different experiences and situations, different actions and consequences of actions, being in different impermanent states or realms, and so on.

The consciousness in all and everything is the one same consciousness, that doesn't belong to anyone or anything. There is no 'my consciousness', 'your consciousness', 'his/her consciousness', 'our consciousness', or 'their consciousness'.

Just as the physical body and all and everything are neither good nor bad, the selfless mechanism of the mind itself is also neither good nor bad, however, under the influence of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, all minds can appear to be good or evil, wise or ignorant, pure or impure, happy or unhappy.

There is no good or evil consciousness. There is no wise or ignorant consciousness. There is no pure or impure consciousness. There is no happy or unhappy consciousness.

The selfless timeless changeless attributeless nameless formless beginningless endless intentionless actionless thoughtless infinite universal consciousness is not the selfless impermanent limited conditional and non-self finite mechanism of the mind that only exists and functions for a momentary duration.

The notion or idea of 'I' in the mind is merely part of the thinking or thought activities. The notion or idea of 'I' in the mind cannot identify itself as, "I am the selfless infinite universal consciousness," because it is not the selfless infinite universal consciousness.

The selfless mechanism of the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind will be ceased functioning and ceased existing under a limited conditional impermanent momentary duration of existence and function.

The selfless universal consciousness is untouched by the mortality or the limited conditional impermanent momentary duration of existence and function of the selfless mechanism of the mind.

The selfless universal consciousness doesn't belong to the mind or any mind, and vice versa.

The selfless minds might perceive suffering, and needed to be free from ignorance that gives rise to the perception of suffering, and hence, the selfless minds can be practicing yoga and/or buddhism teachings and practice to be free from ignorance and suffering.

The selfless universal consciousness is untouched by the mind perception of suffering being perceived by the minds. It doesn't need to be free from ignorance that gives rise to suffering. It doesn't need to practice anything to be free from ignorance and suffering that don't exist.

Selflessness is not a state or quality. It is the truth of all kinds of names and forms, regardless of sentient and non-sentient living beings or non-living objects. Even the permanent independent infinite unlimited unconditional timeless changeless universal consciousness that pervades all and everything and the entire infinite space, is selfless. It doesn't have a self existence/identity of I to be identifying as I am infinite, or I have an infinite existence. It is not separated from infinity. The infinity doesn't have a self existence/identity of I to be identifying as I am the permanent independent infinite existence of Infinity.

All are selfless, regardless of finite or infinite, impermanent or permanent, dependent or independent, limited or unlimited.

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

Selflessness - What all and everything are.

There is no permanent independent infinite immortal self existence or self identity of 'I' that exists in all kinds of names and forms, regardless of sentient living beings or non-living objects (that are being formed, arising, existing, maintaining, changing, decaying, disintegrating, decomposing, and passing away under the selfless support of the selfless energy and the many different selfless elements/systems/components governed by the nature's law of cause and effect), to be undergoing the ceaseless selfless impermanent changes of the entire process of forming, existing, sustaining, changing, decaying, disintegrating, decomposing, and passing away (ceased existing) in all kinds of names and forms that cannot and don't exist or function as what they are, if without the selfless support of the selfless energy and the many selfless elements/systems/components for all and everything to be arising, changing, and passing away under respective cause and effect.

The self existence/identity/acknowledgement of 'I' in the form of thinking/thought/idea in the selfless mind, is merely a selfless impermanent limited and conditional 'I' that is non-self. It is part of the selfless mechanism of the selfless mind.

The acknowledgement and identification of, "I am practicing yoga and/or buddhism. I am a yogi and/or buddhist," is neither right nor wrong, but, it is merely the selfless impermanent limited and conditional mind that is practicing yoga and/or buddhism, and it is the idea of 'I' in the selfless mind that is identifying itself as a yogi and/or buddhist.

Meanwhile, the acknowledgement and identification of "I am a yogi and/or buddhist. I am practicing yoga and/or buddhism" itself doesn't mean anything or doesn't give rise to the liberation from ignorance, and the essential practice of yoga and/or buddhism is to let go all kinds of physical/mental/emotional attachments and identifications towards all kinds of qualities of names and forms that are not 'I', that don't belong to 'I', to be annihilating the idea of 'I' and egoism of attachment, identification, craving, aversion, judgment, comparison, and expectation from the selfless impermanent modification of the mind, that will enable the thinking mind to see the truth of itself, to know Thyself, or to know the truth of the idea of 'I' and egoism and impurities and restless mind stuff occupying the selfless impermanent modification of the mind, of ceaseless changes, of countless births and deaths of ceaseless thought/idea/feeling/emotion/state after one another ceaselessly arising, changing, and passing away transitioning in different realms/states/spheres within the selfless impermanent modification of the mind in NOW.

That's why the minds that truly understand and practice yoga and/or buddhism, as well as the minds that are delivering the teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism to the public, there is no idea of 'I' in the mind to be identifying with anything, not to say, there is no such acknowledgement or identification in the mind to be acknowledging or identifying as "I am a yogi and/or buddhist. I am practicing yoga and/or buddhism," or "I am delivering the teachings and practice of yoga and/or buddhism to the public."

