Discipline in the yoga asana practice

There's nothing wrong with many people are interested in attending some yoga classes to be learning and practicing the yoga asana practice only for gaining enhancement in health and fitness, with the aspiration of improving their physical and/or mental condition, ability, performance, and achievement, as well as be able to perform the different yoga asana poses.

In order to achieve such aspiration, it requires certain degrees of discipline or commitment to be devoting one's life and energy into performing the yoga asana practice and/or some other form of fitness training exercises regularly.

If one can spend approximately 1 to 2 hours a day, for minimum 3 to 6 times a week, continuously for a few years, to be practicing the yoga asana practice as well as the respective fitness training exercises for developing the required strength, flexibility, stamina, and skill for performing the different yoga asana poses effortlessly, under the correct understanding with right attitude/mentality/manner/attention/effort, then naturally, one will gain significant improvement in the over-all physical and/or mental condition, ability, performance and achievement, while minimizing unnecessary harmful effect or injury unto the body and mind, through the regular persistent yoga asana practice or fitness training without forcing the body and mind beyond its limitations in the present moment, and allowing the limitations to change as they are, during and/or after the persistent continuous regular practice or training for a few years. And all these development or enhancement in the physical/mental condition, ability, performance and achievement are momentary and impermanent. They are not the goal of the yoga asana practice.

All these enhanced qualities need to be maintained regularly, and yet, even if all these qualities are under going regular maintenance, the body and mind will still be under going the inevitable process of decay, weakness, old age, and disintegration.

If one has such aspiration of desiring to attain the maximum benefits from performing the yoga asana practice and/or fitness training exercises, but somehow, one doesn't have the required amount of discipline or commitment, where one only wants to attend the yoga asana classes or practicing the yoga asana and fitness training exercises for once a week, while keeps skipping classes or the practice sessions from time to time due to some other priorities and commitments in everyday life, or merely because "I don't feel like doing any physical activity for today at no particular reason" for the day, and for the next many days or weeks, then of course, there won't be much development or improvement in the physical and/or mental condition, ability, performance and achievement.

Moreover, there will be some physical and mental struggle/discomfort/weakness/tightness/soreness or even unnecessary injury manifesting in the body and mind every time during and after the 'once in a while' or 'irregular' yoga asana practice or fitness training session, as the body and mind were never being given the proper or enough amount of continuous practice, or never received enough regular training for it to develop the required physical and mental familiarity, the basic skill, the stamina, the strength and the flexibility, and to be at ease and effortless in the yoga asana practice routine, and in the different yoga exercises or fitness training routine.

Meanwhile, the presence or absence of such discipline or commitment makes no difference to those who don't have such aspiration for gaining maximum benefits or improvement in the physical and/or mental condition, ability, performance, and achievement via the yoga asana practice and/or some other forms of yoga practice under certain names and forms, but they are more interested in learning and practicing yoga for self-inquiry and self-realization, or to be attaining liberation from ignorance and the consequences of ignorance, as such yoga practice is not limited by the discipline, commitment, devotion, or regularity in attending the yoga asana classes, or in performing certain physical and mental yoga practice under certain names and forms, but, the yoga practice is in everyday life, in every moment, of how the mind thinks, reasons, understands, behaves, acts and reacts towards the mind perception of names and forms in this present moment now, that are pleasant or unpleasant, desirable or undesirable, agreeable or disagreeable, and enjoyable or non-enjoyable. Devoid of grasping, or passionate egoistic attachment, identification, craving, aversion, comparison, judgment, or expectation, allowing and respecting all kinds of names and forms being there as they are, allowing them to change and pass away, being undetermined and undisturbed by all kinds of names and forms arising, changing, and passing away.

The enhanced physical and/or mental condition, ability, performance, and achievement that are impermanent, might can help to render the body and mind in certain way for different purposes on the path of yoga, but it is neither an obligatory for self-inquiry and self-realization nor a guarantee that the mind will be free from ignorance and the consequences of ignorance.

