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

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

- Fear towards making choices or taking responsibilities.

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

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

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

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

 

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

One can only be here, or there.

One cannot be here and there at the same time.

 

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

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

 

None can have all and everything.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be free.

Accepting and loving oneself as one is unconditionally doesn't mean that one doesn't need to inquire the truth of everything

Accepting and loving oneself as one is unconditionally, it doesn't mean that one stops learning and improving, or one doesn't need to inquire the truth of everything to be free from ignorance and the consequences of ignorance.

In contrary, out of unconditional love and acceptance towards oneself, one can be constantly and continuously keep learning and improving in all aspects, but without passionate egoistic attachment, identification, craving, aversion, comparison, judgment, or expectation towards the body and mind has to be or not to be in certain way, while performing all actions/duties/responsibilities towards oneself and/or others, including performing the yoga and meditation practice to inquire towards the truth of everything, to be free from ignorance and the consequences of ignorance, to attain self-realization towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence, and allowing the fruit of actions/duties/responsibilities/practice being what it is.

Such actions, duties, responsibilities and practice are being performed under the presence of correct understanding towards the limitation of the body and mind as well as acknowledging the possibilities and impossibilities in the present moment, without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation, without hurting oneself and/or others in order to achieve certain improvement or accomplishment, respecting the possibilities and impossibilities in the present moment now, and knowing that all limitations/possibilities/impossibilities in the present moment now is impermanent, and will change.

It's normal and common that some minds that are functioning under the influence of ignorance would have intense disagreement towards self-acceptance, self-love, and contentment, where they think and believe that one would stop learning and improving oneself upon accepting and loving oneself as one is, or upon the presence of contentment. That's their freedom of thinking, understanding, desire/don't desire, and action/inaction.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Just do our best in what is possible now

Doing our best in whatever we do that is possible now, but without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation, and without the idea of 'I', attachment, judgment and expectation towards the actions and the fruit of actions, is the important yoga practice for annihilating the idea of 'I' and egoism, that will thin-out the veil of ignorance.

Regardless of whether in the yoga practice session or in everyday life affair, it's not about who/what is the best among all, but all and everyone are doing their own very best in what they can do that is possible in the present moment, and what everyone can do or cannot do in the present moment, is very different from one another.

Doing our best in all our pursues, is not about trying to achieve perfection in everything that we do, or trying to be the best performer or achiever among all and everyone.

Knowing that there's no perfection can be found in the world of selfless impermanent names and forms, particularly when many minds are functioning under the influence of ignorance, the idea of 'I', egoism, impurities, and restlessness, ceaselessly acting and reacting generating lots of consequences of actions and reactions in the world that are inter-affecting one another, but we still can do our best for what can be done that can be promoting peace and harmony into the world of many diversities that doesn't belong to anyone.

All these actions for promoting peace and harmony in oneself and in the world of diversity, are being performed out of selfless compassion, without egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, or expectation.

It's not even about being hopeful towards the world that it will have more peace and harmony after we do our best in performing certain actions, but it's merely doing our best to contribute less unrest and disharmony, while contributing more peace and harmony, in ourselves and into the surrounding environment, without attachment or expectation, and let the fruit of actions being what it is.

Most importantly, it begins with looking after this mind itself, to have peace and harmony in oneself.

The world will be peaceful and harmony as it is, if more minds know how to look after themselves, to maintain certain degrees of openness, clarity and correct understanding, however, it's the freedom of the minds whether to be looking after themselves, or not.

To be looking after the mind, it's not so much about gaining or achieving something, but it's about being able to let go many ideas and things that most minds strongly attached onto and identifying with, that the minds think and believe is what things are, and how life should be like, where most minds find it very difficult or even impossible to let go.

It's like the mind is already familiar with, and being comfortable living with all kinds of 'madness' in oneself and in the world, and hence, the mind would find it very strange, wrong, or mad, to let go all kinds of 'madness'.

Once the mind is able to let go many worldly passionate egoistic ideas and things, naturally, it will realize what yoga, or selflessness, or non-separateness, or unconditional peace, is about.