Impermanence - Ceaseless impermanent changes

All kinds of names and forms, regardless of living beings or non-living objects, are constantly changing (arising, forming, sustaining, decaying, disintegrating, decomposing, passing away) during the momentary selfless impermanent existence.

Limited - All kinds of inevitable limitations

All kinds of names and forms are limited by selflessness, impermanence, condition (internal and external influential and supportive conditions, energy, and elements), all kinds of internal and external limitations/shortcomings/disabilities/impossibilities/lack of supportive elements that are not in the control of the names and forms,

The mortality, or the momentary limited duration of existence,

The limited knowledge and the infinite existence of the unknown beyond the knowledge of the mind, where the mind doesn't know what it doesn't know, the mind can only know what it knows, and there are unlimited things that the mind doesn't know and doesn't get to know, and it's okay. While the mind might not understand all and everything that it knows as as they are, and might be misunderstood towards certain things that the mind knows, due to the veil of ignorance, which can be eliminated through certain observations and methods or practices, out of its own self initiative and yearning towards absolute knowledge and liberation from ignorance,

Time - There is only NOW. The selfless impermanent existence is always in NOW, unable to go back or move forward from NOW, while everything in the NOW doesn't stay unchanged, it is constantly changing,

Space - The selfless impermanent existence is being constraint in a particular limited name and form that is always in HERE and not elsewhere, even when the name and form can be moving/travelling. Existence is always in NOW, as it is, and in HERE, where it is. The name and form can only exist in one place in HERE in NOW, it cannot exist or appear in different places in NOW,

Causation - cause and effect - non-self - The selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and/or function of all kinds of names and forms (that exist/function, change, and ceased existing/functioning under cause and effect) don't belong to the names and forms themselves.

Conditional - Which can be formed, conditioned, influenced, modified, improved, declined, damaged, hurt, disintegrated, decomposed, or destroyed under the presence or absence of the selfless energy, elements, conditions, and situations.

The selfless existence and function, the maintenance of the selfless existence and function, the selfless impermanent changes, the possibilities/opportunities/availability of the supportive selfless energy, elements, conditions, and situations, as well as the ceased existence/function, are being conditioned and influenced by the presence and absence of all kinds of internal and external energy, elements, conditions, and situations.

Non-self - Nothing is 'I'. Nothing belongs to 'I'.

Nothing belongs to the selfless impermanent names and forms, and vice versa.

All and everything, including the existence and function of the selfless impermanent names and forms, don't belong to the selfless impermanent names and forms, and vice versa.

The selfless existence and/or function of all kinds of names and forms that is only possible under the selfless support of the selfless energy and the countless selfless elements/systems/components that work together and inter-supporting one another that enabling all and everything to be what they are, that exist and/or function as what they are under cause and effect, that also doesn't belong to the selfless impermanent limited and conditional names and forms themselves, not to say, anything else. Similarly, all kinds of names and forms also don't belong to anything, not even the selfless energy and the countless selfless elements/systems/components that support and enable the selfless impermanent limited and conditional existence and/or function of all kinds of names and forms. And they don't belong to the selfless universal consciousness that hosts and pervades all kinds of selfless impermanent limited and conditional manifestations in the infinite space, that enabling all and everything to be what they are, as they are, arising, changing, and passing away.

Inquire the truth of all and everything.

Do not blind-believe. Do not blind-follow. Do not blind-practice. Do not blind-agree/disagree. Do not blind-propagate. Do not blind-glorify. Do not blind-admire. Towards anyone and anything, from anywhere and everywhere.

Purify. Meditate. Inquire. Realize.

It's the freedom of all minds towards what they want to do or don't do with themselves, the selfless body and mind, or the selfless impermanent limited and conditional momentary non-self life existence, and whether they want or don't want to inquire towards the truth of everything.

Ignorance in the world of yoga and buddhism

Many people don't really know or understand what is yoga and the yoga practice, even after many years of practicing and/or teaching 'yoga'. There's nothing wrong or abnormal, because that is what ignorance is about.

It's understandable, because the 'yoga' that many people see or practice in this world are the 'yoga' being practiced and taught by those who don't really know what is yoga, and there are many people are learning and practicing 'yoga' by attending ongoing 'yoga classes' that are being conducted by many 'certified' and 'qualified' yoga teachers that also don't really know or understand what is yoga and the yoga practice.

Similarly, in the world of buddhism, there are many people who think they are the disciples of Buddha, but they don't really know or understand what is buddha, buddhism, the teachings of buddha or the dhamma, and the practice.

Everyone takes their own effort and pace to realize what is yoga or buddhism, the teachings of yoga or the teachings of buddha, or the dhamma and the practice.