The yogi, or the liberated mind, or unconditional peace, is not being determined by the selfless impermanent physical and mental condition, ability, performance, and achievement, not even the momentary concentrated, focused, calmed and quiet state of mind induced by the devoted persevered sincere practice. It's the absence of the idea of 'I' and the egoism of passionate egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, and/or expectation towards all these selfless impermanent qualities of names and forms, of the limited and conditional adjuncts, that is not 'I', but I-less.

However, if the mind thinks and believes or realizes that the practice of non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment, or non-expectation is too difficult or impossible for itself, where it is unwittingly and constantly be determined and disturbed by what is happening in the body and mind, and in the world, of the absence and presence of all kinds of names and forms that it likes and dislikes, agrees and disagrees with, and desires and doesn't desire, then this mind needs to put in some effort or discipline/commitment into performing the physical and mental yoga practice that come under certain names and forms regularly, such as certain observation and restriction, the yoga asana practice, the breathing exercises, the chanting or sound vibration exercises, the practice of withdrawing the mind from the objects of the senses, the concentration practice, and the meditation practice, that will move the mind away from the worldly passionate egoistic restless affairs for some time, to be turning the outgoing mind inward to be focusing within, that help to induce momentary calmness and quietness, to begin with on the path of yoga, until the mind developed certain degrees of correct understanding and knows how to apply non-attachment, non-identification, non-craving, non-aversion, non-comparison, non-judgment, and non-expectation into everyday life, naturally and effortlessly, and be undetermined and undisturbed by all kinds of names and forms.

There is a huge difference between one who has been practicing yoga asana practice for one year regularly for 6 times a week and one who has been practicing yoga asana practice for ten years irregularly for once a week or once every two weeks. Or, between one who has been practicing yoga asana practice for many years either regularly or irregularly but without eradicating the idea of 'I', passionate egoism, and worldly ideas and desires, and one who has been practicing yoga asana practice for a few months either regularly or irregularly while working diligently on eradicating the idea of 'I', passionate egoism, and worldly ideas and desires. This is not about comparison and/or judgment about who is better or who can achieve better result, but it indicates that how long one has been started practicing yoga and/or yoga asana practice, either regularly or irregularly, doesn't determine that whether the mind is free from ignorance and the by-products and consequences of ignorance, or not.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Inquire towards everything under wisdom

If something is limited and conditional, under specific qualities of specific names and forms, that is the by-product of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, that is the creation of the minds under the influence of all that, as well as empowering all that, then it is not real, it is not the truth.

If something is unlimited and unconditional, regardless of the different qualities of different names and forms, that doesn't empower ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, but it is eradicating ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, or the root cause of suffering, then it is real, it is the truth.

Any belief, values and practice that are limited and conditional, because they are the creation of the minds under the influence of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, that doesn't eradicate all that, but it is encouraging and empowering all that, then it is not real, it is not the truth.

The idea of 'I', is limited and conditional, as it cannot and doesn't exist permanently and independently, because it is the by-product of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, as well as empowering all that at the same time, and hence, it is not real, it is not the truth.

All and everything are inevitably constantly changing impermanently and selflessly under the law of cause and effect, as they are, and hence, all and everything are selfless and impermanent, as well as, selflessness and impermanence and the law of cause and effect are real, it is the truth. While the names and forms of all and everything that are changing impermanently and selflessly, that cannot and don't exist permanently and independently, are not real, even though it's the truth of everything.

Anything that is trying to be interfering with or go against selflessness and impermanence and the law of cause and effect, to be attaining momentary relief from certain suffering, but doesn't eradicate the root cause of suffering, is deriving from ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, as well as empowering all that, and hence, it is not real, it is not the truth.

All kinds of superstitious beliefs and practices are limited and conditional, because they are the products of the minds that are under the influence of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, while they don't eradicate ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, but empowering all that, and hence, it is not real, it is not the truth.