Embracing simplicity, openness, desirelessness, ambitionlessness, truthfulness, straightforwardness, non-hypocrisy, non-pridefulness, non-possessiveness, and non-greed, are the basic steps for looking after the mind.

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Want to learn and practice yoga? (12)

One of the common egoistic behaviors of the mind is discontentment, or greed, or craving. One may be being contented with certain things while being discontented with some other things, depending on the degrees of attachment towards different things.

Either contentment or discontentment is neither good nor bad. It depends on the degrees of understanding and self-control of not doing anything that would be hurting oneself, and/or others and the surrounding environment, out of discontentment or greed. Just as many other things are neither good nor bad, but then why are yoga practitioners being taught to practice contentment and be free from discontentment?

Contentment might be seen as a form of negativity or regression under the worldly thinking, belief, values and practice, as certain 'contented' people being 'contented' with what and how things are, might not be motivated to perform actions that could lead towards certain improvements in oneself, and particularly, to be contributing and supporting the world of capitalism and commercialism, but actually, that's the state of idleness/laziness/disappointment/meaninglessness being misunderstood as contentment.

More and more people are being highly disappointed by the messiness in the world due to corruptions and failed leadership, and feel that it's useless and meaningless to perform actions that might or might not bring certain improvement in the world of ignorance and egoism, as they think and believe that it's not possible or too difficult for the world to change for better, being pushed by the current of ignorance and egoism.

Discontentment towards 'what and how things are' and 'what is available now' is being seen by the worldly passionate minds as a good and motivational thing that can lead towards ongoing improvement in many things in life, endlessly, until one stops living, or dies. Especially it's good for the world of capitalism and commercialism that needs and welcomes ceaseless 'discontentment' in many people in order to sustain and prosper.

Contentment in yoga and Buddhism doesn't mean that one stops performing actions that could lead towards certain improvement in oneself, or in one's life existence and in the world. The contented minds that are being contented with 'what and how things are, without being determined by the impermanent changes in the quality of names and forms', can be making use of this life existence to be performing actions that would benefit the over-all well-being of oneself and/or others, without attachment, identification and expectation, and void of greedy ambition/aspiration/desire of craving and aversion that could end up hurting oneself and/or others in certain ways while trying to achieve certain goals/results that one desires.

Meanwhile, growing motivational discontentment in the passionate egoistic minds could easily turn into a form of greedy ambition/aspiration/desire of craving and aversion unwittingly, that might motivate the mind to be performing certain actions that could end up hurting oneself and/or others, and the surrounding environment, either wittingly or unwittingly, just as some people generate certain damages to their body and mind by pushing their body and mind beyond its limitation in order to achieve certain results that they desire, as well as some people who have certain influential power are hurting/damaging many lives, things and nature in the world as the minds are being over-powered by greedy ambition/aspiration to control the world to be in certain way, to gain higher power or wealth, to seize and possess space/lands/resources, or to create a world that they desire.

Discontentment isn't just existing in the worldly life, but either wittingly or unwittingly, it also comes into the yoga practice.

Quite many yoga practitioners, particularly yoga teachers, would think and believe that they need to keep learning and performing as many yoga asana poses and their different variations as possible, as well as studying and memorizing as many names and forms of the different yoga practices and their respective consequences/effects as possible, or the names and forms of different body systems, muscles, bones, organs, glands and nerves, and their respective functions, for their own particular reasons, or to be a 'well-informed', 'knowledgeable', 'qualified', 'competitive', 'professional', 'confident' or 'responsible' good yoga teacher, but all these are nothing to do with the realization of selflessness, compassion and unconditional peace, or the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, or the ability of letting go, as well as performing self-inquiry inquiring towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence in all the names and forms. In fact, it's empowering ignorance and egoism in the mind.

People who cannot see, or hear, or read, or speak, or sing, or sit up, or stand, or move, or know and perform any particular 'yoga practice under certain names and forms', 'chanting and prayers', 'breathing exercises' or 'yoga asana poses', can still inquire towards the truth of selflessness and impermanence, be free from ignorance and egoism, and realize unconditional peace and compassion, void of painful sorrow and suffering. Not to say, whether knowing what are the names and effects or benefits of the different practices, or be able to perform all the different poses 'beautifully'/'gracefully' and in perfect alignment, and be able to pronounce all the names or chanting and prayers 'precisely', or not.