And it's okay, if the minds still haven't realized the dhamma by the end of this selfless impermanent life existence, after have been performing so many kinds of yoga practice or buddhism practice, under the idea of "I am a yogi who practice yoga," or "I am a Buddhist who practice Buddhism."

The only difference is that, if more minds are free from ignorance and egoism while being here momentarily in this space of the universe that doesn't belong to anyone or anything, there will be less unrest and disharmony or damaging effects being generated into this world, unwittingly, and vice versa.

Under the veil of ignorance and egoism, the selfless impermanent minds are not any different from all kinds of momentary natural disasters that come with the selfless intentionless damaging power that destroy many lives, objects and the surrounding environment, even if these natural disasters are only existing for a few moments, not to say, many minds are existing for quite a long while in this world, that keep contributing unnecessary unrest, disharmony and damaging effects into the world, either wittingly or unwittingly, during their momentary selfless impermanent existence in this world.

The minds that understand, they won't be offended by this.

The minds that would be offended by this, they don't understand.

Many years ago, in an ashram in India, there was a very old yoga teacher told this mind that he was still 'in doubt' after practicing and teaching yoga for many years. That had actually empowered the intense yearning towards liberation in this mind, to be determined to be free from ignorance, not just doing some form of yoga practice regularly, and hence, initiated the observation of renunciation from the world of passionate egoistic social and cultural affairs, connections, interactions and activities. He was indeed a great teacher.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Buddhist vs Yogi?

There's no doubt that there are some differences in the practice in Buddhism and Yoga towards the realization of Truth, to transcend suffering.

But, the essential teachings and the end of Yoga and Buddhism practice are the same, such like the law of impermanence, conditioned and limited existence of the body and mind, mind perception of names and forms through the sense organs and the senses, consciousness, intellect, egoism, ignorance, impurities, attachment, craving and aversion, cause and effect, action and reaction, desires, restlessness, dissatisfaction, suffering, the root cause of suffering, the path of transcending suffering, the end of suffering, the middle path, peace, fearlessness, non-discrimination, non-hatred, non-violence, non-judgmental, non-expectation, intention-less, self-control, morality, truthfulness, humility, simplicity, forgiveness, patience, tolerance, gratitude, contentment, perseverance, determination, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, purification of the mind, awareness, mindfulness, selfless service, renounce the fruit of action, non-attachment, live in the present moment, observation, self-introspection, self-inquiry, observing silence (of thoughts, action and speech), solitude, renunciation, meditation, accepting the reality as it is, realizing the true nature of oneself, oneness, non-separateness, attributelessness, namelessness, formlessness, non-dualism, Self-awakening, Self-realization, selflessness, compassion, wisdom, transcending birth and death, entering silence or Samadhi.

The true nature of all beings is the same - This is the most important teaching of Yoga and Buddhism. Beyond the different qualities of names and forms 'possessed' by the 'Yogi' and the 'Buddhist', a real yogi is not different from a real Buddhist, and vice versa, if we truly practice the teachings of yoga or Buddhism.

If we think we are 'Yogis' and we are part of the family of 'Yogis', or if we think we are 'Buddhists' and we are part of the family of 'Buddhists', but we couldn't see beyond the different qualities of names and forms, and generate separateness between 'Yogis' and 'Buddhists', and criticizing one another, then we are not really 'Yogis' nor 'Buddhists'.

If the end of Yoga and Buddhism practice is separated or different from each other, then it becomes something limited and conditional (It means that if we attain highest realization in yoga practice, we will go to a 'peaceful place' only accessible for yogis only, and if we attain highest realization in Buddhism practice, we will go to a 'peaceful place' only accessible for Buddhists only). If that is what Yoga and Buddhism is about, then I don't want to practice Yoga nor Buddhism. I don't want to be a yogi nor a Buddhist.

Same as in Yoga practice itself, there are different paths, methods and styles. If the end of all these different paths, methods and styles will be different or separated from one another, then it is not Yoga anymore. If Hatha yogis will end up in a particular 'place' only for Hatha yogis, and Jnana yogis will end up in a particular 'place' only for Jnanis, and so on with all the other different practices, then it is something limited and conditional. It's not the ultimate freedom that we are looking for.

If there is a 'peaceful place' only welcomes or receives particular beings with certain qualities, I don't desire to be there, even if it is a 'heaven'.

May all beings be free, be happy - Wishes from Yogis and Buddhists

Om shanti.

Peace and compassion

Just by having peace and compassion in oneself, being kind to oneself by stop 'hurting' oneself, being free from negative thinking, action and speech, or be free from anger, hatred, discrimination, jealousy, fear and worry, is already helping the world to be a better place. It's not necessarily that one has to be 'out there' doing something in order to help the world to be a better place.

It doesn't matter whether we are yogi or not, Buddhist or not, religious or not, spiritual or not, if we don't have ill wills or ill thinking about anyone and anything, and have kind thoughts for all beings to be free (from ignorance and suffering), it doesn't matter if it's driven by the ego, or it's out of compassion or selflessness, it's all good.

Om shanti.