The minds that perform black magic, hypnotism, ritual or trance medium to be gratifying certain desires, as well as to be providing service to the minds that desire to be using the service of black magic, hypnotism, ritual or trance medium for gratifying certain desires, as well as the minds that desire to be using the service of black magic, hypnotism, ritual and trance medium for gratifying certain desires, it is very obvious that all these minds are not free from ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, as there are suffering or desire or discontentment deriving from all that, that is why there's a need of all those practices. Since all these practices are the creations or products of the minds under the influence of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, and under the presence of suffering, desire and discontentment deriving from all that, where not only that all these practices don't eradicate ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, but instead, they are empowering all that, and hence, all these are not real, they are not the truth.

It's understandable that, under the influence of ignorance and under the presence of intense suffering, desires and discontentment deriving from ignorance, the minds would create many beliefs, values and practices deriving from hopeful wild imaginations and anticipations that seemed to be so real to the minds, that would give momentary console or relief from the presence of intense suffering, desire and discontentment, that not only don't eradicate the root cause of suffering, but instead, are empowering the root cause of suffering.

If under the existence of such beliefs, values and practices, or just by performing such beliefs, values and practices that is so 'powerful', that claimed it can be eradicating or 'healing' all kinds of problems or physical, mental and emotional suffering in oneself and in others, magically and miraculously, then the world should already be free from all kinds of ignorance and the consequences of ignorance, where there is no suffering, selfishness, possessiveness, greed, hatred, jealousy, vengeance, violence, discrimination, corruption, exploitation, separateness, oppression, bully, abuse, conflict, war, or killing among human beings, or even selfless impermanent changes of decay, illness, old age, and death, then it is the truth. But, it is not.

The teachings of yoga and buddhism doesn't claim to be 'healing' any kind of painful suffering, or removing all kinds of selfless impermanent changes or all kinds of consequences of actions in oneself, or in others, or in the world, governed by the law of cause and effect. It's not about changing the undesirable reality to be the way that the mind desires it to be. But it's about removing the root cause of suffering in oneself by oneself, and attaining self-realization to be free from all kinds of doubt, desire, discontentment and suffering deriving from the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness.

Similarly, just by eating certain type of food, regardless of pure vegetarian or non-vegetarian food, or by performing certain 'good' action and not performing certain 'bad' action, or by thinking positively and not thinking negatively, if without self-inquiry, it doesn't free the mind from the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, and the suffering deriving from all that.

It is the freedom of all and everyone towards what they want and don't want to think, believe and practice.

Something that is unlimited and unconditional, such as the self-realization upon the annihilation of the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, as well as the minds that had attained self-realization, they are void of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, not to say, to be encouraging or empowering ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness. Neither will they be associating with or performing any practices that are deriving from ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, that not only don't eradicate all that, but are encouraging and empowering all that.

The minds that are free from the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, and hence, are free from the suffering, desire or discontentment deriving from all that, they don't need such limited and conditional beliefs, values and practices to be gratifying certain desires, or to be attaining certain momentary console or relief from suffering, not to say, to be associating with and performing such beliefs, values and practices, to be encouraging and empowering ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness.

Perform the similar inquiry towards everything, where anything that is deriving from and empowering the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, it is not the truth. While anything that is thinning out and eradicating the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness, is the truth of suffering, the cause of suffering, the path towards the end of suffering, and the end of suffering, that leads to neither suffering nor the end of suffering, because the root cause of suffering is eradicated or absent. It's not about this is the only truth, not to say, everyone must believe that this is the truth. It's also nothing magical or mystical.

Do not blind-believing, blind-following, or blind-practicing anything, including all the teachings of yoga and buddhism that the mind comes in contact with, including all that is here, but inquire the truth of everything, to attain direct realization.

How to incorporate eradication of egoism into the yoga and meditation practice?

It's common and nothing wrong when someone who is suffering from certain kind of physical illness, or physical injury, or physical limitation, or mental problem and blockage, or emotional disturbance, would have the interest, aspiration, desire, intention and expectation to learn and practice certain type of yoga and meditation practice with the intention, desire or expectation to be attaining certain physical and mental enhancement and benefits, or gaining certain relief and recovery from those suffering.