Being knowledgeable towards many things and being capable to do many things physically and mentally, and utilizing those enhance physical/mental condition and accumulated knowledge for doing something in life, is nothing bad or wrong, but one doesn't need to be able to know or do many things, or know and do many different types of yoga practices, or know and do many different yoga asana poses as well as the many different variations of the yoga asana poses, throughout the path of yoga for self-inquiry and self-realization, to free the mind from ignorance and egoism.

In order to help purifying, influencing and calming the restless state of the mind, one just needs to know and do a few basic yoga asana poses regularly, where each practice session might be slightly different from one another, where certain basic yoga asana poses are being practiced on that particular day and time, and certain poses might be held for slightly longer or shorter time, while there might be a need to take complete rest from physical or mental training on certain day and time, according to what the body and mind needs in that particular moment, based on the physical condition and the state of the mind on that day and at that time.

Performing just a few basic yoga asana poses on each practice session being practiced under the correct understanding and attitude, in a relaxed manner without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitation, without straining/hurting/damaging the body and mind, is sufficient enough to serve the main purpose of performing the yoga asana poses, which is for purifying the energy centers and channels, to be calming the restless state of the mind or energizing the idle state of the mind, as well as to be developing certain degrees of awareness and concentration, and maintaining certain degrees of vitality and mobility preparing the body and mind to be fit enough for performing self-inquiry and meditation practice, as well as to have the sufficient health and energy for performing selfless service, duties and responsibilities towards oneself and/or others in everyday life.

Somehow, the passionate egoistic minds are getting bored and aren't contented with just doing a few basic yoga asana poses regularly, where the mind is being inspired and aspiring to be able to know and do as many yoga asana poses and the different variations as possible, due to boredom and discontentment, and most probably, to attain the sense of confidence, positiveness, goodness, satisfaction and meaningfulness that is being determined by the accumulation of knowledge towards this and that or the mental ability to do and achieve certain things, and being determined by the physical condition and ability to perform as many yoga asana poses as possible, especially some of the challenging yoga asana poses that required certain degrees of skill, strength and flexibility, where the mind feels good and satisfied upon being able to perform certain actions/positions that it couldn't do before, where the self-esteem and confidence is being determined by the physical and mental condition, ability and achievement.

Some yoga teachers as well as the yoga students also think and believe that, as 'yoga teachers', they need to be able to know and do as many yoga asana poses and the different variations as possible, as well as accumulating and possessing as many 'recognized yoga certifications' as possible, to show that they are 'highly qualified', 'well-trained', 'competitive', 'creative' and 'professional' yoga teachers to conduct 'variety', 'enjoyable', 'safe' and 'effective' yoga (asana) classes. That is also being propagated in many of the 'yoga teachers training courses' in the world, which is not what yoga is about.

It's neither right nor wrong, as it is something good for anybody to be engaging in any kinds of educational learning or sports and fitness training activities regularly for enhancing physical/mental condition and ability. It's better than spending time and energy engaging in unwholesome activities. However, the yoga practitioners or yoga teachers need to know that the mental ability to do and achieve certain things with the accumulated knowledge about this and that, and the 'enhanced' physical condition and ability to perform many different kinds of physical actions, positions and movements, doesn't determine the annihilation of ignorance and egoism, or the ability to let go, or whether the mind will attain the realization of selflessness, compassion and unconditional peace, and be free from painful sorrow and suffering, or not.

Inquire the egoistic behavior of the mind under the influence of ignorance and egoism and worldly passionate thinking, belief, values and practice.

Inquire the truth of everything.

The widely misuse of 'Gratefulness' and 'Contentment'

'Gratefulness' is a natural reflection of 'Contentment' (and vice versa) in oneself arising from within oneself, regardless of whether there's a reason for it, or not. It's neither something good nor bad, as it doesn't change the truth of names and forms being what it is, even though the presence of the sentiment or the thought of 'gratefulness' and 'contentment' in the mind can help certain people to get through certain challenging difficulties in life more easily.