There is attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, intention, aspiration and expectation in this initiation to be starting learning and practicing yoga and meditation.

It's also common and nothing wrong when someone has the initiative, interest, aspiration, desire, intention and expectation to be learning the knowledge and technique of certain type of yoga and meditation practice to become a yoga and meditation teacher, to be teaching some others about how to perform certain type of yoga and meditation practice with the aspiration, desire, intention and expectation to be sharing the wonderful practice of yoga and meditation to many others, while giving positive encouragement and motivational compliment to the students emphasizing on the impermanent enhancement of the physical and mental ability and achievement as well as on the momentary side-effects or benefits of the practice, hoping that all others who are learning and practicing the yoga and meditation practice would be attaining certain physical and mental enhancement and benefits, or gaining certain relief and recovery from those suffering.

There is attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, intention, aspiration and expectation in this initiation to be learning and practicing and teaching yoga and meditation.

It's common and nothing wrong when the yoga and meditation classes, or the teachers who are teaching the yoga and meditation classes are emphasizing on the specific type of yoga and meditation practice that would bring along specific type of physical and mental enhancement or benefits, or might be giving certain relief or recovery from certain physical, mental or emotional suffering, illness, injury, problem, blockage, hurt or disturbance.

There is attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, intention, aspiration and expectation in the process of conducting yoga and meditation classes.

How to incorporate the eradication of egoism into the yoga and meditation practice or the yoga and meditation classes?

The yoga and meditation classes, and the teachers who teach the yoga and meditation classes are not emphasizing on the specific type of yoga and meditation practice of particular name and form. It's just simply a particular type of yoga and meditation technique and practice, and not emphasizing on the possibility of specific type of effects or physical and mental enhancement and benefits, as all and everyone has different physical and mental condition and limitation in different timing, that has different reaction towards the similar type of practice, where the fruit of practice might be very different among the different practitioners, and the goal of the yoga and meditation classes and the yoga and meditation practice are not about attaining or enjoying the side-effects of momentary physical and mental enhancement and benefits of the yoga and meditation practice at all. But it's going beyond or renouncing all kinds of side-effects of the yoga and meditation practice. It's about incorporating the eradication of ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness into the practice, to weaken and eliminate the idea of 'I' and the passionate desires and aspirations, to be rendering the mind calm and purified, preparing the mind for self-inquiry and deep meditation, to attain self-realization.

Someone who is learning and practicing certain type of yoga and meditation practice might have the opportunity to be teaching yoga and meditation practice to some others, but can be without attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment, intention or expectation towards the action and the fruit of action of learning, practicing and teaching certain type of yoga and meditation practice, allowing the action and the fruit of the action of learning, practicing and teaching being there as it is, and being what it is. Without the need of giving positive encouragement and motivational compliment to the students emphasizing on the impermanent enhancement of the physical and mental ability and achievement as well as on the momentary side-effects or benefits of the practice, which is nothing but empowering the egoism of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment and expectation in the students. And all are impermanent.

Someone who is suffering from certain kind of physical illness, or physical injury, or physical limitation, or mental problem and blockage, or emotional disturbance can be learning and practicing the yoga and meditation practice under the correct understanding and right effort, where there's no attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment and expectation towards the impermanent condition of the physical body and the impermanent states of the mind, the existence of certain physical, mental or emotional suffering, the action and the fruit of action of learning and performing the yoga and meditation practice, allowing the action and the fruit of action being what it is. There's no expectation towards the yoga and meditation practice will bring certain type of physical or mental enhancement or benefits, or will bring certain relief or recovery from the existing physical, mental and emotional suffering in one's body and mind, while allowing the effects of the practice to be there, or not, and allowing impermanent changes to be there as they are, and accepting the reality in the present moment now as it is, and it is impermanent, and changing. Even if some others who are performing the same practice, in the same timing, under the same teacher, might be experiencing and reacting towards the effects of the practice differently from oneself, and it's okay, letting go all kinds of comparison, judgment and expectation.

Under such correct understanding and right effort, even if the practitioner has been performing the yoga and meditation practice diligently and regularly for many years, but the existing physical, mental or emotional suffering might still be there and worsening, or there are even more other forms of suffering arise in the body and mind, while some others might be gaining certain relief or recovery from the similar suffering from performing the similar practice, but then, the mind understands towards selflessness and impermanence, void of attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment and expectation, the mind is not being determined or disturbed by the presence, or the worsening, or the continuous existence of certain suffering, but just doing one's best to be performing necessary actions, while allowing the fruit of actions being what it is, and the mind is okay under any circumstances, conditions and situations. And all are impermanent.

There's no craving towards certain pleasant, desirable and agreeable experiences, connection, interaction, condition and situation. There's no aversion towards certain unpleasant, undesirable and disagreeable experiences, connection, interaction, condition and situation. Without being determined or over-powered by the existing suffering or the disturbed states of mind. Without denying, suppressing or pushing away, but just by being aware and acknowledging, without judgment and expectation. That is what yoga and meditation practice is about. That is what silence and mindfulness is about. That is liberation.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Non-attachment and non-identification towards qualities of names and forms is basic yoga practice

When people are learning how to read and write modern languages using Roman Alphabet, one begins with recognizing and pronouncing the letters of A, B, C, and so on. And then one learns about the utilization of the vowels a, e, i, o, u, and some combinations of different vowels, and so on. Then one will be learning how to pronounce and recognize simple words made out of the combination of letters and vowels. Then, one will advance further by pronouncing and recognizing more complicated and challenging words as well as learning about grammars and tenses while making sentences with combination of words utilizing appropriate grammars and tenses, and so on.

People would think and believe that basic or beginner yoga practice means learning and doing some simple and basic physical yoga poses or exercises (Asana), observing some code of conducts of do's and don't do's (Yama and Niyama), as well as doing some basic cleansing and breathing exercises (Kriya and Pranayama) to purify, balance and charge the energy centres and channels, to purify the mind on the gross level as well as rendering the mind calm and quiet, preparing the mind for the practice of withdrawal of the senses, concentration and meditation (Pratyahara, Dharana and Dhyana) that would purify the mind on subtler level.

As the body developed certain degrees of physical strength, flexibility and skill, the yoga practitioners will advance in their yoga asana practice by doing some more complicated and challenging physical yoga poses or exercises that require certain degrees of physical strength, flexibility and skill, as well as doing some advance cleansing and breathing exercises.

While many yoga enthusiasts would think and believe that 'practicing yoga' means doing some form of basic, intermediate and advance yoga poses and exercises, cleansing and breathing exercises, step by step, level by level, as the basic yoga practice that needs to be done for many years before one shall be introduced with the teachings of yoga about the modification of the mind and mind conquest about the annihilation of the mind, after the mind is rendered calm, pure and quiet.

There's nothing wrong with that understanding and procedure.

However, somehow, even after years and years of performing all kinds of 'basic/intermediate/advance' yoga practice regularly, and the body and mind has been gaining some physical and mental benefits as part of the side-effects of performing those yoga practice regularly, but the mind might still be functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism, where it still has intense attachment and identification towards a personal and group identity that built on a particular worldly passionate social, cultural, spiritual, religious, regional, national or political thinking, belief, values, practice, actions and the fruit of actions, and hence, it's not free from the restlessness and suffering deriving from ignorance and egoism.

This is due to the practitioner is performing all kinds of physical and mental yoga exercises regularly getting all kinds of benefits, but without the basic foundation of dispassion, renunciation, desirelessness of non-craving and non-aversion, non-attachment and non-identification, to stop generating 'rubbish' from within the mind itself.

Maybe many yoga enthusiasts might not be aware of, actually in the traditional lineage of yoga, the new students are just living closely to the teacher and doing some daily chores for many years (some are up to 12 years), which is about developing the basic foundation of dispassion, renunciation, desirelessness of non-craving and non-aversion, non-attachment and non-identification, in order to be equipped with the 'mental fitness' before the students are being introduced to the yoga practice of Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Kriya, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, and so on.