But, nowadays, 'Gratefulness' or 'Contentment' has become something that is widely being misused by many people trying to 'advice' or 'threaten' other people, either wittingly or unwittingly, out of certain intention, expecting other people to be grateful or content, by telling other people, "You all should be grateful and content for the good things that you already have, and shouldn't be difficult or complaining about anything else." Some people believe in and tell others, "If you don't know how to be grateful, all your good karma will be gone, and bad karma will come to you."

Some even propagate, "Just by being alive and still breathing in this present moment, people should be grateful and content. Why are people complaining about non-functional government, selfish politics, poverty, corruption, discrimination, unjust, prejudice, crimes, violence, or some other forms of human imperfections?" or "You have a good and comfortable life, you should be grateful for the privilege that you have, why do you want to be busybody minding about other people's suffering and get yourself into 'troubles'?"

Showing concern and going against towards the existence of all kinds of unnecessary suffering in the diverse human society resulting from non-functional bias and corrupted system and leadership run by human beings under the influence of survival instinct, selfishness, greed and self-righteousness deriving from ignorance and egoism, is nothing to do with being ungrateful or discontented towards 'All the good things that we already have.'

Being at peace, being grateful and content in the present moment now with or without particular reason, while being undetermined or undisturbed by all kinds of suffering and difficulties resulting from ignorance and corruptions in the world, accepting the perceived reality in the present moment now as it is, regardless of whether it is pleasant/desirable or unpleasant/undesirable, as the mind is void of egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment or expectation, it doesn't mean that one is void of selfless actions, or one is keeping quiet, agreeing, supporting, encouraging, ignoring, or denying towards all kinds of ignorance and corruptions that are existing in this world of selflessness and impermanence.

Meanwhile, performing selfless actions showing concern and going against towards the existence of many unnecessary suffering resulting from ignorance and corruptions in this world of selflessness and impermanence, it doesn't mean that one cannot be peaceful, or should be disturbed and determined by all kinds of suffering and difficulties mentally or emotionally, or is being ungrateful or discontented, or is under the influence of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment or expectation. The teaching and practice of non-attachment, non-identification, desireless, non-judgment and non-expectation doesn't mean that one should just stand there not moving away from being abused by some abusers while encouraging more abuse to be happening.

The poison itself has no intention to be poisonous, or not. Knowing something is poisonous and still want to take the poison as the mind strongly believes in "I am fit and healthy, I am protected from being harmed by anything," and suffer from it, is pure ignorance. It's nothing to do with non-attachment or non-judgment.

The 'neither right nor wrong' in the teaching and practice of non-judgment, is about non-attachment towards or going beyond the conditional qualities of names and forms that are subject to selflessness and impermanence, it's not about approving wrongfulness, or seeing everything as all good, right or positive and nothing bad, wrong or negative. The truth of names and forms are neither right nor wrong, neither good nor bad, neither positive nor negative, but the egoistic intention of human's impure mind that put into the selfless intentionless names and forms can generate beneficial or harmful consequences.

Those who know this, they can be doing their best, performing necessary actions in the world that might help the world to have less unnecessary suffering and difficulties due to ignorance and corruptions, without attachment, identification, desire, judgment or expectation towards their actions and the fruit of their actions, or towards the world of selflessness and impermanence governed by the nature's law of cause and effect, while being undisturbed and undetermined by all kinds of ignorance and corruptions. 

There is no such thing as "Be grateful and content for all the good things that we already have, that we are still alive and still breathing, and need not be concerning or complaining towards all kinds of ignorance and corruptions in the world," as that is merely something created out of the egoistic selfish intention of certain ambitious people who want less obstacles hindering them from achieving their selfish greedy ambitions, may it be something political, religious, spiritual, ethnical or cultural under a particular thinking, belief, values and aspiration.