This 'mental fitness' or 'prerequisite' before the start of many different types of yoga practice is like the foundation of a house. If the foundation is not good enough, or is completely absent, then there will be many 'problems' with the house, risking those who live in the house and those who are in the surrounding environment as well, no matter how much effort and money has been spent onto decorating the inside and outside of the house with many precious and beautiful things.

This foundation in yoga, is about eliminating egoism and all kinds of worldly passionate egoistic influences in the mind. It's about performing actions and renouncing the fruit of actions.

The practice of dispassion and renunciation (disinterest towards worldly passionate objects and affairs, and moving away from worldly relationships, connections, interactions and activities), the practice of desirelessness of non-craving and non-aversion, and the practice of non-attachment and non-identification towards the qualities of names and forms, particularly towards the selfless impermanent physical body and modification of the mind, which will lead towards detachment and dis-identification towards all the existing 'worldly identities with qualities of names and forms' based on particular thinking, belief, values, practice, actions and the fruit of actions, is indeed the basic yoga practice that would be efficiently reducing or cutting off 'worldly passionate egoistic influences or inputs' in the mind, that would allow the mind to perceive everything as it is, and see things as they are, without being contaminated by any worldly thinking, belief, values and practice deriving from ignorance and egoism to analyze and judge everything, to act and react.

This well-trained mind stops generating 'rubbish' from within the mind. It stops hurting itself and/or others.

There's nothing wrong when the mind is practicing dispassion, renunciation, desirelessness, non-attachment and non-identification, but due to certain reasons and limitations, this mind might not be doing any particular form of yoga practice under particular names and forms.

It would be good also, if the mind is practicing many different types of yoga practice along with the foundation practice of dispassion, renunciation, desirelessness, non-attachment and non-identification.

Meanwhile, just by doing many different types of yoga practice under many different names and forms, but without the practice of dispassion, renunciation, desirelessness, non-attachment and non-identification, it could be something else, and most probably, the mind is still swaying between satisfaction and dissatisfaction, happiness and unhappiness, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, joyfulness and painful sorrow, and so on, due to the momentary side-effects of performing the different types of yoga practice. Such as, after a yoga and/or meditation session, the mind says, "Wow! I feel so good." And then, if due to some reasons, there are certain days void of yoga and/or meditation practice, the mind says, "Mmm... I don't feel good."

Just like the knowledge and action of using the letters and vowels to create words and sentences, and expressing many ideas through writing while learning about many things through reading, is neither good nor bad. However, depending on the reasoning power to reason everything that we read, as well as depending on the intention of creating certain words and sentences, we can turn the knowledge and action of reading and writing into something beneficial or harmful. Just like a lawyer or a doctor can be utilizing their particular knowledge, skill and opportunity to be doing something beneficial or harmful to oneself and/or others depending on their reasoning power and intention.

What is determining the reasoning power and intention that influencing whether the minds utilize the knowledge, skill and opportunity to be doing something beneficial or harmful for oneself and/or others, is similar to the presence and absence of the basic foundation of dispassion, renunciation, desirelessness, non-attachment and non-identification that is influencing whether the minds utilize the knowledge, skill and opportunity in yoga to be doing something beneficial or harmful for oneself and/or others. There have been quite some corruptions existing in the world of yoga, even among those who have been practicing and teaching yoga for many years, this is due to these minds were/are functioning under the influence of ignorance and egoism. It's not the fault of the teachings or practices.

Some corrupted minds might even use the teachings of selflessness, oneness, non-separateness, non-duality of neither right nor wrong/neither good nor bad, as well as the practice of performing selfless community service of serve, love and give, desirelessness, non-attachment and non-identification to justify their own impure egoistic lustful misconducts of taking advantage, exploiting and hurting other people for satisfying their own lustful desires. Again, there is nothing wrong with the teachings and practice of yoga, but it's coming from these corrupted minds themselves, generating such misconducts out of their own ignorance, egoism and impurities. Even the 'victims' of these corrupted minds, themselves are not free from the influence of ignorance and egoism, because the corrupted minds wouldn't have any opportunity to be taking advantage, exploiting or hurting the minds that are free from ignorance and egoism.

Inquire the truth of everything.

Transcending difficulties by understanding, non-attachment and desirelessness

Transcending existing difficulties won't change the difficulties into something else, and won't make the difficulties become less or disappear. But through understanding and non-attachment, one is not being determined by the difficulties. The difficulties are just being what they are. They arise, change and pass away as they are, at their own cause.

Just as knowing the truth of things won't change the things being what they are.

The direct experience of different types of difficulties allows the mind to understand towards the many types of suffering that different minds might go through.

Many people believe in and propagate 'the law of attraction or desire', "Don't think of negative things and there will be no negative things come into your life, or, only thinking about positive things and there will be only positive things come into your life."

That's their freedom of thinking and desire. It's not the practice of Yoga or Buddhism.

The teachings of Yoga and Buddhism teach about the law of nature, the law of cause and effect, the truth of selflessness and impermanence, the relationship between ignorance and suffering, and the practice of non-attachment and desirelessness of non-craving and non-aversion as the path of liberation.

Transcend the thinking mind. Transcend all the names and forms. Transcend the world of ignorance and egoism. Transcend birth and death. Transcend all kinds of dualities. Everything is just what they are. They are neither positive nor negative. Need not pushing away or craving for this or that. Allowing everything being what they are, as they are, and all are selfless and impermanent.

Suffering arise upon the presence of attachment and desire. Free from attachment and desire, there's no suffering.

All kinds of fear exist following attachment and desire. Free from attachment and desire, fear doesn't exist.

Freedom from fear is liberation, is freedom, is peace.

Be free.

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha and non-interference towards the law of nature

While Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was still a prince who had never come in contact with any suffering before, he went outside the palace one day and had the great opportunity to witness the law of nature, of selfless impermanent changes of illness, old age and death, as well as the suffering of hunger and thirst, or survival instinct in all beings, and this experience had ignited the intense yearning for knowing the truth of existence or the yearning for liberation in him, which led to his renunciation from worldly life, learning from different teachers experiencing different paths, and found the middle path and attained enlightenment.

Knowing and respecting the law of nature, he never interfered with the law of nature, even though one of his teachings is about loving kindness, or non-violence, or non-killing. The non-interference towards the law of nature, observing all and everything arising, changing and passing away at their own cause, is indeed non-violence/loving kindness/compassion, which it's not easy for many sympathetic/empathetic minds to grasp.

Upon seeing the suffering of hunger and thirst, of the survival instinct in all beings, where the insect was being hunt and ate by a lizard, and then the lizard was being hunt and ate by a snake, and then the snake was being hunt and ate by a bird, and then the bird was being hunt and ate by a hunter, and then the hunter will eventually meet his own death and be eaten by worms and insects and animals, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha couldn't and didn't interfere with the law of nature.

Although he was deeply disturbed and grieving out of his nature of non-violence and loving kindness, he couldn't and didn't interfere towards nature. He didn't aspire to stop the hunter from hunting the bird, or stop the bird from hunting the snake, or stop the snake from hunting the lizard, or stop the lizard from hunting the insect, and so on.

When people who were in painful suffering came to him asking to be freed from sickness, to escape old age, and to bring back the dead, he didn't perform 'miracles' to remove all kinds of sickness, old age and death from anyone, for anyone. One can do one's best to stay away from sickness, to be cured from sickness, to stay young as much as possible, to save lives if possible, and to live as long as possible, but without attachment towards the fruit of action being what it is according to the law of nature, after doing one's best.

He let everyone to purify and discipline their own mind to see the truth of the existence of a selfless impermanent body and a selfless perceptive/cognitive mind governed by the law of nature, of cause and effect, of actions and the consequences of actions, or the restlessness of selfless impermanent changes of decaying, of selfless transitions of birth, old age, illness and death/disintegration, and be desireless and unattached towards the mind perception of a selfless impermanent life existence.