For example, a good and functional and humble 'authority' will not and don't need to tell the people to be grateful and stop complaining about anything, by oppressing freedom of expression. It's only a corrupted and non-functional and arrogantly defensive 'authority' will 'tell', or 'remind', or 'threaten' the people to 'be grateful', as they don't like and would disallow any complaint and criticism towards their shortcomings, as they are too arrogant to acknowledge shortcomings in them, not to say, to consider other people's knowledge and different opinions that could help them to be more functional.

The world's history is formed by actions and the consequences of actions. The history of human beings is made by human beings, either intentionally or unintentionally, and our actions in the present moment now, determining what kind of history we are making.

Everyone has the freedom to perform certain actions, or not, out of their own free will and understanding, while all actions, including inaction which is also a form of action, will bring along the consequences of actions, regardless of whether the fruit of action is being the way that the minds think and believe how it should be, or not.

In yoga practice, one needs to know how to free one's mind from being conditioned and influenced by any particular political, religious, spiritual, ethnical or cultural thinking, belief, values and aspiration, allowing the mind to inquire the truth of names and forms as it is, and hence, be able to make the best decision and perform the best action that would bring more benefits than harm or more peace/kindness than unrest/hatred into the world, as there's no perfect decision or perfect action and perfect fruit of action can be found in this world of selflessness and impermanence.

Yoga practitioners, especially yoga teachers or yoga community leaders, who understand this, will not try to influence or dictate other people's decision and action based on one's particular physical condition and ability/limitation, or based on one's particular political, religious, spiritual, ethnical or cultural thinking, belief, values and aspiration, but allowing all and everyone to free their own minds from being conditioned by any particular influences, to inquire the truth of everything as it is, to make their own decision independently and perform necessary action out of their own direct understanding through self-inquiry.

There's nothing wrong and it's okay to have pleasant and unpleasant thoughts, feelings and emotions, arising and passing away in the perceptive thinking mind. More importantly, it's having the core understanding towards selflessness and impermanence, be free from egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, judgment or expectation towards all kinds of names and forms arising and passing away, selflessly and impermanently. The modification of the mind is just what it is. Unconditional peace is there as it is, undetermined by the selfless impermanent modification of the mind/actions and the fruit of actions/conditions and situations in the perceived world of names and forms, neither arising nor passing away, neither appearing nor disappearing, neither increasing nor decreasing.

One can be dispassionate and renounce from worldly affairs, activities and relationships, but it doesn't mean that one wouldn't be performing selfless actions that would help the world to move forward, without attachment or expectation towards the world has to be or not to be in certain ways. This is nothing to do with generating good karma or avoiding bad karma, not to say, the presence or absence of gratefulness or contentment. Unless the mind is still being disturbed and determined very much by the condition and situation in the world, then one can completely retreat from performing any actions in the world, to be looking after one's mind before one can serve the world efficiently, in peace.

Quote by His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama

"The key to happiness has nothing to do with belief in God, heaven or spirituality. It has to be contentment and affection within oneself."

 - His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama

This is why many religious leaders and fundamentalists (Especially in this country) are fear of their followers to come in contact with the teachings of Buddhism or yoga (In this country, books on Buddhism teachings are not allowed to be sold to, or read by Muslims, and there's Fatwa on yoga), as it contradicts with their teachings about believe in God and go to heaven for attaining Salvation.

But now, on the Internet, everyone can easily come in contact with the teachings of yoga or Buddhism being shared freely and widely on the Internet, which is fantastic and liberating for many who have the chance to come in contact with the teachings of yoga or Buddhism.

Just a simple quote on the teachings of Buddhism can be so liberating for many people.

And it's nothing to do with whether you have a religion or not, nor what type of religion you have, nor what you eat and don't eat, nor what you practice or don't practice, nor what political party that you support, nor any qualities of names and forms that you have and don't have.

Just by being content, accept and love unconditionally towards oneself and others.

Be free from hatred.

May all beings be happy.

If anyone will be hating and angry upon seeing or hearing the teachings that support and promote love and peace in oneself and others, just because those teachings are different from or contradicting with what their mind is being "told" to believe in and what they practice, then obviously there's something "missing" in that "belief" or in what they practice, as it promotes anger and hatred or violence, making oneself so agitated, offended, humiliated, disturbed, violent, and unhappy.

Om shanti.