Decay/death/disintegration is not something terrible or negative.

It is the inevitable truth of everything - of living and non-living objects.

Regardless of being wise or unwise, kind or unkind, pleasant or unpleasant, selfish or unselfish, healthy or unhealthy, rich or poor, knowledgeable or non-knowledgeable, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, good or bad, right or wrong, agreeable or disagreeable, short lived or long lived, easy condition or difficult condition, all are subject to selfless impermanent changes of decaying, old age, illness and death.

He never mentioned or commenting about 'God existence', 'Soul or Spirit', 'Heaven and Hell'. He let everyone to purify and discipline their own minds, to quiet the modification of the mind, to inquire towards the truth of everything and attain self-realization towards the truth by oneself.

He didn't tell anyone what/how to think, what to believe and how to behave, or not. He let everyone to practice, or not, about the Noble Eightfold Path in order to purify, discipline and quiet the modification of the mind, to free the mind from ignorance, to know Thyself - the truth of Selflessness and Impermanence.

He didn't aspire to change the world to be something else that it is not.

He didn't aspire to stop the world from selfless impermanent changes governed by the law of nature, of cause and effect.

He didn't aspire to save the world from 'destruction' or 'extinction', or to free the world from 'painful suffering', 'evilness', 'wrongfulness'.

He didn't aspire to stop the teachings from changing into something else and disappearing from the world.

He didn't fight against anyone who act and react under the influence of ignorance or anything born out of ignorance.

He didn't desire or expect anyone or anything to change to be something different from what they are and are not. Everyone and everything will be changing as they are, governed by the law of nature, cause and effect.

He didn't judge or punish anyone or anything.

He wasn't a leader leading a group of followers. He wasn't a belief creator hoarding a group of believers. He was merely disseminating the Dhamma as it is, and let everyone whether to practice and liberate themselves from ignorance, or not.

His teachings and practice emphasize on - The Middle Path of respecting the nature of everything, or the truth of Impermanence and Selflessness, through Non-interference/Non-attachment/Desirelessness/Non-craving/Non-aversion towards the mind perception of names and forms (pleasurable enjoyment and painful suffering), and attaining Silence/Nibbana/Nirvana, or Annihilation of the modification of the mind.

He realized suffering isn't caused by the perceived names and forms being what they are, impermanently and selflessly changing. Suffering arise is due to ungratified desire deriving from attachment and desire of craving and aversion being generated towards the perceived names and forms, while attachment and desire of craving and aversion are the by-products of ignorance, being ignorant towards the truth of names and forms, of both the perceiver and the perceived.

Some people might mistaken Nibbana (in Pali) or Nirvana (in Sanskrit) - Void of the modification of the mind, as 'Heaven', one of the realms or states of mind that is still within the restless wheel of births and deaths governed by the law of cause and effect. The realm of 'Heaven' or 'State of supreme pleasurable enjoyment' is not ultimate liberation from the suffering of restless transition of realms, of the selfless cognitive mind perception of ceaseless impermanent changes of births and deaths (restless modification of the mind).

Inquire towards the truth of everything.

Fearlessness, desirelessness, presentness, peacefulness, are all one

Beyond all the mind perception of different qualities of names and forms, of all the births and deaths, togetherness and separateness, joy and grief, pleasure and pain, success and failure, pleasantness and unpleasantness, likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements, wants and don't wants.

Beyond all the thinking and belief of good and bad, right and wrong, positive and negative, happiness and unhappiness, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, perfection and imperfection.

Being undetermined and undisturbed by the mind perception of impermanent names and forms that are limited and conditioned by time, space and causation, of cause and effect, of ceaseless actions and consequences of actions.

Being free from ignorance and egoism.

Being free from the past memories and the future imaginations.

Being free from longing, clinging, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, dissatisfaction, disappointment, hurt, regret, guilt, pride, arrogance, hostility, depression, fear and worry.

The realization of selflessness and inaction in all actions, of countless selfless states of the mind arising and passing away.

Fearlessness, desirelessness, presentness, peacefulness, are all one.